Ames, NE climate
Ames has cold, snowy winters and warm summers. A typical July afternoon reaches 87°, a January night drops to 13°, and about 32 inches of snow falls in a normal winter.
NOAA 1991-2020 climate normals Updated once a decadeWhat a year in Ames feels like
Winter
Spring
Summer
Fall
Ames weather by month
Average highs, lows, rain and snow for every month, from NOAA’s 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 32° | 13° | 0.7" | 7.4" | 6 | 14 | 15° – 36° |
| February | 37° | 17° | 0.8" | 9.5" | 7 | 12 | 16° – 37° |
| March | 50° | 28° | 1.7" | 5.0" | 9 | 4 | 32° – 54° |
| April | 62° | 39° | 3.0" | 1.4" | 11 | 0 | 42° – 56° |
| May | 73° | 50° | 4.7" | 0.1" | 13 | 0 | 56° – 68° |
| June | 83° | 61° | 4.8" | 0 | 11 | 0 | 68° – 77° |
| July | 87° | 65° | 3.3" | 0 | 9 | 0 | 70° – 82° |
| August | 84° | 63° | 3.9" | 0 | 10 | 0 | 68° – 78° |
| September | 78° | 53° | 3.0" | 0 | 8 | 0 | 59° – 71° |
| October | 65° | 41° | 2.3" | 1.0" | 8 | 0 | 45° – 57° |
| November | 49° | 28° | 1.4" | 1.2" | 6 | 1 | 29° – 49° |
| December | 36° | 18° | 1.1" | 6.2" | 6 | 9 | 14° – 32° |
| Year | 61° | 40° | 30.9" | 31.8" | 103 | 41 |
“Wet days” have at least 0.01" of rain or melted snow. “Snow on ground” counts days with 1" or more. The 30-year range is the coldest and warmest that month’s average temperature got between 1991 and 2020.
Rain and snow in Ames
Ames gets 31 inches of rain and melted snow a year. June is the wettest month and January the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 103 days a year. Snow covers the ground about 41 days of the year.
About 172 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 23 and the first one by October 15. That leaves about 172 frost-free days for gardens, shorter than 58% of U.S. towns.
Heating and cooling a home in Ames
Engineers use “degree days” to estimate how hard a furnace or air conditioner works. In Ames, 86% of that work is heating and 14% is cooling, so the furnace matters far more than the air conditioner.
Degree days measure how far each day’s average temperature falls below or rises above 65°, added up over a year. Source: NOAA station normals.
How Ames compares
Compared with every U.S. town and city on TownTapestry, each counted once.
Warmer than it used to be
The last 30 years in Ames averaged 1.0° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in December (+2.3°). The shift is smaller than in 68% of U.S. towns.
Change by month1991–2020 average minus 1901–2000 average, at Ames’s spot on NOAA’s grid
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average, and real years wander around it. March swings the most: between 1991 and 2020 its average temperature ranged from 32° to 54°. June is the most reliable, staying within 9°.
Common questions about Ames’s climate
What is the coldest month in Ames?
January, with a typical high of 32° and a low of 13°.
What is the hottest month in Ames?
July, with a typical high of 87° and a low of 65°. About 34 days a year reach 90°.
How much snow does Ames get?
About 32 inches in a normal winter, most of it in February.
When is the first frost in Ames?
In half of years the first 32° night comes by October 15, and the last spring frost by April 23.
What is the rainiest month in Ames?
June, with 4.8 inches of rain and melted snow. The year totals 31 inches.
Temperatures and rainfall come from NOAA’s gridded climate normals for Ames itself (about a 3-mile square). Snow, frost dates and day counts come from NOAA’s weather station at Valley Nws, NE (16 mi, snow) and Fremont, NE (8 mi, frost, heat and degree days). Normals are 30-year averages, not a forecast. Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020 and 1901–2000.