Cowles, NE climate
Cowles has chilly winters and warm summers. A typical July afternoon reaches 89°, a January night drops to 15°, and about 25 inches of snow falls in a normal winter.
NOAA 1991-2020 climate normals Updated once a decadeWhat a year in Cowles feels like
Winter
Spring
Summer
Fall
Cowles 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 | 37° | 15° | 0.6" | 5.7" | 3 | 12 | 18° – 38° |
| February | 42° | 19° | 0.7" | 7.8" | 4 | 9 | 20° – 39° |
| March | 54° | 28° | 1.4" | 3.2" | 5 | 4 | 32° – 53° |
| April | 64° | 38° | 2.4" | 1.4" | 7 | 1 | 43° – 57° |
| May | 74° | 49° | 4.3" | 0 | 9 | 0 | 55° – 68° |
| June | 85° | 59° | 3.6" | 0 | 8 | 0 | 66° – 77° |
| July | 89° | 64° | 4.0" | 0 | 7 | 0 | 71° – 82° |
| August | 87° | 63° | 3.3" | 0 | 6 | 0 | 69° – 81° |
| September | 80° | 53° | 2.2" | 0 | 5 | 0 | 60° – 73° |
| October | 67° | 40° | 2.0" | 1.2" | 5 | 0 | 46° – 58° |
| November | 52° | 27° | 1.2" | 1.6" | 4 | 2 | 32° – 46° |
| December | 40° | 18° | 0.8" | 4.4" | 3 | 8 | 20° – 34° |
| Year | 64° | 39° | 26.5" | 25.3" | 66 | 36 |
“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 Cowles
Cowles gets 27 inches of rain and melted snow a year. May is the wettest month and January the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 66 days a year. Snow covers the ground about 36 days of the year.
About 157 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by May 1 and the first one by October 5. That leaves about 157 frost-free days for gardens, shorter than 74% of U.S. towns.
Heating and cooling a home in Cowles
Engineers use “degree days” to estimate how hard a furnace or air conditioner works. In Cowles, 85% of that work is heating and 15% 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 Cowles 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 Cowles averaged 0.9° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in January (+2.7°). The shift is smaller than in 79% of U.S. towns.
Change by month1991–2020 average minus 1901–2000 average, at Cowles’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 53°. June is the most reliable, staying within 10°.
Common questions about Cowles’s climate
What is the coldest month in Cowles?
January, with a typical high of 37° and a low of 15°.
What is the hottest month in Cowles?
July, with a typical high of 89° and a low of 64°. About 50 days a year reach 90°.
How much snow does Cowles get?
About 25 inches in a normal winter, most of it in February.
When is the first frost in Cowles?
In half of years the first 32° night comes by October 5, and the last spring frost by May 1.
What is the rainiest month in Cowles?
May, with 4.3 inches of rain and melted snow. The year totals 27 inches.
Temperatures and rainfall come from NOAA’s gridded climate normals for Cowles itself (about a 3-mile square). Snow, frost dates and day counts come from NOAA’s weather station at Blue Hill 4 Sw, NE (10 mi, snow) and Red Cloud, NE (6 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.