Lincoln climate
Lincoln (Nebraska, United States) has a hot-summer humid continental climate (Köppen Dfa). The average temperature over the year is 11 °C52 °F, and about 752 mm30 in of precipitation falls in an average year.
Temperature by month
Precipitation by month
Lincoln climate table
| Month | High °C°F | Low °C°F | Mean °C°F | Precip. mmin | Frost days |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 134 | −916 | −425 | 170.7 | 30 |
| Feb | 338 | −818 | −228 | 220.9 | 27 |
| Mar | 1152 | −229 | 540 | 381.5 | 21 |
| Apr | 1865 | 440 | 1152 | 722.8 | 7 |
| May | 2475 | 1152 | 1763 | 1265.0 | 0 |
| Jun | 2985 | 1763 | 2374 | 1164.6 | 0 |
| Jul | 3290 | 2068 | 2679 | 722.9 | 0 |
| Aug | 3188 | 1865 | 2576 | 973.8 | 0 |
| Sep | 2680 | 1356 | 2068 | 742.9 | 0 |
| Oct | 1864 | 541 | 1153 | 592.3 | 5 |
| Nov | 1050 | −130 | 440 | 271.1 | 17 |
| Dec | 236 | −720 | −228 | 301.2 | 30 |
| Year | 3290 | −916 | 1152 | 75230 | 136 |
“Year” row: highest monthly high, lowest monthly low, annual mean and annual total. Frost days are for the whole grid cell.
| Month | Humid. | Cloud | Solar | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 78% | 61% | 2.2 | 9:33 |
| Feb | 75% | 63% | 3.1 | 10:35 |
| Mar | 70% | 61% | 4.0 | 11:49 |
| Apr | 66% | 58% | 5.1 | 13:15 |
| May | 68% | 60% | 5.9 | 14:26 |
| Jun | 69% | 50% | 6.6 | 15:05 |
| Jul | 64% | 45% | 6.6 | 14:49 |
| Aug | 65% | 46% | 5.7 | 13:47 |
| Sep | 65% | 43% | 4.7 | 12:24 |
| Oct | 67% | 48% | 3.4 | 11:02 |
| Nov | 71% | 51% | 2.4 | 9:50 |
| Dec | 79% | 58% | 1.9 | 9:15 |
Humid. = average relative humidity at 2 m; cloud = average cloud amount; solar = average daily solar energy reaching the ground in kWh/m² (all-sky); daylight in hours:minutes, calculated for the 15th of each month.
What the climate of Lincoln is like
The warmest month is July, with an average high of 32 °C90 °F and a low of 20 °C68 °F. The coldest is January, when highs average 1 °C34 °F and lows −9 °C16 °F. The climate is extremely continental — the average temperature swings by 30 °C54 °F between the coldest and the warmest month.
Annual precipitation is moderate at about 752 mm30 in. The wettest three-month stretch is May–July, which brings 42% of the annual total. Months with less than 20 mm0.8 in on average: January. The wettest month is May (126 mm5.0 in), the driest is January (17 mm0.7 in).
Relative humidity ranges from 64% in July to 79% in December. The clearest skies (lowest average cloud amount, 43%) are typical of September. Average wind speed near the ground ranges from 9 km/h (6 mph) in August to 15 km/h (9 mph) in April. Daylight lasts from about 9.3 hours in December to 15.1 hours in June.
A lasting snow cover is typical in December–February, when the average snow depth in the reanalysis exceeds 10 cm (deepest in January, about 15 cm).
Best time to visit Lincoln
Based on these averages, the most comfortable months for sightseeing and outdoor activities are September: average highs of 26 °C80 °F to 26 °C80 °F with 74 mm2.9 in to 74 mm2.9 in of precipitation per month.
The most challenging month is January, which is cold, with average highs of 1 °C34 °F.
Comfort score: months are ranked by how close they come to an average high of 21–28 °C (70–82 °F), lows above 5 °C (41 °F), little precipitation and moderate humidity. The best-ranked months of each place are recommended, even where none meets all of these. These are general rules of thumb applied to long-term averages.
What to pack for Lincoln
- Winter (December–February) — highs 134 to 3 °C38 °F, lows −916 to −7 °C20 °F, about 23 mm0.9 in of precipitation a month. Pack a winter coat, hat, gloves and warm, non-slip boots and shoes with good grip, as frost is common.
- Spring (March–May) — highs 1152 to 24 °C75 °F, lows −229 to 11 °C52 °F, about 79 mm3.1 in of precipitation a month. Pack long sleeves, a sweater and a medium jacket and an extra layer for the cooler mornings and evenings.
- Summer (June–August) — highs 2985 to 32 °C90 °F, lows 1763 to 20 °C68 °F, about 95 mm3.7 in of precipitation a month. Pack very light, breathable clothing, a sun hat and plenty of water and an umbrella or light rain jacket.
- Autumn (September–November) — highs 1050 to 26 °C80 °F, lows −130 to 13 °C56 °F, about 53 mm2.1 in of precipitation a month. Pack light layers — T-shirts plus a light sweater or jacket and an extra layer for the cooler mornings and evenings.
How Lincoln compares
Compared with Omaha, about 79 km to the northeast, Lincoln is on average 0.6 °C1 °F warmer and receives a similar amount of precipitation. The difference is largest in January (1 °C1.8 °F warmer).
Of the 222 places in the United States covered by World Climates, Lincoln is the 174th warmest by annual mean temperature and the 148th wettest by annual precipitation. See all of them on the United States climate page.
Places in other countries with the most similar temperature and rainfall pattern: Sunzha (Ordzhonikidzevskaya) (Russia, Dfa), Iaşi (Romania, Dfa) and Chisinau (Moldova, Dfa).
Nearby places
- Omaha 79 km · 11 °C51 °F · 786 mm31 in
- Topeka 212 km · 13 °C55 °F · 961 mm38 in
- Kansas City 260 km · 13 °C55 °F · 1,039 mm41 in
- Overland Park 264 km · 12 °C54 °F · 1,039 mm41 in
- Olathe 265 km · 12 °C54 °F · 999 mm39 in
- Des Moines 271 km · 10 °C51 °F · 884 mm35 in
- Sioux Falls 305 km · 9 °C47 °F · 669 mm26 in
- Wichita 350 km · 14 °C58 °F · 851 mm34 in
Frequently asked questions
What is the warmest month in Lincoln?
July is the warmest month in Lincoln, with an average high of 32 °C (90 °F) and an average low of 20 °C (68 °F).
What is the coldest month in Lincoln?
January is the coldest month, with an average high of 1 °C (34 °F) and an average low of -9 °C (16 °F).
When does it rain the most in Lincoln?
May is the wettest month with about 126 mm (5.0 in) of precipitation; January is the driest with about 17 mm (0.7 in).
What is the best time to visit Lincoln?
Judging by long-term averages, the most comfortable months are September.
About this data
All figures are 25-year averages (January 2001 – December 2025) from the NASA POWER project. Temperature, humidity, wind and precipitation come from the MERRA-2 reanalysis (precipitation is the bias-corrected MERRA-2 product), cloud and solar values from CERES satellite data. They describe a grid cell of roughly 50–70 km, not a single weather station, so they can differ from airport records — most of all on coasts, in mountains and for rainfall. Average highs and lows are the monthly mean temperature plus/minus half of the average daily temperature range. Counts of rainy days are not part of this dataset.
The grid cell’s average elevation is 422 m, while Lincoln lies at about 367 m. Temperatures on this page were therefore adjusted by +0.4 °C0.6 °F using the standard lapse rate of 6.5 °C per 1,000 m.