Lincoln, Nebraska Weather
Thunder quiets the land. Day 93 of summer. Read this microseason across nine climate regions →
Lincoln weather forecast — hour by hour, 7-day outlook, NOAA radar
Conditions updated 12:10 AM CDT · Open-Meteo
- TodaySep 21Heavy Drizzle later15%0.06″66°58°—
- TuesdaySep 22Overcast——64°57°-2°
- WednesdaySep 23Overcast——73°54°+9°
- ThursdaySep 24Rain59%0.49″64°57°-9°
- FridaySep 25Light Rain54%0.20″74°57°+10°
- SaturdaySep 26Drizzle55%—83°60°+9°
- SundaySep 27Light Drizzle22%—75°62°-8°
Air quality now AQI 21 · Good
AQI 21 (Good), driven by PM2.5. AQI flat over the last 6 hours (within ±3 points).
OK No precautions needed for the general population; unusually sensitive individuals may consider limiting prolonged outdoor exertion.
Trends
Seven days of AQI and PM2.5.
Hourly air-quality data from the Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service, charted across the past and next several days. Dashed lines mark the AQI breakpoints at 50 (Good → Moderate) and 100 (Moderate → Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups).
September dries up ditches or breaks down bridges.
- Moonrise
- 5:02 PM
- Moonset
- 1:46 AM
- In sign
- ♑︎ Capricorn
Thunder quiets the land
Read this microseason across nine climate regions →
All 72 microseasons on the year wheel →
Lincoln at a glance
- Today vs. normal: Today averages 62°F (high 66°F, low 58°F), 3°F below the 65°F normal for Sep 21
- Last frost: April 24 (1991–2020 median, NOAA station 7 km away)
- Microseason: Sep 21–25
- Planting calendar: September — plant garlic (overwinter); harvest tomatoes, peppers, beans, summer squash, winter squash
15-Day Forecast — Lincoln
- Mon66°58°15%
- Tue64°57°9%
- Wed73°54°9%
- Thu64°57°59%
- Fri74°57°54%
- Sat83°60°55%
- Sun75°62°22%
- Mon76°59°36%
- Tue86°61°38%
- Wed93°64°14%
- Thu83°58°31%
- Fri88°71°25%
- Sat76°52°19%
- Sun62°46°20%
- Mon66°44°23%
Forecast data from Open-Meteo (CC BY 4.0).
Live wind & temperature near Lincoln
Interactive wind and temperature map centered on Lincoln — it loads in your browser. Open the full weather map.
Right now in the garden
Fall planting + final harvests
As of September 21, the season's first frost (typically October 13) is approaching. Pick what frost-tender plants still carry before the next cold front. This city's planting calendar for September: plant garlic (overwinter); harvest tomatoes, peppers, beans, summer squash, and winter squash.
SPC Convective Outlook
Storm Prediction Center — Lincoln
SPC includes Lincoln in the general thunderstorm area today — no severe risk, but storms are possible.
- TODAYTSTMGeneral Thunderstorms
- TOMORROWNONENo severe risk
- DAY 3NONENo severe risk
Thunderstorms possible. Not severe, but capable of producing lightning and brief heavy rain.
Source: NOAA / NWS Storm Prediction Center categorical convective outlook.
Sun & seasons in Lincoln
Lincoln sits in Lancaster County, where the year’s longest day runs 15h 6m of daylight and its shortest just 9h 14m — a swing of +5h 52m between the June and December solstices. Clocks spring forward on Sunday, March 8, 2026 and fall back on Sunday, November 1, 2026.
Omaha, the state’s largest city, lies about 45 miles to the NE. The nearest town Lincoln tracks is Omaha, roughly 45 miles to the NE.
Air quality in Lincoln
Air quality in Lincoln’s county has trended dirtier since 2020; its cleanest year on record was 2020 (median AQI 35). See the full air-quality history for Lincoln.
Planting calendar
| Month | Plant | Harvest |
|---|---|---|
| April | lettuce, peas, spinach, radishes | radishes |
| May | spinach, radishes, tomatoes, peppers, beans, squash | lettuce, spinach, radishes |
| June | tomatoes, peppers, beans, squash | lettuce, peas, spinach, radishes |
| July | tomatoes, peppers, beans, squash, fall brassicas, carrots | tomatoes, peppers, beans, summer squash, garlic |
| August | — | tomatoes, peppers, beans, summer squash, winter squash |
| September | garlic (overwinter) | tomatoes, peppers, beans, summer squash, winter squash |
| October | — | tomatoes, peppers, beans, summer squash, winter squash, fall brassicas, carrots |
| November | — | fall brassicas, carrots |
A year in weather
In Lincoln, July runs warmest near 78°F and January coldest around 25°F, while May is the wettest month (4.9 inches) and January the driest (0.7 inches).
| Month | Mean temp | Precip | Rainy days |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 25° | 0.7″ | 2 |
| February | 30° | 0.9″ | 3 |
| March | 41° | 1.6″ | 4 |
| April | 52° | 2.7″ | 5 |
| May | 63° | 4.9″ | 8 |
| June | 74° | 4.5″ | 7 |
| July | 78° | 3.3″ | 6 |
| August | 76° | 3.3″ | 6 |
| September | 67° | 2.9″ | 5 |
| October | 54° | 2.1″ | 4 |
| November | 40° | 1.3″ | 2 |
| December | 29° | 1.2″ | 3 |
Regional context
Similar climates Yankee Hill, NE, Walton, NE, Cheney, NE
Lincoln's climate, from NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 station normals, pairs 25°F Januarys with 78°F Julys — a 53°F swing. About 29.3 inches of precipitation falls over roughly 54 days a year.
Precipitation in Lincoln runs summer-dominant: May averages 4.9 inches across 7.6 days of warm-season storms, while January drops to 0.7 inches over 2.4 rainy days of drier cool air. Lincoln shares that warm-season-wet pattern with places like Yankee Hill, NE, Walton, NE and Cheney, NE.
By April 24 the frosts ease in Lincoln, opening the season for kale, peas, spinach, and parsnips. Warm-soil crops in Lincoln wait about two weeks past Lincoln's last frost, once the soil warms. Around October 13, freezing nights resume in Lincoln and tender crops must come in. Sheltered Lincoln yards can escape a light frost.
Similar climates: Yankee Hill, NE, Walton, NE, Cheney, NE, Emerald, NE, Prairie Home, NE.
Frequently asked
- When does it freeze in Lincoln?
- Lincoln's last spring frost lands near April 24, and in Lincoln the first fall frost follows around October 13.
- What is the rainy season in Lincoln?
- May is the wettest month in Lincoln, about 4.9 inches on average; the year totals roughly 29 inches.
- What is the warmest month in Lincoln?
- The warmest stretch in Lincoln comes in July, around 78°F on average.
- What is the coldest month in Lincoln?
- On average January is the chilliest month in Lincoln, about 25°F.
- When can I start a vegetable garden in Lincoln?
- Lincoln's last frost (April 24) cues hardy greens; in Lincoln, hold heat-lovers two weeks past.
- How many rainy days does Lincoln get?
- Expect roughly 54 wet days a year in Lincoln.
- What hardiness zone is Lincoln?
- Lincoln sits in the USDA zone set by January lows near 25°F; the USDA ZIP tool gives the band.
- What is the 10-day forecast for Lincoln?
- Lincoln's extended outlook — daily high and low temperatures and precipitation chances for each upcoming day — is in the daily forecast above.
- Will it rain this week in Lincoln?
- See this week's day-by-day rain chances for Lincoln in the daily forecast above, and the next 24 hours in the hourly chart.
- What is the weather like right now in Lincoln?
- Current conditions for Lincoln and the next 24 hours — temperature, precipitation chance, and wind by the hour — are in the hourly forecast chart above.
- How often is the Lincoln forecast updated?
- The Lincoln forecast on this page is built from Open-Meteo weather-model data and refreshes regularly through the day.
- When are sunrise and sunset in Lincoln?
- Today's sunrise and sunset times for Lincoln are in the Almanac section above, along with civil dawn, civil dusk, and day length. Day length is longest near the summer solstice and shortest near the winter solstice.
- How accurate is the weather forecast for Lincoln?
- The next few days in Lincoln's forecast are the most reliable; accuracy declines beyond about a week as weather-model uncertainty grows.
Lincoln sits at 40.8°N; its climate zone is humid subtropical (Köppen approximation).
ZIP codes in Lincoln
- 68502
- 68503
- 68504
- 68505
- 68506
- 68507
- 68508
- 68509
- 68510
- 68512
- 68514
- 68516
- 68517
- 68520
- 68521
- 68522
- 68523
- 68524
- 68526
- 68527
- 68528
- 68529
- 68531
- 68532
- 68542
- 68544
- 68583
- 68588