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Shaded-relief map of Fairfield, Nebraska: rivers, roads, the city limits and where the water drains.
NEBRASKA · CLAY COUNTY

Fairfield

333 people, 1,790 ft above sea level in Clay County.

1,790 ftElevation, city center
333People, 2024 estimate
1 sq miLand area
Clear 43°
Clear now Dew point 24° · SSE 8 mph · high 42°
City of Fairfield River Interstate 2 miles
Explore the plate Order a print

The Fairfield plate. Relief from Copernicus GLO-30; rivers and lakes from USGS NHD; watersheds from the USGS Watershed Boundary Dataset; roads and city limits from Census TIGER 2024.

MILE1
TODAY

Today in Fairfield

NWS forecast and National Blend of Models · updated 5:00 PM CST
RIGHT NOW Hastings Municipal Airport (KHSI) · 5:53 PM
Clear
43° Clear Feels like 38° · high of 42° near 6 PM
WindSSE 8 mphno gusts
Humidity47%rising to 75% by morning
Pressure30.14 in →steady
Visibility10 mihaze-free
CloudsClear
UV index—no forecast
Dew point 24° · Dry41° by Tuesday: more humid
DryComfortableStickyMuggyOppressive
NEXT RAIN
Rain
Friday80% chance · showers
LIKELY AMOUNT—amounts come within 3 days
LAST RAINNov. 50.01 in · 9 dry days
ALERTS & OUTLOOKS
No watches or warnings for Clay County
NWS Hastings and the Storm Prediction Center · checked 6:20 PM
SUN & MOON
↑ 7:17 AM5:16 PM ↓
9 h 59 m of daylight, 2 minutes less than yesterday
Waxing crescent, 27% lit. Next full moon: Nov. 24.
AIR & POLLEN
4
GOODAir quality index · fine particles
No pollen source yet.

The next three days, hour by hour

Sky: clear, cloudy, night Rain likely National Blend of Models
SATURDAY, NOV. 14
SUNDAY, NOV. 15
MONDAY, NOV. 16
TUESDAY, NOV. 17
6p
9p
Mid
3a
6a
9a
Noon
3p
6p
9p
Mid
3a
6a
9a
Noon
3p
6p
9p
Mid
3a
6a
9a
Noon
3p
mostly clear night
partly cloudy night
mostly cloudy night
mostly cloudy night
partly cloudy day
partly cloudy day
mostly sunny
mostly sunny
clear night
clear night
mostly clear night
mostly clear night
mostly sunny
mostly sunny
mostly sunny
mostly sunny
mostly clear night
partly cloudy night
partly cloudy night
mostly cloudy night
mostly cloudy day
mostly cloudy day
windy
partly cloudy day
TEMPERATURE °F
42°
34°
49°
36°
50°
41°
CHANCE OF RAIN
50%
WIND, MPH
10
9
8
8
7
9
10
10
8
9
9
10
11
13
15
15
13
13
13
14
16
18
21
19
HOW IT FEELS · DEW POINT
Dry: dew points 25 to 41° More humid: 41° by Tuesday

The next seven days, and how sure we are

Forecast, with the range 8 in 10 ensemble members agree on Normal, about 52° / 29°
SAT Nov. 14 Partly cloudy Partly cloudy
42° 34°
0% rain — SE 10 A
SUN Nov. 15 Mostly sunny; warmer Mostly sunny; warmer
52° 35°
0% rain — S 9 B
MON Nov. 16 Mostly sunny Mostly sunny
54° 40°
0% rain — S 14, gusts 28 C
TUE Nov. 17 Partly cloudy Partly cloudy
55° 45°
0% rain — S 16, gusts 28 B
WED Nov. 18 Mostly sunny; warmer Mostly sunny; warmer
63° 40°
10% rain — SW 12 C
THU Nov. 19 Partly cloudy Partly cloudy
58° 45°
20% rain — ESE 6 C
FRI Nov. 20 Showers likely Showers likely
64° 47°
80% rain 0.2–1.0″ S 15, gusts 28 C
How sure are we? AModels agree: highs within 4° BSome spread: within 8° CWide spread: check back
Range from the National Blend of Models percentiles · graded on Forecast Scores
AIR MAIL

Where today’s air came from

The air arriving over Fairfield about 5,000 feet above the ground was over the northern Rockies three days ago, and over the southern Plains a day ago, about 850 miles back along its path. Most of the nine paths traced from around the city agree. It came down from about 10,900 feet up, warming and drying as it sank. Near the ground the air came from Texas; at 10,000 feet, from the southern Plains. Traced back 72 hours through NOAA’s hourly RAP analyses, nine paths at each of three heights.

THIS WEEK, ONE YEAR AGO Nov. 15, 2025

The hottest this week has been

81° on Nov. 15, 2025, the hottest reading for this week of the year since 1971. Next is 80° in 1999.

80°
81°
19992025
Source: NOAA RCC-ACIS, the Clay Center record since 1971.
MILE2
THE GROUND

What Fairfield stands on

Fairfield’s center stands about 1,790 ft above sea level. Within three miles the land runs from 1,730 ft to 1,800 ft, a difference of 70 ft: gently rolling country.

Under the town center the state geologic map shows Carlile Shale, from the Late Cretaceous, 66 to 100 million years old.

The section below crosses 2 rock units mapped at the surface.

Fairfield, cut in half from south to north

A section south to north, 24 miles through the town center
1,700 ft1,800 ft FAIRFIELD1,790 ftLittle Blue Riverabout 1,630 ftHigh point of the line1,840 ft ← SInland · N →

Heights every 0.1 mile from the Copernicus GLO-90 surface model; vertical exaggeration about 64×. The colored band under the surface is the rock the state geologic map shows at the surface, not a picture of what lies beneath.

Rock at the surface along the line

Niobrara Formation

Limestone, shale. Age: Late Cretaceous, 66 to 100 million years old. About 15 mi of the line.

Carlile Shale

Shale. Age: Late Cretaceous, 66 to 100 million years old. About 9 mi of the line.

From the USGS State Geologic Map Compilation (Horton and others, 2017), the states’ geologic maps joined at a common scale.

Heights from Copernicus GLO-90 (a surface model: it includes buildings and tree canopy); summits from USGS GNIS; rivers from USGS NHDPlus HR; rock from the USGS State Geologic Map Compilation.

MILE5
THE ALMANAC

Fairfield’s year

1991–2020 normals · records since 1971 · Clay Center, 7 mi north-northeast

Fairfield has a hot-summer humid continental climate. Summer afternoons average 87° in July; winter nights fall to about 16° in January. A normal year brings about 18 inches of snow; with the rain, that comes to about 30 inches of water.

35°16°40°19°52°29°63°38°73°50°84°61°87°66°85°63°78°54°65°41°51°29°39°20° JANFEBMARAPRMAYJUNJULAUGSEPOCTNOVDEC 123 TODAY FAIRFIELD 29.8 in rain and snowmelt
Normal high to low, by month Record high to low, by day Rain by month Freezing
July, average87° / 66°high / low, the warmest month
January, average35° / 16°high / low, the coldest month
Rain and melted snow29.8 inwettest months: May and June
Snow a year18.5 insnowiest: February
Hottest on record107°FAugust 17, 1983
Coldest on record−39°FDecember 22, 1983
Wettest day on record7.20 inJuly 30, 1998
Snowiest day on record13.0 inNovember 1, 1991
90° days a year33about 2 of them 100° or more
Nights at or below 32°144and 39 days that stay below freezing
Climate typeHot-summer humid continentalKöppen Dfa

AROUND THE RING

1Freeze seasonfrom the first fall freeze, about Oct. 16, to the last in spring, about April 21 (median dates)
2Lows below freezingNov. 5 to March 27; normal lows fall below 32°
3Wettest stretchMay through July: 13.7 of the year’s 29.8 inches
NOVEMBER 14 IN THE RECORD

On November 14 Fairfield normally reaches 52° and falls to 29°. The record high is 80°, in 1999; the record low 10°, in 2022. The most rain on this date, 0.63 in, fell in 1972.

MONTH BY MONTH
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Normal high35°40°52°63°73°84°87°85°78°65°51°39°
Normal low16°19°29°38°50°61°66°63°54°41°29°20°
Rain and melt, in0.580.821.322.575.344.204.153.852.252.361.370.97
Snow, inches4.55.91.51.40.00.00.00.00.00.41.53.3
Record high76° (1990)80° (1995)96° (2026)95° (2012)99° (2018)106° (2012)106° (1974)107° (1983)102° (1984)95° (2015)84° (2006)76° (1995)
Record low−25° (1974)−27° (2021)−15° (1978)3° (1975)24° (1983)35° (1982)42° (1971)42° (1974)21° (1984)7° (2006)−11° (1976)−39° (1983)

Normals 1991–2020 and records since 1971 at Clay Center, 7 miles north-northeast. NOAA, through RCC-ACIS.

MILE7
ON THE NETWORK

Around Fairfield on the Forecast Network

Neighboring plates

Hastings NE · 19 MI 19 miles northwest Grand Island NE · 36 MI 36 miles north Lincoln NE · 79 MI 79 miles east Omaha NE · 122 MI 122 miles northeast Topeka KS · 160 MI 160 miles southeast Lawrence KS · 182 MI 182 miles southeast
FORECASTCITY
Map of Fairfield, Nebraska. Explore the plate
NEBRASKA · CLAY

Fairfield

333 people, 1,790 ft above sea level in Clay County.

1,790 ftElevation
333People
1 sq miLand
Clear 43°
ClearDew point 24°
1

Today in Fairfield

NEXT 15 HOURS
Now mostly clear night 42° 0%
9p partly cloudy night 38° 0%
12a partly cloudy night 37° 0%
3a partly cloudy night 36° 0%
6a mostly cloudy night 35° 0%
9a mostly sunny 37° 1%
Rain
NEXT RAINFriday · 80%
→
Sat0%
Partly cloudy Partly cloudy
34
42
A
Sun0%
Mostly sunny; warmer Mostly sunny; warmer
35
52
B
Mon0%
Mostly sunny Mostly sunny
40
54
C
Tue0%
Partly cloudy Partly cloudy
45
55
B
Wed10%
Mostly sunny; warmer Mostly sunny; warmer
40
63
C
Thu20%
Partly cloudy Partly cloudy
45
58
C
Fri80%
Showers likely Showers likely
47
64
C
Letters show how sure the forecast is: A, models agree; B, some spread; C, check back. Sample data.
THIS WEEK, ONE YEAR AGO · NOV. 15, 2025

81°, the hottest this week of the year has been since 1971.

2

What Fairfield stands on

Fairfield’s center stands about 1,790 ft above sea level. Within three miles the land runs from 1,730 ft to 1,800 ft, a difference of 70 ft: gently rolling country.

Fairfield, south to north Fairfield1,790 ftLittle Blue Riverabout 1,630 ftHigh point1,840 ft ← SN → 24 miles through the town center; vertical exaggeration about 122×. Colors: rock at the surface.
Elevation, center1,790 ft
Within 3 miles1,730 to 1,800 ft
Lie of the landGently rolling (70 ft of relief)
Rock at the surfaceCarlile Shale
Its ageLate Cretaceous, 66 to 100 million years old
5

Fairfield’s year

Fairfield has a hot-summer humid continental climate. Summer afternoons average 87° in July; winter nights fall to about 16° in January. A normal year brings about 18 inches of snow; with the rain, that comes to about 30 inches of water.

JANFEBMARAPRMAYJUNJULAUGSEPOCTNOVDEC 123 29.8 in
July, average87° / 66° · high / low, the warmest month
January, average35° / 16° · high / low, the coldest month
Rain and melted snow29.8 in · wettest months: May and June
Snow a year18.5 in · snowiest: February
Hottest on record107°F · August 17, 1983
Coldest on record−39°F · December 22, 1983
Wettest day on record7.20 in · July 30, 1998
Snowiest day on record13.0 in · November 1, 1991
90° days a year33 · about 2 of them 100° or more
Nights at or below 32°144 · and 39 days that stay below freezing
Climate typeHot-summer humid continental · Köppen Dfa
1Freeze season · from the first fall freeze, about Oct. 16, to the last in spring, about April 21 (median dates)
2Lows below freezing · Nov. 5 to March 27; normal lows fall below 32°
3Wettest stretch · May through July: 13.7 of the year’s 29.8 inches
NOVEMBER 14 IN THE RECORD

On November 14 Fairfield normally reaches 52° and falls to 29°. The record high is 80°, in 1999; the record low 10°, in 2022. The most rain on this date, 0.63 in, fell in 1972.

Normals 1991–2020 and records since 1971 at Clay Center, 7 miles north-northeast. NOAA, through RCC-ACIS.