# Keystone, Nebraska

Keystone is an unincorporated community and census-designated place in central Keith County, Nebraska, United States. As of the 2010 census its population was 59.
It lies along local roads near the North Platte River, 13 miles (21 km) northeast of the city of Ogallala, the county seat of Keith County. Its elevation is 3,100 feet (940 m) above sea level. Although Keystone is unincorporated, it has a post office, with the ZIP code of 69144.

## History

Keystone got its start following construction of the Union Pacific Railroad through the territory. Keystone is one of numerous small habitations which Google Maps has never bothered to visit.

### Historical site

Keystone is home to the Little Church at Keystone, designed by Thomas R. Kimball and built in 1908. The town was too small to hold two churches, so several community members funded the construction through bake sales. The church has a Catholic altar on one end, a Protestant lectern at the other, and hinged pews to make the seats reversible.

## Climate

According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Keystone has a humid subtropical climate, abbreviated "Cfa" on climate maps. The hottest temperature recorded in Keystone was 111 °F (43.9 °C) on July 20, 1939 and July 11, 1954, while the coldest temperature recorded was −25 °F (−31.7 °C) on December 22, 1989.
Climate data for Kingsley Dam, Nebraska, 1991–2020 normals, extremes 1938–present :
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °F (°C) | 70 (21) | 79 (26) | 87 (31) | 94 (34) | 101 (38) | 107 (42) | 111 (44) | 106 (41) | 103 (39) | 96 (36) | 83 (28) | 77 (25) | 111 (44) |
| Mean maximum °F (°C) | 58.8 (14.9) | 64.6 (18.1) | 75.7 (24.3) | 83.7 (28.7) | 91.3 (32.9) | 97.3 (36.3) | 101.0 (38.3) | 98.3 (36.8) | 95.4 (35.2) | 85.4 (29.7) | 71.9 (22.2) | 61.1 (16.2) | 101.8 (38.8) |
| Mean daily maximum °F (°C) | 36.3 (2.4) | 39.6 (4.2) | 50.8 (10.4) | 58.9 (14.9) | 69.0 (20.6) | 80.7 (27.1) | 87.0 (30.6) | 84.8 (29.3) | 76.7 (24.8) | 62.0 (16.7) | 48.6 (9.2) | 38.3 (3.5) | 61.1 (16.1) |
| Daily mean °F (°C) | 27.0 (−2.8) | 29.3 (−1.5) | 39.2 (4.0) | 47.6 (8.7) | 58.0 (14.4) | 68.9 (20.5) | 74.9 (23.8) | 72.9 (22.7) | 64.3 (17.9) | 50.6 (10.3) | 38.5 (3.6) | 29.3 (−1.5) | 50.0 (10.0) |
| Mean daily minimum °F (°C) | 17.7 (−7.9) | 19.1 (−7.2) | 27.6 (−2.4) | 36.2 (2.3) | 47.1 (8.4) | 57.2 (14.0) | 62.8 (17.1) | 61.0 (16.1) | 51.8 (11.0) | 39.1 (3.9) | 28.4 (−2.0) | 20.3 (−6.5) | 39.0 (3.9) |
| Mean minimum °F (°C) | −1.4 (−18.6) | 0.6 (−17.4) | 10.2 (−12.1) | 22.6 (−5.2) | 34.3 (1.3) | 46.9 (8.3) | 54.2 (12.3) | 51.6 (10.9) | 38.2 (3.4) | 23.0 (−5.0) | 12.1 (−11.1) | 1.9 (−16.7) | −8.0 (−22.2) |
| Record low °F (°C) | −2 (−19) | −24 (−31) | −21 (−29) | 5 (−15) | 23 (−5) | 33 (1) | 44 (7) | 43 (6) | 23 (−5) | −1 (−18) | −7 (−22) | −25 (−32) | −25 (−32) |
| Average precipitation inches (mm) | 0.33 (8.4) | 0.61 (15) | 0.92 (23) | 2.08 (53) | 3.35 (85) | 3.24 (82) | 2.84 (72) | 1.99 (51) | 1.58 (40) | 1.35 (34) | 0.51 (13) | 0.41 (10) | 19.21 (486.4) |
| Average snowfall inches (cm) | 4.0 (10) | 5.2 (13) | 3.2 (8.1) | 2.3 (5.8) | 0.2 (0.51) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.9 (2.3) | 2.1 (5.3) | 3.5 (8.9) | 21.4 (53.91) |
| Average precipitation days (≥ 0.01 in) | 3.2 | 5.3 | 5.5 | 7.5 | 10.9 | 10.3 | 8.4 | 7.8 | 6.1 | 6.2 | 3.6 | 3.4 | 78.2 |
| Average snowy days (≥ 0.1 in) | 2.8 | 4.3 | 2.3 | 1.4 | 0.2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.5 | 2.1 | 3.0 | 16.6 |
| Source 1: NOAA ||||||||||||||
| Source 2: National Weather Service ||||||||||||||