Climate · Lawton

Lawton, IA climate

Lawton has cold, snowy winters and warm summers. A typical July afternoon reaches 85°, a January night drops to 10°, and about 36 inches of snow falls in a normal winter.

NOAA 1991-2020 climate normals Updated once a decade
July high
85°
223rd hottest of 1,026 Iowa towns
January low
10°
422nd coldest of 1,026 Iowa towns
Rain + melted snow
30 in
37th driest of 1,026 Iowa towns
Snow a winter
36 in
273rd snowiest of 1,020 Iowa towns
A normal year

What a year in Lawton feels like

Winter

32° / 13°
Typical high / low · 11 days with an inch or more of snow

Spring

60° / 37°
Typical high / low · Last frost around Apr 29

Summer

83° / 61°
Typical high / low · 25 days reach 90° in a normal year

Fall

62° / 39°
Typical high / low · First frost around Oct 5
Best months to be outsideMayJunAugSepHighs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more
Month by month

Lawton weather by month

Average highs, lows, rain and snow for every month, from NOAA’s 1991–2020 normals.

MonthHighLowRain + meltSnowWet daysSnow on ground30-yr range
January29°10°0.7" 7.7"720 11° – 33°
February34°15°0.8" 8.7"715 13° – 34°
March47°26°1.6" 5.7"87 29° – 53°
April61°37°3.1" 2.3"101 40° – 55°
May72°48°4.0" 0120 55° – 66°
June82°59°4.8" 0120 66° – 75°
July85°63°3.5" 090 68° – 80°
August83°61°4.0" 0100 66° – 77°
September76°51°3.0" 080 58° – 69°
October63°39°2.3" 0.8"80 44° – 55°
November46°26°1.3" 3.2"63 27° – 46°
December33°15°1.0" 7.6"713 10° – 30°
Year59°37°30.1"36.0"10258

“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 & snow

Rain and snow in Lawton

Lawton gets 30 inches of rain and melted snow a year. June is the wettest month and January the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 102 days a year. Snow covers the ground about 58 days of the year.

30 in
Rain + melted snow a year
Less rain than 75% of U.S. towns
36 in
Snow in a normal winter
More snow than 65% of U.S. towns
58 days
With 1"+ of snow on the ground
More than 70% of U.S. towns

Rain + melted snow by month

Inches of water
4.8"

Snowfall by month

Inches of snow
8.7"
Frost & the growing season

About 159 frost-free days a year

In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 29 and the first one by October 5. That leaves about 159 frost-free days for gardens, shorter than 72% of U.S. towns.

154
nights at or below 32° in a normal year
16
nights below 0° in a normal year
25
days that reach 90° in a normal year

Freezing nights by month

Average nights at or below 32°

90° days by month

Average days at 90° or more
Heating & cooling

Heating and cooling a home in Lawton

Engineers use “degree days” to estimate how hard a furnace or air conditioner works. In Lawton, 89% of that work is heating and 11% is cooling, so the furnace matters far more than the air conditioner.

89%heating
6,860 heating degree daysMore heating than 71% of U.S. towns
866 cooling degree daysMore cooling than 52% of U.S. towns

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.

Compared with other towns

How Lawton compares

Summer heat85° July high
Hotter than 52% of U.S. towns223rd hottest of 1,026 Iowa towns
Winter cold10° January low
Colder than 81% of U.S. towns422nd coldest of 1,026 Iowa towns
Precipitation30" a year
Drier than 75% of U.S. towns37th driest of 1,026 Iowa towns
Snow36" a winter
Snowier than 65% of U.S. towns273rd snowiest of 1,020 Iowa towns
Growing season159 frost-free days
Shorter than 72% of U.S. towns256th shortest of 1,026 Iowa towns

Compared with every U.S. town and city on TownTapestry, each counted once.

Then and now

Warmer than it used to be

+1.2°1991–2020 average vs. the 20th century (1901–2000)

The last 30 years in Lawton averaged 1.2° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in March (+2.6°). The shift is smaller than in 51% of U.S. towns.

❄️ Winter+2.3° now 23°, was 20°
🌷 Spring+1.3° now 48°, was 47°
☀️ Summer+0.4° now 72°, was 72°
🍂 Fall+0.8° now 50°, was 49°

Change by month1991–2020 average minus 1901–2000 average, at Lawton’s spot on NOAA’s grid

Year to year

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 29° to 53°. June is the most reliable, staying within 9°.

Coldest to warmest month in 30 yearsNormal
Questions

Common questions about Lawton’s climate

What is the coldest month in Lawton?

January, with a typical high of 29° and a low of 10°.

What is the hottest month in Lawton?

July, with a typical high of 85° and a low of 63°. About 25 days a year reach 90°.

How much snow does Lawton get?

About 36 inches in a normal winter, most of it in February.

When is the first frost in Lawton?

In half of years the first 32° night comes by October 5, and the last spring frost by April 29.

What is the rainiest month in Lawton?

June, with 4.8 inches of rain and melted snow. The year totals 30 inches.

Temperatures and rainfall come from NOAA’s gridded climate normals for Lawton itself (about a 3-mile square). Snow, frost dates and day counts come from NOAA’s weather station at Sioux City Gateway Airport, IA (12 mi) away. Normals are 30-year averages, not a forecast. Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020 and 1901–2000.

We left the porch light on

Where to, neighbor?

You’re in Lawton, IAView boundary

Nearby

All towns & citiesExplore the map
Loading boundary…

Lawton is your selected town. The feed includes posts assigned to this town, not a distance radius or ZIP code.

Neighborhoods narrow the feed further, while townwide announcements, events, and issues remain visible.

Boundary source: https://tigerweb.geo.census.gov/arcgis/rest/services/TIGERweb/Places_CouSub_ConCity_SubMCD/MapServer/18 · 2025-01-01