Climate · Sperry

Sperry, IA climate

Sperry has chilly winters and warm summers. A typical July afternoon reaches 85°, a January night drops to 15°, and about 17 inches of snow falls in a normal winter.

NOAA 1991-2020 climate normals Updated once a decade
July high
85°
305th hottest of 1,026 Iowa towns
January low
15°
26th mildest of 1,026 Iowa towns
Rain + melted snow
38 in
111th wettest of 1,026 Iowa towns
Snow a winter
17 in
3rd least snowy of 1,020 Iowa towns
A normal year

What a year in Sperry feels like

Winter

34° / 19°
Typical high / low · 5 days with an inch or more of snow

Spring

61° / 41°
Typical high / low · Last frost around Apr 8

Summer

83° / 63°
Typical high / low · 21 days reach 90° in a normal year

Fall

63° / 43°
Typical high / low · First frost around Oct 29
Best months to be outsideAprMayJunAugSepOctHighs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more
Month by month

Sperry weather by month

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

MonthHighLowRain + meltSnowWet days30-yr range
January31°15°1.5" 4.9"7 15° – 36°
February36°20°1.7" 6.3"7 15° – 39°
March49°30°2.5" 1.8"8 31° – 53°
April62°40°3.7" 0.3"10 42° – 58°
May72°52°5.0" 012 57° – 69°
June82°61°5.0" 010 68° – 75°
July85°65°4.0" 09 69° – 80°
August83°63°3.9" 09 67° – 78°
September77°55°3.6" 07 60° – 70°
October64°43°3.0" 0.1"8 48° – 59°
November49°31°2.4" 0.3"8 32° – 50°
December36°21°1.8" 3.2"7 13° – 38°
Year60°41°38.1"16.9"103

“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 Sperry

Sperry gets 38 inches of rain and melted snow a year. May is the wettest month and January the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 103 days a year.

38 in
Rain + melted snow a year
Less rain than 56% of U.S. towns
17 in
Snow in a normal winter
Less snow than 62% of U.S. towns
103 days
With rain or snow (0.01"+)

Rain + melted snow by month

Inches of water
5.0"

Snowfall by month

Inches of snow
6.3"
Frost & the growing season

About 202 frost-free days a year

In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 8 and the first one by October 29. That leaves about 202 frost-free days for gardens, longer than 73% of U.S. towns.

122
nights at or below 32° in a normal year
9
nights below 0° in a normal year
21
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 Sperry

Engineers use “degree days” to estimate how hard a furnace or air conditioner works. In Sperry, 84% of that work is heating and 16% is cooling, so the furnace matters far more than the air conditioner.

84%heating
5,853 heating degree daysMore heating than 52% of U.S. towns
1,108 cooling degree daysMore cooling than 65% 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 Sperry compares

Summer heat85° July high
Hotter than 50% of U.S. towns305th hottest of 1,026 Iowa towns
Winter cold15° January low
Colder than 69% of U.S. towns26th mildest of 1,026 Iowa towns
Precipitation38" a year
Drier than 56% of U.S. towns111th wettest of 1,026 Iowa towns
Snow17" a winter
Less snow than 62% of U.S. towns3rd least snowy of 1,020 Iowa towns
Growing season202 frost-free days
Longer than 73% of U.S. towns1st longest 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

+0.7°1991–2020 average vs. the 20th century (1901–2000)

The last 30 years in Sperry averaged 0.7° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in December (+2.0°). The shift is smaller than in 89% of U.S. towns.

❄️ Winter+1.5° now 27°, was 25°
🌷 Spring+1.0° now 51°, was 50°
☀️ Summer−0.0° now 73°, was 73°
🍂 Fall+0.4° now 53°, was 53°

Change by month1991–2020 average minus 1901–2000 average, at Sperry’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. February swings the most: between 1991 and 2020 its average temperature ranged from 15° to 39°. June is the most reliable, staying within 7°.

Coldest to warmest month in 30 yearsNormal
Questions

Common questions about Sperry’s climate

What is the coldest month in Sperry?

January, with a typical high of 31° and a low of 15°.

What is the hottest month in Sperry?

July, with a typical high of 85° and a low of 65°. About 21 days a year reach 90°.

How much snow does Sperry get?

About 17 inches in a normal winter, most of it in February.

When is the first frost in Sperry?

In half of years the first 32° night comes by October 29, and the last spring frost by April 8.

What is the rainiest month in Sperry?

May, with 5.0 inches of rain and melted snow. The year totals 38 inches.

Temperatures and rainfall come from NOAA’s gridded climate normals for Sperry itself (about a 3-mile square). Snow, frost dates and day counts come from NOAA’s weather station at Gladstone Dam 18, IL (9 mi) away. Normals are 30-year averages, not a forecast. Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020 and 1901–2000.

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