Climate · Sully

Sully, IA climate

Sully has cold, snowy winters and warm summers. A typical July afternoon reaches 84°, a January night drops to 12°, and about 31 inches of snow falls in a normal winter.

NOAA 1991-2020 climate normals Updated once a decade
July high
84°
382nd hottest of 1,026 Iowa towns
January low
12°
346th mildest of 1,026 Iowa towns
Rain + melted snow
37 in
405th wettest of 1,026 Iowa towns
Snow a winter
31 in
478th least snowy of 1,020 Iowa towns
A normal year

What a year in Sully feels like

Winter

33° / 16°
Typical high / low · 11 days with an inch or more of snow

Spring

60° / 39°
Typical high / low · Last frost around May 3

Summer

83° / 62°
Typical high / low · 11 days reach 90° in a normal year

Fall

62° / 41°
Typical high / low · First frost around Oct 6
Best months to be outsideMayJunAugSepOctHighs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more
Month by month

Sully weather by month

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

MonthHighLowRain + meltSnowWet days30-yr range
January29°12°1.0" 9.0"8 12° – 34°
February35°17°1.3" 9.1"8 14° – 37°
March48°28°2.1" 3.4"9 30° – 52°
April61°39°3.8" 0.6"12 41° – 57°
May71°50°4.9" 013 55° – 69°
June81°60°5.4" 012 68° – 74°
July84°64°4.2" 09 68° – 80°
August83°61°4.2" 011 67° – 77°
September76°53°3.6" 09 59° – 70°
October63°41°2.8" 0.5"10 46° – 57°
November48°29°2.0" 1.5"7 30° – 49°
December35°18°1.4" 6.9"8 11° – 36°
Year60°39°36.9"31.0"115

“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 Sully

Sully gets 37 inches of rain and melted snow a year. June is the wettest month and January the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 115 days a year.

37 in
Rain + melted snow a year
Less rain than 60% of U.S. towns
31 in
Snow in a normal winter
More snow than 59% of U.S. towns
115 days
With rain or snow (0.01"+)

Rain + melted snow by month

Inches of water
5.4"

Snowfall by month

Inches of snow
9.1"
Frost & the growing season

About 155 frost-free days a year

In half of years the last 32° night comes by May 3 and the first one by October 6. That leaves about 155 frost-free days for gardens, shorter than 76% of U.S. towns.

157
nights at or below 32° in a normal year
19
nights below 0° in a normal year
11
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 Sully

Engineers use “degree days” to estimate how hard a furnace or air conditioner works. In Sully, 91% of that work is heating and 9% is cooling, so the furnace matters far more than the air conditioner.

91%heating
7,038 heating degree daysMore heating than 74% of U.S. towns
692 cooling degree daysLess cooling than 61% 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 Sully compares

Summer heat84° July high
Cooler than 53% of U.S. towns382nd hottest of 1,026 Iowa towns
Winter cold12° January low
Colder than 77% of U.S. towns346th mildest of 1,026 Iowa towns
Precipitation37" a year
Drier than 60% of U.S. towns405th wettest of 1,026 Iowa towns
Snow31" a winter
Snowier than 59% of U.S. towns478th least snowy of 1,020 Iowa towns
Growing season155 frost-free days
Shorter than 76% of U.S. towns169th 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

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

The last 30 years in Sully averaged 0.7° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in December (+2.3°). The shift is smaller than in 88% of U.S. towns.

❄️ Winter+1.7° now 24°, was 23°
🌷 Spring+0.8° now 50°, was 49°
☀️ Summer+0.0° now 72°, was 72°
🍂 Fall+0.4° now 52°, was 51°

Change by month1991–2020 average minus 1901–2000 average, at Sully’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. December swings the most: between 1991 and 2020 its average temperature ranged from 11° to 36°. June is the most reliable, staying within 6°.

Coldest to warmest month in 30 yearsNormal
Questions

Common questions about Sully’s climate

What is the coldest month in Sully?

January, with a typical high of 29° and a low of 12°.

What is the hottest month in Sully?

July, with a typical high of 84° and a low of 64°. About 11 days a year reach 90°.

How much snow does Sully get?

About 31 inches in a normal winter, most of it in February.

When is the first frost in Sully?

In half of years the first 32° night comes by October 6, and the last spring frost by May 3.

What is the rainiest month in Sully?

June, with 5.4 inches of rain and melted snow. The year totals 37 inches.

Temperatures and rainfall come from NOAA’s gridded climate normals for Sully itself (about a 3-mile square). Snow, frost dates and day counts come from NOAA’s weather station at Grinnell 3 Sw, IA (11 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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