Climate · Villisca

Villisca, IA climate

Villisca has cold winters and warm summers. A typical July afternoon reaches 86°, a January night drops to 13°, and about 23 inches of snow falls in a normal winter.

NOAA 1991-2020 climate normals Updated once a decade
July high
86°
47th hottest of 1,026 Iowa towns
January low
13°
230th mildest of 1,026 Iowa towns
Rain + melted snow
36 in
425th driest of 1,026 Iowa towns
Snow a winter
23 in
61st least snowy of 1,020 Iowa towns
A normal year

What a year in Villisca feels like

Winter

36° / 16°
Typical high / low · 9 days with an inch or more of snow

Spring

62° / 39°
Typical high / low · Last frost around Apr 25

Summer

84° / 62°
Typical high / low · 20 days reach 90° in a normal year

Fall

64° / 41°
Typical high / low · First frost around Oct 11
Best months to be outsideMayJunAugSepOctHighs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more
Month by month

Villisca 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
January32°13°0.8" 6.5"515 15° – 36°
February38°18°1.1" 6.3"611 17° – 38°
March51°29°2.1" 2.7"84 33° – 55°
April63°39°3.5" 0.9"110 43° – 57°
May73°50°5.3" 0130 56° – 70°
June82°61°5.3" 0110 68° – 76°
July86°64°4.4" 0100 69° – 81°
August84°62°4.0" 090 67° – 78°
September77°53°3.4" 080 59° – 71°
October65°41°2.9" 0.3"80 46° – 57°
November50°28°1.8" 1.8"62 29° – 49°
December37°19°1.3" 4.3"69 13° – 34°
Year62°40°35.9"22.8"10040

“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 Villisca

Villisca gets 36 inches of rain and melted snow a year. May is the wettest month and January the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 100 days a year. Snow covers the ground about 40 days of the year.

36 in
Rain + melted snow a year
Less rain than 63% of U.S. towns
23 in
Snow in a normal winter
Less snow than 54% of U.S. towns
40 days
With 1"+ of snow on the ground
More than 60% of U.S. towns

Rain + melted snow by month

Inches of water
5.3"

Snowfall by month

Inches of snow
6.5"
Frost & the growing season

About 168 frost-free days a year

In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 25 and the first one by October 11. That leaves about 168 frost-free days for gardens, shorter than 63% of U.S. towns.

149
nights at or below 32° in a normal year
13
nights below 0° in a normal year
20
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 Villisca

Engineers use “degree days” to estimate how hard a furnace or air conditioner works. In Villisca, 87% of that work is heating and 13% is cooling, so the furnace matters far more than the air conditioner.

87%heating
6,292 heating degree daysMore heating than 62% of U.S. towns
965 cooling degree daysMore cooling than 58% 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 Villisca compares

Summer heat86° July high
Hotter than 57% of U.S. towns47th hottest of 1,026 Iowa towns
Winter cold13° January low
Colder than 75% of U.S. towns230th mildest of 1,026 Iowa towns
Precipitation36" a year
Drier than 63% of U.S. towns425th driest of 1,026 Iowa towns
Snow23" a winter
Less snow than 54% of U.S. towns61st least snowy of 1,020 Iowa towns
Growing season168 frost-free days
Shorter than 63% of U.S. towns345th 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

+0.9°1991–2020 average vs. the 20th century (1901–2000)

The last 30 years in Villisca averaged 0.9° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in March (+2.6°). The shift is smaller than in 79% of U.S. towns.

❄️ Winter+2.0° now 26°, was 24°
🌷 Spring+1.1° now 51°, was 50°
☀️ Summer−0.1° now 73°, was 73°
🍂 Fall+0.5° now 52°, was 52°

Change by month1991–2020 average minus 1901–2000 average, at Villisca’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 33° to 55°. June is the most reliable, staying within 8°.

Coldest to warmest month in 30 yearsNormal
Questions

Common questions about Villisca’s climate

What is the coldest month in Villisca?

January, with a typical high of 32° and a low of 13°.

What is the hottest month in Villisca?

July, with a typical high of 86° and a low of 64°. About 20 days a year reach 90°.

How much snow does Villisca get?

About 23 inches in a normal winter, most of it in January.

When is the first frost in Villisca?

In half of years the first 32° night comes by October 11, and the last spring frost by April 25.

What is the rainiest month in Villisca?

May, with 5.3 inches of rain and melted snow. The year totals 36 inches.

Temperatures and rainfall come from NOAA’s gridded climate normals for Villisca itself (about a 3-mile square). Snow, frost dates and day counts come from NOAA’s weather station at Clarinda, IA (14 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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