Climate · Bowling Green

Bowling Green, IL climate

Bowling Green has chilly winters and warm summers. A typical July afternoon reaches 87°, a January night drops to 21°, and about 16 inches of snow falls in a normal winter.

NOAA 1991-2020 climate normals Updated once a decade
July high
87°
586th hottest of 2,886 Illinois towns
January low
21°
658th mildest of 2,886 Illinois towns
Rain + melted snow
43 in
562nd wettest of 2,886 Illinois towns
Snow a winter
16 in
1030th least snowy of 2,880 Illinois towns
A normal year

What a year in Bowling Green feels like

Winter

40° / 24°
Typical high / low · 5 days with an inch or more of snow

Spring

64° / 44°
Typical high / low · Last frost around Apr 15

Summer

86° / 64°
Typical high / low · 28 days reach 90° in a normal year

Fall

67° / 45°
Typical high / low · First frost around Oct 19
Best months to be outsideAprMayJunSepOctHighs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more
Month by month

Bowling Green weather by month

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

MonthHighLowRain + meltSnowWet days30-yr range
January37°21°2.7" 5.9"9 21° – 40°
February42°25°2.3" 4.9"8 21° – 43°
March53°34°3.1" 1.9"10 36° – 57°
April65°43°4.6" 011 46° – 61°
May75°54°4.8" 012 59° – 72°
June84°63°4.7" 010 68° – 77°
July87°66°4.0" 08 71° – 84°
August86°64°3.5" 07 70° – 80°
September80°56°3.2" 07 63° – 72°
October68°45°3.5" 0.1"8 52° – 61°
November53°34°3.6" 0.4"9 35° – 51°
December41°26°2.7" 3.0"9 20° – 42°
Year64°44°42.6"16.2"110

“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 Bowling Green

Bowling Green gets 43 inches of rain and melted snow a year. May is the wettest month and February the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 110 days a year.

43 in
Rain + melted snow a year
More rain than 60% of U.S. towns
16 in
Snow in a normal winter
Less snow than 63% of U.S. towns
110 days
With rain or snow (0.01"+)

Rain + melted snow by month

Inches of water
4.8"

Snowfall by month

Inches of snow
5.9"
Frost & the growing season

About 185 frost-free days a year

In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 15 and the first one by October 19. That leaves about 185 frost-free days for gardens, longer than 58% of U.S. towns.

118
nights at or below 32° in a normal year
5
nights below 0° in a normal year
28
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 Bowling Green

Engineers use “degree days” to estimate how hard a furnace or air conditioner works. In Bowling Green, 85% of that work is heating and 15% is cooling, so the furnace matters far more than the air conditioner.

85%heating
5,539 heating degree daysLess heating than 55% of U.S. towns
1,016 cooling degree daysMore 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.

Around Bowling Green

Bowling Green and its neighbors

Bowling Green borders 4 towns with climate data. January nights across them vary by 0.3°. Dry Point has the coldest January nights (21°) and Carson the hottest July afternoons (87°). Bowling Green’s January low is 21° and its July high 87°.

Avena: January low 21°, July high 87°Sefton: January low 21°, July high 87°Moccasin: January low 21°, July high 87°Liberty: January low 21°, July high 87°Ramsey: January low 21°, July high 87°Oconee: January low 21°, July high 86°Cold Spring: January low 21°, July high 87°Lakewood: January low 21°, July high 87°Holland: January low 21°, July high 87°Loudon: January low 21°, July high 87°Carson: January low 21°, July high 87°Herrick: January low 21°, July high 87°Dry Point: January low 21°, July high 87°Bowling Green: January low 21°, July high 87° Bowling GreenLoudonCarsonHerrickDry Point
ColderMilder21° to 21°
Dry Point20.8° −0.1°
Bowling Green20.9°
Herrick20.9° same
Carson21.0° +0.1°
Loudon21.1° +0.2°

Temperatures and rain come from NOAA’s 5 km grid, so each town gets its own value.

Compared with other towns

How Bowling Green compares

Summer heat87° July high
Hotter than 65% of U.S. towns586th hottest of 2,886 Illinois towns
Winter cold21° January low
Milder than 58% of U.S. towns658th mildest of 2,886 Illinois towns
Precipitation43" a year
Wetter than 60% of U.S. towns562nd wettest of 2,886 Illinois towns
Snow16" a winter
Less snow than 63% of U.S. towns1030th least snowy of 2,880 Illinois towns
Growing season185 frost-free days
Longer than 58% of U.S. towns1428th shortest of 2,886 Illinois towns

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

Then and now

Warmer than it used to be

+1.0°1991–2020 average vs. the 20th century (1901–2000)

The last 30 years in Bowling Green averaged 1.0° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in December (+2.1°). The shift is smaller than in 70% of U.S. towns.

❄️ Winter+1.6° now 32°, was 30°
🌷 Spring+1.3° now 54°, was 53°
☀️ Summer+0.3° now 75°, was 75°
🍂 Fall+0.8° now 56°, was 55°

Change by month1991–2020 average minus 1901–2000 average, at Bowling Green’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 20° to 42°. June is the most reliable, staying within 9°.

Coldest to warmest month in 30 yearsNormal
Questions

Common questions about Bowling Green’s climate

What is the coldest month in Bowling Green?

January, with a typical high of 37° and a low of 21°.

What is the hottest month in Bowling Green?

July, with a typical high of 87° and a low of 66°. About 28 days a year reach 90°.

How much snow does Bowling Green get?

About 16 inches in a normal winter, most of it in January.

When is the first frost in Bowling Green?

In half of years the first 32° night comes by October 19, and the last spring frost by April 15.

What is the rainiest month in Bowling Green?

May, with 4.8 inches of rain and melted snow. The year totals 43 inches.

Temperatures and rainfall come from NOAA’s gridded climate normals for Bowling Green itself (about a 3-mile square). Snow, frost dates and day counts come from NOAA’s weather station at Beecher City, IL (9 mi, snow) and Ramsey, IL (9 mi, frost, heat and degree days). 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 Bowling Green, ILFayette CountyView boundary

Nearby

All towns & citiesExplore the map
Loading boundary…

Bowling Green 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/15 · 2025-01-01