New Athens, IL climate
New Athens has chilly winters and warm summers. A typical July afternoon reaches 89°, a January night drops to 23°, and about 12 inches of snow falls in a normal winter.
NOAA 1991-2020 climate normals Updated once a decadeWhat a year in New Athens feels like
Winter
Spring
Summer
Fall
New Athens weather by month
Average highs, lows, rain and snow for every month, from NOAA’s 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 41° | 23° | 2.7" | 4.0" | 8 | 4 | 26° – 43° |
| February | 46° | 27° | 2.3" | 3.9" | 7 | 4 | 27° – 46° |
| March | 57° | 36° | 3.6" | 1.4" | 9 | 1 | 39° – 59° |
| April | 68° | 45° | 5.0" | 0 | 11 | 0 | 50° – 62° |
| May | 77° | 56° | 5.0" | 0 | 12 | 0 | 61° – 74° |
| June | 86° | 65° | 4.3" | 0 | 10 | 0 | 70° – 79° |
| July | 89° | 68° | 4.0" | 0 | 9 | 0 | 73° – 85° |
| August | 88° | 66° | 3.3" | 0 | 8 | 0 | 71° – 83° |
| September | 81° | 58° | 3.1" | 0 | 8 | 0 | 65° – 76° |
| October | 70° | 46° | 3.0" | 0 | 7 | 0 | 53° – 64° |
| November | 56° | 36° | 3.6" | 0.2" | 8 | 0 | 38° – 53° |
| December | 45° | 28° | 2.7" | 2.1" | 9 | 2 | 22° – 45° |
| Year | 67° | 46° | 42.6" | 11.6" | 105 | 12 |
“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 and snow in New Athens
New Athens 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 105 days a year. Snow covers the ground about 12 days of the year.
About 189 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 12 and the first one by October 20. That leaves about 189 frost-free days for gardens, longer than 63% of U.S. towns.
Heating and cooling a home in New Athens
Engineers use “degree days” to estimate how hard a furnace or air conditioner works. In New Athens, 73% of that work is heating and 27% is cooling.
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.
New Athens and its neighbors
New Athens borders 5 towns with climate data. January nights across them vary by 0.3°. Freeburg has the coldest January nights (23°) and Prairie Du Long the hottest July afternoons (89°). New Athens’s January low is 23° and its July high 89°.
Temperatures and rain come from NOAA’s 5 km grid, so each town gets its own value.
How New Athens compares
Compared with every U.S. town and city on TownTapestry, each counted once.
Warmer than it used to be
The last 30 years in New Athens averaged 1.2° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in February (+2.1°). The shift is larger than in 51% of U.S. towns.
Change by month1991–2020 average minus 1901–2000 average, at New Athens’s spot on NOAA’s grid
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 22° to 45°. June is the most reliable, staying within 9°.
Common questions about New Athens’s climate
What is the coldest month in New Athens?
January, with a typical high of 41° and a low of 23°.
What is the hottest month in New Athens?
July, with a typical high of 89° and a low of 68°. About 53 days a year reach 90°.
How much snow does New Athens get?
About 12 inches in a normal winter, most of it in January.
When is the first frost in New Athens?
In half of years the first 32° night comes by October 20, and the last spring frost by April 12.
What is the rainiest month in New Athens?
May, with 5.0 inches of rain and melted snow. The year totals 43 inches.
Temperatures and rainfall come from NOAA’s gridded climate normals for New Athens itself (about a 3-mile square). Snow, frost dates and day counts come from NOAA’s weather station at New Athens, IL (2 mi, snow) and Belleville Siu Rsch, IL (12 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.