Climate · Pilot Knob

Pilot Knob, IL climate

Pilot Knob has chilly winters and warm summers. A typical July afternoon reaches 88°, a January night drops to 23°, and about 9 inches of snow falls in a normal winter.

NOAA 1991-2020 climate normals Updated once a decade
July high
88°
348th hottest of 2,886 Illinois towns
January low
23°
321st mildest of 2,886 Illinois towns
Rain + melted snow
44 in
364th wettest of 2,886 Illinois towns
Snow a winter
9 in
151st least snowy of 2,880 Illinois towns
A normal year

What a year in Pilot Knob feels like

Winter

43° / 26°
Typical high / low · 3 days with an inch or more of snow

Spring

66° / 45°
Typical high / low · Last frost around Apr 7

Summer

86° / 65°
Typical high / low · 31 days reach 90° in a normal year

Fall

68° / 46°
Typical high / low · First frost around Oct 26
Best months to be outsideAprMaySepOctHighs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more
Month by month

Pilot Knob 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
January40°23°2.9" 2.6"96 25° – 42°
February45°27°2.5" 2.2"84 25° – 45°
March55°35°3.8" 0.8"111 38° – 58°
April67°45°4.9" 0.1"110 49° – 61°
May76°55°5.1" 0120 61° – 72°
June85°64°4.8" 080 69° – 78°
July88°67°3.8" 080 72° – 84°
August87°65°3.2" 080 71° – 83°
September80°57°3.4" 060 65° – 75°
October69°46°3.3" 0.1"80 52° – 62°
November55°36°3.9" 0.4"90 38° – 52°
December44°27°2.9" 2.4"94 21° – 45°
Year66°45°44.5"8.6"10714

“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 Pilot Knob

Pilot Knob gets 44 inches of rain and melted snow a year. May is the wettest month and February the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 107 days a year. Snow covers the ground about 14 days of the year.

44 in
Rain + melted snow a year
More rain than 67% of U.S. towns
9 in
Snow in a normal winter
Less snow than 74% of U.S. towns
14 days
With 1"+ of snow on the ground
Fewer than 65% of U.S. towns

Rain + melted snow by month

Inches of water
5.1"

Snowfall by month

Inches of snow
2.6"
Frost & the growing season

About 201 frost-free days a year

In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 7 and the first one by October 26. That leaves about 201 frost-free days for gardens, longer than 73% of U.S. towns.

94
nights at or below 32° in a normal year
2
nights below 0° in a normal year
31
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 Pilot Knob

Engineers use “degree days” to estimate how hard a furnace or air conditioner works. In Pilot Knob, 79% of that work is heating and 21% is cooling.

79%heating
4,859 heating degree daysLess heating than 68% of U.S. towns
1,304 cooling degree daysMore cooling than 73% 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 Pilot Knob

Pilot Knob and its neighbors

Pilot Knob borders 3 towns with climate data. January nights across them vary by 0.3°. Nashville has the coldest January nights (23°) and Oakdale the hottest July afternoons (88°). Pilot Knob’s January low is 23° and its July high 88°.

Lively Grove: January low 23°, July high 88°Plum Hill: January low 23°, July high 88°Du Bois: January low 23°, July high 87°Beaucoup: January low 23°, July high 88°Covington: January low 23°, July high 88°Nashville: January low 23°, July high 88°Oakdale: January low 23°, July high 88°Bolo: January low 23°, July high 88°Nashville: January low 23°, July high 88°Pilot Knob: January low 23°, July high 88° Pilot KnobOakdaleBoloNashville
ColderMilder23° to 23°
Nashville22.8° −0.2°
Oakdale22.9° −0.1°
Pilot Knob23.0°
Bolo23.1° +0.1°

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

Compared with other towns

How Pilot Knob compares

Summer heat88° July high
Hotter than 69% of U.S. towns348th hottest of 2,886 Illinois towns
Winter cold23° January low
Milder than 67% of U.S. towns321st mildest of 2,886 Illinois towns
Precipitation44" a year
Wetter than 67% of U.S. towns364th wettest of 2,886 Illinois towns
Snow9" a winter
Less snow than 74% of U.S. towns151st least snowy of 2,880 Illinois towns
Growing season201 frost-free days
Longer than 73% of U.S. towns290th longest 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

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

The last 30 years in Pilot Knob averaged 0.9° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in February (+2.0°). The shift is smaller than in 80% of U.S. towns.

❄️ Winter+1.6° now 34°, was 33°
🌷 Spring+1.2° now 55°, was 54°
☀️ Summer+0.2° now 76°, was 76°
🍂 Fall+0.5° now 57°, was 57°

Change by month1991–2020 average minus 1901–2000 average, at Pilot Knob’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 21° to 45°. June is the most reliable, staying within 9°.

Coldest to warmest month in 30 yearsNormal
Questions

Common questions about Pilot Knob’s climate

What is the coldest month in Pilot Knob?

January, with a typical high of 40° and a low of 23°.

What is the hottest month in Pilot Knob?

July, with a typical high of 88° and a low of 67°. About 31 days a year reach 90°.

How much snow does Pilot Knob get?

About 9 inches in a normal winter, most of it in January.

When is the first frost in Pilot Knob?

In half of years the first 32° night comes by October 26, and the last spring frost by April 7.

What is the rainiest month in Pilot Knob?

May, with 5.1 inches of rain and melted snow. The year totals 44 inches.

Temperatures and rainfall come from NOAA’s gridded climate normals for Pilot Knob itself (about a 3-mile square). Snow, frost dates and day counts come from NOAA’s weather station at Pinckneyville 2 N, IL (11 mi, snow) and Nashville 1 E, IL (7 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.

The coffee’s on

Where to, neighbor?

You’re in Pilot Knob, ILWashington CountyView boundary

Nearby

All towns & citiesExplore the map
Loading boundary…

Pilot Knob 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