Alta’s winters are colder and snowier than most of the U.S.
A typical July afternoon reaches 83°, a January night drops to 9°, and about 38 inches of snow falls in a normal winter.
A year in Alta at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Alta’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Alta’s place in Iowa beside it.
What a year in Alta feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 170 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 25 and the first by October 13. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Storm Lake, IA, 6 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Alta’s center in zone 5a: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −17°. Plant labels use the zone; frost dates tell you when to plant.
Freezing nights by month
Average nights at or below 32°
90° days by month
Average days at 90° or more
About 38 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Cherokee, IA, falls mostly in December. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 31 inches a year; June is the wettest month and January the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 97 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Alta
91% of the work is heating, so the furnace matters far more than the air conditioner. Months averaging under 55° run from October through April.
Degree days add up how far each day’s average falls below (heating) or rises above (cooling) 65° over a year. NOAA normals at Storm Lake, IA.
Living with Alta’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
170 frost-free days in zone 5a. The last frost comes by Apr 25 in half of years, so many gardeners wait a week or two past that to set out tomatoes. The first fall frost comes by Oct 13.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: May, June, July, August and September. 0.0 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Alta from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (28%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 16%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Alta and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Alta yet.
Climates most like Alta’s, farther away
TownRatings’ own comparison of NOAA 1991–2020 normals, not a NOAA product: places of 5,000+ at least 150 miles away, one per state, closest on January low, July high, precipitation and snow.
| Town | Jan. low | July high | Precip. | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alta, IA | 9° | 83° | 31" | 38" |
| St. Paul, MN | 7° | 83° | 33" | 40" |
| Berlin, WI | 9° | 82° | 33" | 38" |
| Mount Pleasant, MI | 15° | 83° | 33" | 39" |
| Plattsburgh, NY | 9° | 81° | 35" | 50" |
Temperatures and precipitation come from NOAA’s 5 km grid; snow and day counts from the stations named on this page.
Warmer than it used to be
The last 30 years in Alta averaged 0.9° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in December (+2.4°).
A smaller shift than in 82% of U.S. towns.
Change by month
The two periods overlap (1991–2000 is in both), which makes the gap a little smaller than it would be between separate periods.
How Alta compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Alta’s place among Iowa’s.
Alta weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Alta’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Cherokee, IA. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 26° | 9° | 0.7" | 7.5" | 6 | 20 | 8° – 32° |
| February | 31° | 13° | 0.9" | 8.4" | 6 | 17 | 12° – 33° |
| March | 44° | 25° | 1.7" | 5.2" | 7 | 9 | 27° – 50° |
| April | 59° | 36° | 3.4" | 2.7" | 9 | 1 | 37° – 54° |
| May | 70° | 48° | 4.2" | 0.1" | 13 | 0 | 53° – 65° |
| June | 80° | 59° | 4.9" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 65° – 73° |
| July | 83° | 62° | 3.6" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 66° – 78° |
| August | 80° | 60° | 4.1" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 65° – 75° |
| September | 74° | 51° | 3.0" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 57° – 68° |
| October | 61° | 39° | 2.3" | 0.5" | 7 | 0 | 43° – 55° |
| November | 44° | 25° | 1.5" | 4.0" | 5 | 4 | 24° – 47° |
| December | 31° | 15° | 1.0" | 9.4" | 5 | 15 | 7° – 29° |
| Year | 57° | 37° | 31.2" | 37.8" | 97 | 66 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. January swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 8° to 32°. June is the most reliable, staying within 8°.
Where Alta’s numbers come from
Normals are 30-year averages, not a forecast. How TownRatings reads climate data →
- Temperatures and precipitation: NOAA’s gridded 1991–2020 normals for the 5 km cell at Alta’s center.
- Snow: Cherokee, IA.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Storm Lake, IA, 6 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height; the nearest station that passes our checks for distance, height and agreement with the grid.
- Growing zone: USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map, 2023. USDA Agricultural Research Service and PRISM Group, Oregon State University, prism.oregonstate.edu/phzm, accessed 8 Oct 2026.
- Then and now: NOAA’s gridded normals for 1901–2000 at the same cell.
- Storms and extremes: FEMA National Risk Index (expected annual losses to buildings).
Common questions about Alta’s climate
What is the weather like in Alta?
A typical July afternoon reaches 83°, a January night drops to 9°, and about 38 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 95% of U.S. towns; cooler July afternoons than 71% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Alta in winter?
January nights average 9°. About 151 nights a year reach 32° or below and 21 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 8°.
How much snow does Alta get?
About 38 inches in a normal winter at Cherokee, IA, most of it in December, with snow on the ground about 66 days a year.
How hot does it get in Alta?
July, with a typical high of 83° and a low of 62°. About 10 days a year reach 90° (Storm Lake, IA).
When is the first and last frost in Alta?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 25 and the first fall frost by October 13, about 170 frost-free days, at Storm Lake, IA.
What growing zone is Alta in?
Zone 5a on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −17°.
What is the best time of year to visit Alta?
By one simple rule (highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more), May, June, July, August and September. The rule is ours, not NOAA’s; the month table has the numbers to judge by.
Is Alta getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 0.9° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 82% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Alta.
Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020 and 1901–2000; USDA/PRISM 2023 hardiness zones; FEMA National Risk Index. Today’s forecast: National Weather Service.