Photo: Ashton B Crew · CC BY-SA 3.0Ankeny has colder winter nights than 90% of U.S. towns
Peak summer warmth arrives in July, with afternoons near 85°. The gap between a January night and a July afternoon is 72°. It is a dry place: less rain and snow fall here than on 74% of U.S. towns. Keep the boiler serviced for the months from November to March, which average under 50°.
A year in Ankeny at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Ankeny’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Ankeny’s place in Iowa beside it.
What a year in Ankeny feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 173 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 23 and the first by October 15. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Ankeny, IA, 2.5 miles from the city’s center point, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Ankeny’s center in zone 5b: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −14°. 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 25 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Ankeny, IA, falls mostly in February. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 36 inches a year; June is the wettest month and January the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 102 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Ankeny
87% 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 Ankeny, IA.
Living with Ankeny’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
173 frost-free days in zone 5b. The last frost comes by Apr 23 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 15.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: May, June, August, September and October. 55 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Ankeny from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (44%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 17%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Ankeny and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Ankeny yet.
Climates most like Ankeny’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ankeny, IA | 13° | 85° | 36" | 25" |
| Colona, IL | 15° | 85° | 37" | 28" |
| Tecumseh, MI | 17° | 84° | 34" | 26" |
| Beloit, WI | 13° | 83° | 37" | 37" |
| Wauseon, OH | 18° | 84° | 35" | 27" |
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 Ankeny averaged 0.7° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in December (+2.3°).
A smaller shift than in 94% 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 Ankeny compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Ankeny’s place among Iowa’s.
Ankeny weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Ankeny’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Ankeny, IA. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 30° | 13° | 0.9" | 6.2" | 6 | 18 | 12° – 34° |
| February | 35° | 17° | 1.1" | 8.0" | 6 | 16 | 15° – 37° |
| March | 48° | 28° | 2.1" | 3.7" | 8 | 6 | 30° – 53° |
| April | 61° | 39° | 3.9" | 0.7" | 11 | 0 | 42° – 57° |
| May | 72° | 50° | 5.1" | 0.0" | 12 | 0 | 55° – 69° |
| June | 81° | 61° | 5.2" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 68° – 74° |
| July | 85° | 65° | 4.1" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 69° – 81° |
| August | 83° | 62° | 4.2" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 67° – 78° |
| September | 76° | 54° | 3.6" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 58° – 70° |
| October | 63° | 42° | 2.6" | 0.6" | 8 | 0 | 46° – 57° |
| November | 48° | 30° | 1.9" | 1.0" | 7 | 1 | 30° – 50° |
| December | 35° | 19° | 1.3" | 4.5" | 7 | 10 | 11° – 34° |
| Year | 60° | 40° | 36.0" | 24.7" | 102 | 52 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. December swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 11° to 34°. June is the most reliable, staying within 6°.
Where Ankeny’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 Ankeny’s center.
- Snow: Ankeny, IA.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Ankeny, IA, 2.5 miles from the city’s center point, 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 Ankeny’s climate
What is the weather like in Ankeny?
A typical July afternoon reaches 85°, a January night drops to 13°, and about 25 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 90% of U.S. towns; cooler July afternoons than 54% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Ankeny in winter?
January nights average 13°. About 150 nights a year reach 32° or below and 16 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 12°.
How much snow does Ankeny get?
About 25 inches in a normal winter at Ankeny, IA, most of it in February, with snow on the ground about 52 days a year.
How hot does it get in Ankeny?
July, with a typical high of 85° and a low of 65°. About 23 days a year reach 90° (Ankeny, IA).
When is the first and last frost in Ankeny?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 23 and the first fall frost by October 15, about 173 frost-free days, at Ankeny, IA.
What growing zone is Ankeny in?
Zone 5b on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −14°.
What is the best time of year to visit Ankeny?
By one simple rule (highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more), May, June, August, September and October. The rule is ours, not NOAA’s; the month table has the numbers to judge by.
Is Ankeny getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 0.7° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 94% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Ankeny.
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.