Photo: PopePompus · CC BY-SA 4.0Nights turn raw in Beacon each January, colder than in 89% of U.S. towns
High summer brings afternoon highs near 85°. Rain follows the seasons: June brings about 4.5 times as much as January. Precipitation is light here, less than falls on 73% of U.S. towns. For walks and days out, the stretch from May to June and August to October brings highs of 64–84°.
A year in Beacon at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Beacon’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Beacon’s place in Iowa beside it.
What a year in Beacon feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 176 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 21 and the first by October 16. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Oskaloosa, IA, 4 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Beacon’s center in zone 5b: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −12°. 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 30 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Albia 3 Nne, 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 105 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Beacon
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 Oskaloosa, IA.
Living with Beacon’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
176 frost-free days in zone 5b. The last frost comes by Apr 21 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 16.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: May, June, August, September and October.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Beacon from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (55%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 9%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Beacon and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Beacon yet.
Climates most like Beacon’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Beacon, IA | 13° | 85° | 36" | 30" |
| Spring Valley, IL | 15° | 85° | 37" | 29" |
| Blair, NE | 14° | 85° | 32" | 32" |
| Beloit, WI | 13° | 83° | 37" | 37" |
| Bryan, OH | 18° | 84° | 37" | 29" |
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 Beacon 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 Beacon compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Beacon’s place among Iowa’s.
Beacon weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Beacon’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Albia 3 Nne, IA. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 31° | 13° | 1.1" | 7.4" | 7 | 16 | 14° – 34° |
| February | 36° | 18° | 1.5" | 8.4" | 7 | 12 | 16° – 38° |
| March | 49° | 29° | 2.1" | 3.9" | 8 | 4 | 31° – 53° |
| April | 62° | 39° | 3.8" | 1.1" | 11 | 0 | 43° – 58° |
| May | 72° | 50° | 4.7" | 0.0" | 12 | 0 | 56° – 69° |
| June | 82° | 61° | 5.1" | 0.0" | 12 | 0 | 68° – 75° |
| July | 85° | 64° | 4.2" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 69° – 82° |
| August | 84° | 62° | 4.3" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 67° – 78° |
| September | 77° | 53° | 3.4" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 59° – 70° |
| October | 64° | 41° | 2.8" | 0.4" | 8 | 0 | 47° – 58° |
| November | 49° | 30° | 2.0" | 1.9" | 7 | 2 | 31° – 50° |
| December | 36° | 19° | 1.4" | 6.9" | 7 | 8 | 12° – 37° |
| Year | 61° | 40° | 36.3" | 30.0" | 105 | 44 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. December swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 12° to 37°. June is the most reliable, staying within 6°.
Where Beacon’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 Beacon’s center.
- Snow: Albia 3 Nne, IA.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Oskaloosa, IA, 4 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 Beacon’s climate
What is the weather like in Beacon?
A typical July afternoon reaches 85°, a January night drops to 13°, and about 30 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 89% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 52% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Beacon in winter?
January nights average 13°. About 144 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 14°.
How much snow does Beacon get?
About 30 inches in a normal winter at Albia 3 Nne, IA, most of it in February, with snow on the ground about 44 days a year.
How hot does it get in Beacon?
July, with a typical high of 85° and a low of 64°. About 15 days a year reach 90° (Oskaloosa, IA).
When is the first and last frost in Beacon?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 21 and the first fall frost by October 16, about 176 frost-free days, at Oskaloosa, IA.
What growing zone is Beacon in?
Zone 5b on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −12°.
What is the best time of year to visit Beacon?
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 Beacon 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 Beacon.
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.