Calmar Passenger Depot · Photo: Karen Noecker · CC BY-SA 3.0Calmar sits near the bottom of U.S. towns for winter warmth
In July the day’s top temperature is typically 81°. Summers stay cool: July afternoons here are cooler than in 86% of U.S. towns. Warming shows here too: 1.2° more than in 1901–2000, led by December. From May to September, highs of 69–81° make it easy to spend the day outdoors.
A year in Calmar at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Calmar’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Calmar’s place in Iowa beside it.
What a year in Calmar feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 157 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by May 3 and the first by October 7. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Decorah, IA, 9 miles from the town’s center, 390 ft lower.
The 2023 USDA map puts Calmar’s center in zone 5a: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −19°. 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 Decorah, IA, falls mostly in January. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 39 inches a year; June is the wettest month and January the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 114 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Calmar
89% 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 Decorah, IA.
Living with Calmar’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
157 frost-free days in zone 5a. The last frost comes by May 3 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 7.
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 Calmar from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (55%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 10%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Calmar and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Calmar yet.
Climates most like Calmar’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Calmar, IA | 8° | 81° | 39" | 38" |
| Beaver Dam, WI | 10° | 82° | 35" | 43" |
| Colchester, VT | 10° | 81° | 38" | 50" |
| Plattsburgh, NY | 9° | 81° | 35" | 50" |
| Harvard, IL | 13° | 83° | 38" | 32" |
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 Calmar averaged 1.2° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in December (+3.1°).
A smaller shift than in 61% 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 Calmar compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Calmar’s place among Iowa’s.
Calmar weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Calmar’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Decorah, IA. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 24° | 8° | 1.1" | 10.3" | 8 | 24 | 6° – 29° |
| February | 29° | 12° | 1.2" | 8.3" | 6 | 22 | 6° – 32° |
| March | 42° | 24° | 2.0" | 5.7" | 8 | 11 | 24° – 49° |
| April | 57° | 35° | 4.0" | 1.7" | 12 | 1 | 35° – 52° |
| May | 69° | 46° | 4.9" | 0.0" | 13 | 0 | 52° – 64° |
| June | 78° | 57° | 6.1" | 0.0" | 12 | 0 | 64° – 72° |
| July | 81° | 61° | 4.8" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 65° – 78° |
| August | 79° | 58° | 4.3" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 63° – 75° |
| September | 72° | 50° | 3.9" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 55° – 67° |
| October | 59° | 38° | 2.8" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 43° – 54° |
| November | 43° | 26° | 2.0" | 2.4" | 8 | 2 | 26° – 46° |
| December | 30° | 15° | 1.5" | 9.1" | 8 | 14 | 7° – 32° |
| Year | 55° | 36° | 38.6" | 37.5" | 114 | 74 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. February swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 6° to 32°. June is the most reliable, staying within 8°.
Where Calmar’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 Calmar’s center.
- Snow: Decorah, IA.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Decorah, IA, 9 miles from the town’s center, 390 ft lower; 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 Calmar’s climate
What is the weather like in Calmar?
A typical July afternoon reaches 81°, a January night drops to 8°, and about 38 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 96% of U.S. towns; cooler July afternoons than 86% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Calmar in winter?
January nights average 8°. About 153 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 6°.
How much snow does Calmar get?
About 38 inches in a normal winter at Decorah, IA, most of it in January, with snow on the ground about 74 days a year.
How hot does it get in Calmar?
July, with a typical high of 81° and a low of 61°. About 12 days a year reach 90° (Decorah, IA).
When is the first and last frost in Calmar?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by May 3 and the first fall frost by October 7, about 157 frost-free days, at Decorah, IA.
What growing zone is Calmar in?
Zone 5a on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −19°.
What is the best time of year to visit Calmar?
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 Calmar getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.2° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 61% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Calmar.
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.