Photo: PopePompus · CC BY-SA 4.0January in Cantril bites harder than in 83% of U.S. towns
Sunny July days climb to about 86°. Expect the heaviest rain or snow in May and the lightest in January. Precipitation is light here, less than falls on 65% of U.S. towns. The frost-free window for a garden runs roughly April 26 to October 13.
A year in Cantril at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Cantril’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Cantril’s place in Iowa beside it.
What a year in Cantril feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 169 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 26 and the first by October 13. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Keosauqua, IA, 8 miles from the town’s center, 140 ft lower.
The 2023 USDA map puts Cantril’s center in zone 5b: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −10°. 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 23 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Keosauqua, IA, falls mostly in January. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 39 inches a year; May is the wettest month and January the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 92 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Cantril
86% 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 Keosauqua, IA.
Living with Cantril’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
169 frost-free days in zone 5b. The last frost comes by Apr 26 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: April, May, June, September and October. 0.7 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Cantril from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (47%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 13%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Cantril and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Cantril yet.
Climates most like Cantril’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cantril, IA | 15° | 86° | 39" | 23" |
| Ottawa, IL | 16° | 85° | 37" | 24" |
| Savannah, MO | 18° | 87° | 37" | 21" |
| Defiance, OH | 19° | 85° | 37" | 24" |
| Lock Haven, PA | 19° | 86° | 41" | 30" |
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 Cantril averaged 0.4° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in December (+1.6°).
A smaller shift than in all but 106 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 Cantril compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Cantril’s place among Iowa’s.
Cantril weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Cantril’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Keosauqua, IA. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 33° | 15° | 1.4" | 7.3" | 6 | 17° – 36° |
| February | 38° | 19° | 1.7" | 5.3" | 7 | 15° – 39° |
| March | 50° | 30° | 2.4" | 2.7" | 7 | 32° – 54° |
| April | 63° | 40° | 3.6" | 0.9" | 10 | 42° – 57° |
| May | 73° | 51° | 5.4" | 0.0" | 11 | 57° – 70° |
| June | 82° | 61° | 5.1" | 0.0" | 10 | 68° – 75° |
| July | 86° | 65° | 4.2" | 0.0" | 8 | 70° – 82° |
| August | 84° | 63° | 3.9" | 0.0" | 8 | 67° – 78° |
| September | 77° | 54° | 3.8" | 0.0" | 7 | 60° – 70° |
| October | 64° | 42° | 3.0" | 0.2" | 7 | 48° – 59° |
| November | 50° | 31° | 2.4" | 1.1" | 7 | 33° – 51° |
| December | 38° | 21° | 1.7" | 5.5" | 6 | 14° – 39° |
| Year | 61° | 41° | 38.6" | 23.0" | 92 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. December swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 14° to 39°. June is the most reliable, staying within 6°.
Where Cantril’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 Cantril’s center.
- Snow: Keosauqua, IA.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Keosauqua, IA, 8 miles from the town’s center, 140 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 Cantril’s climate
What is the weather like in Cantril?
A typical July afternoon reaches 86°, a January night drops to 15°, and about 23 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 83% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 54% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Cantril in winter?
January nights average 15°. About 128 nights a year reach 32° or below and 9 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 17°.
How much snow does Cantril get?
About 23 inches in a normal winter at Keosauqua, IA, most of it in January.
How hot does it get in Cantril?
July, with a typical high of 86° and a low of 65°. About 32 days a year reach 90° and 2 reach 100° (Keosauqua, IA).
When is the first and last frost in Cantril?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 26 and the first fall frost by October 13, about 169 frost-free days, at Keosauqua, IA.
What growing zone is Cantril in?
Zone 5b on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −10°.
What is the best time of year to visit Cantril?
By one simple rule (highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more), April, May, June, September and October. The rule is ours, not NOAA’s; the month table has the numbers to judge by.
Is Cantril getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 0.4° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than all but 106 U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Cantril.
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.