Photo: Jared Winkler · CC BY-SA 4.0January in Carbon bites harder than in 90% of U.S. towns
On a normal July day the thermometer tops out near 85°. The gap between a January night and a July afternoon is 73°. By precipitation alone, it ranks drier than 74% of U.S. towns. Garden planting can start around April 27; autumn frost returns near October 12.
A year in Carbon at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Carbon’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Carbon’s place in Iowa beside it.
What a year in Carbon feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 168 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 27 and the first by October 12. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Corning, IA, 5 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Carbon’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 28 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Corning, IA, falls mostly in January. 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 92 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Carbon
88% 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 Corning, IA.
Living with Carbon’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
168 frost-free days in zone 5b. The last frost comes by Apr 27 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 12.
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 Carbon from natural hazards, drought is the largest share (53%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 18%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Carbon and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Carbon yet.
Climates most like Carbon’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Carbon, IA | 13° | 85° | 36" | 28" |
| Colona, IL | 15° | 85° | 37" | 28" |
| Beloit, WI | 13° | 83° | 37" | 37" |
| Wauseon, OH | 18° | 84° | 35" | 27" |
| Auburn, IN | 17° | 84° | 38" | 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 Carbon averaged 0.9° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in March (+2.4°).
A smaller shift than in 87% 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 Carbon compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Carbon’s place among Iowa’s.
Carbon weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Carbon’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Corning, IA. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 32° | 13° | 0.8" | 8.2" | 6 | 15° – 36° |
| February | 37° | 17° | 1.2" | 6.2" | 6 | 17° – 37° |
| March | 50° | 28° | 2.0" | 3.3" | 7 | 32° – 54° |
| April | 63° | 38° | 3.5" | 1.2" | 10 | 42° – 57° |
| May | 73° | 50° | 5.3" | 0.0" | 12 | 56° – 69° |
| June | 82° | 60° | 5.3" | 0.0" | 10 | 67° – 75° |
| July | 85° | 64° | 4.2" | 0.0" | 8 | 69° – 81° |
| August | 84° | 62° | 4.1" | 0.0" | 8 | 67° – 78° |
| September | 77° | 53° | 3.6" | 0.0" | 7 | 58° – 71° |
| October | 65° | 40° | 2.9" | 0.4" | 8 | 46° – 57° |
| November | 49° | 28° | 1.8" | 1.6" | 6 | 29° – 49° |
| December | 36° | 18° | 1.3" | 6.9" | 6 | 11° – 34° |
| Year | 61° | 39° | 35.9" | 27.8" | 92 |
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 8°.
Where Carbon’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 Carbon’s center.
- Snow: Corning, IA.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Corning, IA, 5 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 Carbon’s climate
What is the weather like in Carbon?
A typical July afternoon reaches 85°, a January night drops to 13°, and about 28 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 90% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 52% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Carbon in winter?
January nights average 13°. About 148 nights a year reach 32° or below and 12 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 15°.
How much snow does Carbon get?
About 28 inches in a normal winter at Corning, IA, most of it in January.
How hot does it get in Carbon?
July, with a typical high of 85° and a low of 64°. About 17 days a year reach 90° (Corning, IA).
When is the first and last frost in Carbon?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 27 and the first fall frost by October 12, about 168 frost-free days, at Corning, IA.
What growing zone is Carbon 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 Carbon?
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 Carbon getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 0.9° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 87% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Carbon.
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.