Photo: Jared Winkler · CC BY-SA 4.0Nights turn raw in Carter Lake each January, colder than in 87% of U.S. towns
In July the day’s top temperature is typically 86°. Temperatures cover 73° across the year, low to high. It is a dry place: less rain and snow fall here than on 82% of U.S. towns. If you like long walks, May, June, September and October offer highs of 65–83°.
A year in Carter Lake at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Carter Lake’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Carter Lake’s place in Iowa beside it.
What a year in Carter Lake feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 185 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 18 and the first by October 21. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Omaha Eppley Airfield, NE, 1.7 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Carter Lake’s center in zone 6a: 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 27 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Omaha Eppley Airfield, NE, is heaviest from January through February, about 8 inches a month. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 33 inches a year; June is the wettest month and January the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 103 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Carter Lake
82% of the work is heating. 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 Omaha Eppley Airfield, NE.
Living with Carter Lake’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
185 frost-free days in zone 6a. The last frost comes by Apr 18 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 21.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: May, June, September and October. 4.9 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Carter Lake 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 →Carter Lake and its neighbors
Every town next door is within a degree of Carter Lake in January and July, closer than the 5 km grid can tell apart. Tap a town to see its climate.
Climates most like Carter Lake’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Carter Lake, IA | 14° | 86° | 33" | 27" |
| Ottawa, IL | 16° | 85° | 37" | 24" |
| Wauseon, OH | 18° | 84° | 35" | 27" |
| Westland, MI | 18° | 84° | 34" | 31" |
| Kearney, NE | 14° | 87° | 26" | 22" |
Temperatures and rain come from NOAA’s 5 km grid, so each town gets its own value. Snow and frost-free days come from the nearest weather station, so neighbors often share them.
Warmer than it used to be
The last 30 years in Carter Lake averaged 0.9° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in March (+2.4°).
A smaller shift than in 81% 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 Carter Lake compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Carter Lake’s place among Iowa’s.
Carter Lake weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Carter Lake’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Omaha Eppley Airfield, NE. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 33° | 14° | 0.8" | 7.2" | 7 | 14 | 16° – 36° |
| February | 38° | 18° | 1.0" | 7.8" | 7 | 11 | 17° – 37° |
| March | 51° | 29° | 1.9" | 3.0" | 8 | 4 | 32° – 55° |
| April | 63° | 39° | 3.3" | 1.0" | 11 | 0 | 44° – 57° |
| May | 74° | 51° | 4.9" | 0.1" | 13 | 0 | 57° – 69° |
| June | 83° | 62° | 5.0" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 68° – 77° |
| July | 86° | 66° | 3.8" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 70° – 83° |
| August | 84° | 63° | 4.1" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 68° – 78° |
| September | 78° | 54° | 3.2" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 60° – 72° |
| October | 65° | 41° | 2.5" | 0.5" | 7 | 0 | 46° – 58° |
| November | 50° | 29° | 1.4" | 1.7" | 6 | 2 | 30° – 50° |
| December | 37° | 19° | 1.3" | 5.8" | 7 | 9 | 15° – 33° |
| Year | 62° | 40° | 32.9" | 27.1" | 103 | 40 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. March swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 32° to 55°. June is the most reliable, staying within 9°.
Where Carter Lake’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 Carter Lake’s center.
- Snow: Omaha Eppley Airfield, NE (NOAA station in town).
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Omaha Eppley Airfield, NE, 1.7 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 Carter Lake’s climate
What is the weather like in Carter Lake?
A typical July afternoon reaches 86°, a January night drops to 14°, and about 27 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 87% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 58% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Carter Lake in winter?
January nights average 14°. About 135 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 16°.
How much snow does Carter Lake get?
About 27 inches in a normal winter at Omaha Eppley Airfield, NE, heaviest from January through February, about 8 inches a month, with snow on the ground about 40 days a year.
How hot does it get in Carter Lake?
July, with a typical high of 86° and a low of 66°. About 33 days a year reach 90° and 2 reach 100° (Omaha Eppley Airfield, NE).
When is the first and last frost in Carter Lake?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 18 and the first fall frost by October 21, about 185 frost-free days, at Omaha Eppley Airfield, NE.
What growing zone is Carter Lake in?
Zone 6a 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 Carter Lake?
By one simple rule (highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more), May, June, September and October. The rule is ours, not NOAA’s; the month table has the numbers to judge by.
Is Carter Lake getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.0° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 81% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Carter Lake.
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.