Photo: Jared Winkler · CC BY-SA 4.0Conway has colder winter nights than 87% of U.S. towns
In July the day’s top temperature is typically 85°. It is a dry place: less rain and snow fall here than on 69% of U.S. towns. The latest 30-year average runs 0.9° warmer than 1901–2000’s, with December up the most. Plan time outside from May to June and August to October, when highs sit at 64–83°.
A year in Conway at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Conway’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Conway’s place in Iowa beside it.
What a year in Conway feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 173 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 24 and the first by October 15. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Bedford, IA, 8 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Conway’s center in zone 5b: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −13°. 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 18 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Blockton 1w, IA, is heaviest from January through February, about 5 inches a month. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 38 inches a year; May is the wettest month and January the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 86 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Conway
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 Bedford, IA.
Living with Conway’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
173 frost-free days in zone 5b. The last frost comes by Apr 24 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 15.
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 Conway from natural hazards, drought is the largest share (28%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 31%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Conway and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Conway yet.
Climates most like Conway’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conway, IA | 14° | 85° | 38" | 18" |
| Channahon, IL | 16° | 84° | 38" | 18" |
| West Lafayette, IN | 18° | 84° | 40" | 19" |
| Van Wert, OH | 19° | 84° | 39" | 17" |
| Tecumseh, MI | 17° | 84° | 34" | 26" |
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 Conway averaged 0.9° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in December (+2.4°).
A smaller shift than in 84% 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 Conway compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Conway’s place among Iowa’s.
Conway weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Conway’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Blockton 1w, IA. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 32° | 14° | 0.9" | 4.9" | 5 | 9 | 16° – 36° |
| February | 37° | 18° | 1.3" | 4.9" | 5 | 7 | 18° – 39° |
| March | 50° | 29° | 2.2" | 1.4" | 7 | 3 | 33° – 55° |
| April | 62° | 39° | 3.9" | 1.3" | 9 | 0 | 43° – 57° |
| May | 72° | 50° | 5.4" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 55° – 69° |
| June | 81° | 60° | 5.2" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 67° – 75° |
| July | 85° | 64° | 4.6" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 69° – 81° |
| August | 83° | 62° | 4.2" | 0.0" | 7 | 0 | 67° – 78° |
| September | 76° | 53° | 3.6" | 0.0" | 7 | 0 | 58° – 71° |
| October | 64° | 41° | 3.0" | 0.2" | 7 | 0 | 46° – 57° |
| November | 49° | 29° | 2.0" | 1.3" | 6 | 1 | 30° – 49° |
| December | 37° | 19° | 1.5" | 4.0" | 5 | 5 | 13° – 34° |
| Year | 61° | 40° | 37.8" | 18.0" | 86 | 25 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. March swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 33° to 55°. June is the most reliable, staying within 8°.
Where Conway’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 Conway’s center.
- Snow: Blockton 1w, IA.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Bedford, IA, 8 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 Conway’s climate
What is the weather like in Conway?
A typical July afternoon reaches 85°, a January night drops to 14°, and about 18 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 87% of U.S. towns; cooler July afternoons than 52% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Conway in winter?
January nights average 14°. About 137 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 16°.
How much snow does Conway get?
About 18 inches in a normal winter at Blockton 1w, IA, heaviest from January through February, about 5 inches a month, with snow on the ground about 25 days a year.
How hot does it get in Conway?
July, with a typical high of 85° and a low of 64°. About 23 days a year reach 90° (Bedford, IA).
When is the first and last frost in Conway?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 24 and the first fall frost by October 15, about 173 frost-free days, at Bedford, IA.
What growing zone is Conway in?
Zone 5b on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −13°.
What is the best time of year to visit Conway?
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 Conway getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 0.9° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 84% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Conway.
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.