Photo: Farragutful · CC BY-SA 4.0Winter nights in Dixon are colder than in 89% of U.S. towns
In July the day’s top temperature is typically 84°. Precipitation is light here, less than falls on 68% of U.S. towns. Decade by decade the climate has edged up, 1.0° above 1901–2000. Warm coats and heating bills mark the months from November to April, when means dip under 50°.
A year in Dixon at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Dixon’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Dixon’s place in Iowa beside it.
What a year in Dixon feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 165 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 27 and the first by October 10. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Lowden, IA, 11 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Dixon’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 40 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Lowden, IA, falls mostly in January. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 38 inches a year; June is the wettest month and January the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 124 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Dixon
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 Lowden, IA.
Living with Dixon’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
165 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 10.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: May, June, July, August, September and October.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Dixon from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (59%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 6%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Dixon and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Dixon yet.
Climates most like Dixon’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dixon, IA | 13° | 84° | 38" | 40" |
| Franklin Park, IL | 17° | 84° | 38" | 38" |
| Tichigan, WI | 13° | 83° | 36" | 38" |
| South Haven, IN | 17° | 83° | 39" | 40" |
| Sayre, PA | 17° | 84° | 37" | 35" |
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 Dixon averaged 1.0° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in December (+2.0°).
A smaller shift than in 80% 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 Dixon compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Dixon’s place among Iowa’s.
Dixon weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Dixon’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Lowden, IA. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 29° | 13° | 1.4" | 11.2" | 10 | 20 | 13° – 34° |
| February | 34° | 18° | 1.6" | 8.0" | 9 | 14 | 13° – 37° |
| March | 47° | 28° | 2.4" | 6.2" | 11 | 6 | 30° – 53° |
| April | 61° | 39° | 3.8" | 1.7" | 12 | 1 | 41° – 57° |
| May | 72° | 51° | 4.7" | 0.0" | 13 | 0 | 55° – 69° |
| June | 81° | 60° | 5.2" | 0.0" | 13 | 0 | 68° – 74° |
| July | 84° | 64° | 4.2" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 68° – 80° |
| August | 82° | 62° | 4.1" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 67° – 77° |
| September | 76° | 54° | 3.7" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 59° – 70° |
| October | 63° | 42° | 2.9" | 0.7" | 9 | 0 | 47° – 58° |
| November | 48° | 30° | 2.2" | 2.9" | 9 | 2 | 31° – 49° |
| December | 35° | 19° | 1.9" | 9.1" | 10 | 13 | 13° – 37° |
| Year | 59° | 40° | 37.9" | 39.8" | 124 | 55 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. February swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 13° to 37°. June is the most reliable, staying within 7°.
Where Dixon’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 Dixon’s center.
- Snow: Lowden, IA.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Lowden, IA, 11 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 Dixon’s climate
What is the weather like in Dixon?
A typical July afternoon reaches 84°, a January night drops to 13°, and about 40 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 89% of U.S. towns; cooler July afternoons than 60% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Dixon in winter?
January nights average 13°. About 150 nights a year reach 32° or below and 20 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 13°.
How much snow does Dixon get?
About 40 inches in a normal winter at Lowden, IA, most of it in January, with snow on the ground about 55 days a year.
How hot does it get in Dixon?
July, with a typical high of 84° and a low of 64°. About 21 days a year reach 90° (Lowden, IA).
When is the first and last frost in Dixon?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 27 and the first fall frost by October 10, about 165 frost-free days, at Lowden, IA.
What growing zone is Dixon 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 Dixon?
By one simple rule (highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more), May, June, July, August, September and October. The rule is ours, not NOAA’s; the month table has the numbers to judge by.
Is Dixon getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.0° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 80% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Dixon.
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.