Photo: Dirk · CC BY 2.0Dubuque has colder winter nights than 92% of U.S. towns
In July the day’s top temperature is typically 83°. Summers stay cool: July afternoons here are cooler than in 69% of U.S. towns. The latest 30-year average runs 0.8° warmer than 1901–2000’s, with December up the most. Central heating does most of its work from November to April, in months below 50° on average.
A year in Dubuque at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Dubuque’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Dubuque’s place in Iowa beside it.
What a year in Dubuque feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 184 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 19 and the first by October 21. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Dubuque L&d 11, IA, 4 miles from the city’s center point, 180 ft lower.
The 2023 USDA map puts Dubuque’s center in zone 5a: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −17°. 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 36 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Dubuque L&d 11, 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 116 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Dubuque
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 Dubuque L&d 11, IA.
Living with Dubuque’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
184 frost-free days in zone 5a. The last frost comes by Apr 19 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, July, August and September. 15 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Dubuque from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (43%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 20%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Dubuque and its neighbors
Every town next door is within a degree of Dubuque in January and July, closer than the 5 km grid can tell apart. Tap a town to see its climate.
Climates most like Dubuque’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dubuque, IA | 12° | 83° | 38" | 36" |
| Westville, IN | 16° | 83° | 39" | 34" |
| Elmira, NY | 16° | 83° | 36" | 42" |
| Lockport, IL | 16° | 84° | 39" | 33" |
| Albion, MI | 17° | 83° | 37" | 40" |
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 Dubuque averaged 0.8° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in December (+2.0°).
A smaller shift than in 89% 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 Dubuque compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Dubuque’s place among Iowa’s.
Dubuque weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Dubuque’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Dubuque L&d 11, IA. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 28° | 12° | 1.3" | 11.7" | 8 | 23 | 10° – 32° |
| February | 32° | 16° | 1.5" | 8.6" | 8 | 21 | 10° – 37° |
| March | 45° | 27° | 2.1" | 3.7" | 9 | 8 | 28° – 52° |
| April | 59° | 37° | 3.8" | 0.9" | 12 | 0 | 39° – 54° |
| May | 71° | 49° | 4.2" | 0.0" | 13 | 0 | 54° – 66° |
| June | 80° | 59° | 5.6" | 0.0" | 12 | 0 | 67° – 73° |
| July | 83° | 63° | 4.8" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 67° – 80° |
| August | 81° | 61° | 4.0" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 66° – 78° |
| September | 75° | 53° | 3.6" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 57° – 69° |
| October | 61° | 41° | 3.0" | 0.1" | 9 | 0 | 46° – 56° |
| November | 46° | 29° | 2.3" | 1.2" | 8 | 3 | 29° – 48° |
| December | 33° | 18° | 1.7" | 9.9" | 9 | 15 | 11° – 35° |
| Year | 58° | 39° | 37.8" | 36.1" | 116 | 71 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. February swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 10° to 37°. June is the most reliable, staying within 7°.
Where Dubuque’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 Dubuque’s center.
- Snow: Dubuque L&d 11, IA.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Dubuque L&d 11, IA, 4 miles from the city’s center point, 180 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 Dubuque’s climate
What is the weather like in Dubuque?
A typical July afternoon reaches 83°, a January night drops to 12°, and about 36 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 92% of U.S. towns; cooler July afternoons than 69% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Dubuque in winter?
January nights average 12°. About 133 nights a year reach 32° or below and 17 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 10°.
How much snow does Dubuque get?
About 36 inches in a normal winter at Dubuque L&d 11, IA, most of it in January, with snow on the ground about 71 days a year.
How hot does it get in Dubuque?
July, with a typical high of 83° and a low of 63°. About 18 days a year reach 90° (Dubuque L&d 11, IA).
When is the first and last frost in Dubuque?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 19 and the first fall frost by October 21, about 184 frost-free days, at Dubuque L&d 11, IA.
What growing zone is Dubuque in?
Zone 5a on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −17°.
What is the best time of year to visit Dubuque?
By one simple rule (highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more), May, June, July, August and September. The rule is ours, not NOAA’s; the month table has the numbers to judge by.
Is Dubuque getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 0.8° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 89% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Dubuque.
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.