Photo: ArtisticAbode · CC BY-SA 3.0Ely’s winters are colder and snowier than most of the U.S.
A typical July afternoon reaches 84°, a January night drops to 12°, and about 29 inches of snow falls in a normal winter.
A year in Ely at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Ely’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Ely’s place in Iowa beside it.
What a year in Ely 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 11. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Cedar Rapids Muni Airport, 7 miles from the town’s center, 110 ft higher.
The 2023 USDA map puts Ely’s center in zone 5a: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −15°. 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 29 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Swisher #2, IA, falls mostly in January, February and December. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 37 inches a year; June is the wettest month and January the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 96 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Ely
90% 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 Cedar Rapids Muni Airport.
Living with Ely’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
165 frost-free days in zone 5a. 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 11.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: May, June, July, August, September and October. 0.8 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Ely from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (48%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 9%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Ely and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Ely yet.
Climates most like Ely’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ely, IA | 12° | 84° | 37" | 29" |
| Marengo, IL | 14° | 83° | 37" | 31" |
| Delavan, WI | 12° | 83° | 37" | 34" |
| Lakes of the Four Seasons, IN | 16° | 83° | 40" | 27" |
| 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 Ely averaged 0.9° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in December (+2.3°).
A smaller shift than in 86% 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 Ely compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Ely’s place among Iowa’s.
Ely weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Ely’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Swisher #2, IA. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 28° | 12° | 1.1" | 7.7" | 6 | 16 | 11° – 33° |
| February | 33° | 16° | 1.3" | 7.8" | 6 | 14 | 12° – 36° |
| March | 47° | 27° | 2.1" | 4.5" | 7 | 6 | 29° – 52° |
| April | 61° | 38° | 3.8" | 0.6" | 10 | 0 | 41° – 56° |
| May | 72° | 49° | 4.5" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 55° – 68° |
| June | 81° | 60° | 5.6" | 0.0" | 12 | 0 | 67° – 74° |
| July | 84° | 63° | 4.4" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 67° – 80° |
| August | 82° | 61° | 4.3" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 66° – 78° |
| September | 76° | 52° | 3.6" | 0.0" | 7 | 0 | 58° – 69° |
| October | 63° | 40° | 3.0" | 0.1" | 8 | 0 | 46° – 57° |
| November | 47° | 28° | 2.2" | 0.8" | 6 | 1 | 30° – 48° |
| December | 34° | 18° | 1.6" | 7.7" | 8 | 11 | 11° – 36° |
| Year | 59° | 39° | 37.3" | 29.2" | 96 | 48 |
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 36°. June is the most reliable, staying within 6°.
Where Ely’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 Ely’s center.
- Snow: Swisher #2, IA.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Cedar Rapids Muni Airport, 7 miles from the town’s center, 110 ft higher; 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 Ely’s climate
What is the weather like in Ely?
A typical July afternoon reaches 84°, a January night drops to 12°, and about 29 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 91% of U.S. towns; cooler July afternoons than 62% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Ely in winter?
January nights average 12°. About 144 nights a year reach 32° or below and 16 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 11°.
How much snow does Ely get?
About 29 inches in a normal winter at Swisher #2, IA, most of it in January, February and December, with snow on the ground about 48 days a year.
How hot does it get in Ely?
July, with a typical high of 84° and a low of 63°. About 12 days a year reach 90° (Cedar Rapids Muni Airport).
When is the first and last frost in Ely?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 27 and the first fall frost by October 11, about 165 frost-free days, at Cedar Rapids Muni Airport.
What growing zone is Ely in?
Zone 5a on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −15°.
What is the best time of year to visit Ely?
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 Ely getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 0.9° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 86% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Ely.
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.