Fairfax’s winters are colder and snowier than most of the U.S.
A typical July afternoon reaches 84°, a January night drops to 11°, and about 27 inches of snow falls in a normal winter.
A year in Fairfax at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Fairfax’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Fairfax’s place in Iowa beside it.
What a year in Fairfax 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, 4 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Fairfax’s center in zone 5b: 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 27 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Walford 2 Se, IA, falls mostly in January 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 88 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Fairfax
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 Fairfax’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 11.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: May, June, July, August and September. 0.3 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Fairfax from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (46%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 13%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Fairfax and its neighbors
Every town next door is within a degree of Fairfax in January and July, closer than the 5 km grid can tell apart. Tap a town to see its climate.
Climates most like Fairfax’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fairfax, IA | 11° | 84° | 37" | 27" |
| Marengo, IL | 14° | 83° | 37" | 31" |
| Edgerton, WI | 12° | 83° | 37" | 36" |
| Lakes of the Four Seasons, IN | 16° | 83° | 40" | 27" |
| Sayre, PA | 17° | 84° | 37" | 35" |
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 Fairfax averaged 0.8° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in December (+2.2°).
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 Fairfax compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Fairfax’s place among Iowa’s.
Fairfax weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Fairfax’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Walford 2 Se, IA. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 28° | 11° | 1.0" | 7.7" | 5 | 19 | 10° – 33° |
| February | 33° | 16° | 1.2" | 5.7" | 4 | 13 | 11° – 36° |
| March | 47° | 27° | 2.0" | 3.7" | 6 | 5 | 29° – 52° |
| April | 61° | 38° | 3.8" | 0.8" | 10 | 1 | 41° – 56° |
| May | 72° | 49° | 4.5" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 54° – 68° |
| June | 81° | 60° | 5.6" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 67° – 74° |
| July | 84° | 63° | 4.4" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 67° – 80° |
| August | 82° | 60° | 4.3" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 66° – 78° |
| September | 75° | 52° | 3.6" | 0.0" | 7 | 0 | 58° – 69° |
| October | 62° | 40° | 2.9" | 0.2" | 7 | 0 | 46° – 56° |
| November | 47° | 28° | 2.2" | 1.2" | 6 | 1 | 30° – 48° |
| December | 34° | 17° | 1.5" | 7.9" | 5 | 13 | 10° – 35° |
| Year | 59° | 38° | 37.1" | 27.2" | 88 | 52 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. December swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 10° to 35°. June is the most reliable, staying within 7°.
Where Fairfax’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 Fairfax’s center.
- Snow: Walford 2 Se, IA.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Cedar Rapids Muni Airport, 4 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 Fairfax’s climate
What is the weather like in Fairfax?
A typical July afternoon reaches 84°, a January night drops to 11°, and about 27 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 92% of U.S. towns; cooler July afternoons than 62% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Fairfax in winter?
January nights average 11°. 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 10°.
How much snow does Fairfax get?
About 27 inches in a normal winter at Walford 2 Se, IA, most of it in January and December, with snow on the ground about 52 days a year.
How hot does it get in Fairfax?
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 Fairfax?
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 Fairfax in?
Zone 5b 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 Fairfax?
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 Fairfax 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 Fairfax.
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.