Photo: Bill Whittaker · CC BY-SA 3.0Fairfield’s winters are colder and snowier than most of the U.S.
A typical July afternoon reaches 85°, a January night drops to 14°, and about 22 inches of snow falls in a normal winter.
A year in Fairfield at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Fairfield’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Fairfield’s place in Iowa beside it.
What a year in Fairfield feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 168 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 27 and the first by October 12. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Fairfield, IA, 1.2 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Fairfield’s center in zone 5b: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −11°. 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 22 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Fairfield, IA, falls mostly in February. 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 110 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Fairfield
88% 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 Fairfield, IA.
Living with Fairfield’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
168 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 12.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: May, June, August, September and October. 4.8 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Heat waves are 27% of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Fairfield from natural hazards, the largest share. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Fairfield and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Fairfield yet.
Climates most like Fairfield’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fairfield, IA | 14° | 85° | 38" | 22" |
| Ottawa, IL | 16° | 85° | 37" | 24" |
| Schererville, IN | 17° | 84° | 39" | 27" |
| Defiance, OH | 19° | 85° | 37" | 24" |
| Savannah, MO | 18° | 87° | 37" | 21" |
Temperatures and precipitation come from NOAA’s 5 km grid; snow and day counts from the stations named on this page.
About as warm as it used to be
The last 30 years in Fairfield averaged 0.3° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in December (+1.8°).
A smaller shift than in all but 40 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 Fairfield compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Fairfield’s place among Iowa’s.
Fairfield weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Fairfield’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Fairfield, IA. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 31° | 14° | 1.4" | 6.2" | 8 | 17 | 14° – 35° |
| February | 36° | 18° | 1.7" | 7.2" | 8 | 11 | 13° – 37° |
| March | 49° | 29° | 2.4" | 2.7" | 8 | 3 | 30° – 54° |
| April | 62° | 39° | 3.6" | 1.0" | 11 | 0 | 41° – 57° |
| May | 72° | 51° | 5.3" | 0.0" | 13 | 0 | 56° – 69° |
| June | 81° | 61° | 5.2" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 68° – 74° |
| July | 85° | 64° | 4.1" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 69° – 82° |
| August | 83° | 62° | 4.1" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 67° – 78° |
| September | 77° | 54° | 3.6" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 59° – 70° |
| October | 64° | 42° | 2.9" | 0.2" | 9 | 0 | 47° – 58° |
| November | 49° | 30° | 2.3" | 0.9" | 7 | 1 | 31° – 50° |
| December | 36° | 20° | 1.7" | 3.5" | 8 | 8 | 13° – 37° |
| Year | 61° | 40° | 38.0" | 21.7" | 110 | 41 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. December swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 13° to 37°. June is the most reliable, staying within 6°.
Where Fairfield’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 Fairfield’s center.
- Snow: Fairfield, IA (NOAA station in town).
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Fairfield, IA, 1.2 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 Fairfield’s climate
What is the weather like in Fairfield?
A typical July afternoon reaches 85°, a January night drops to 14°, and about 22 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 Fairfield in winter?
January nights average 14°. About 127 nights a year reach 32° or below and 10 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 14°.
How much snow does Fairfield get?
About 22 inches in a normal winter at Fairfield, IA, most of it in February, with snow on the ground about 41 days a year.
How hot does it get in Fairfield?
July, with a typical high of 85° and a low of 64°. About 24 days a year reach 90° and 1 reach 100° (Fairfield, IA).
When is the first and last frost in Fairfield?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 27 and the first fall frost by October 12, about 168 frost-free days, at Fairfield, IA.
What growing zone is Fairfield in?
Zone 5b on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −11°.
What is the best time of year to visit Fairfield?
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 Fairfield getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 0.3° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than all but 40 U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Fairfield.
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.