College Hall · Photo: Jim Roberts · CC BY-SA 4.0Few U.S. towns have colder winter nights than Fayette
Sunny July days climb to about 82°. Summers stay cool: July afternoons here are cooler than in 84% of U.S. towns. The latest 30-year average runs 0.9° warmer than 1901–2000’s, with December up the most. Long walks are most pleasant from May to September, when afternoons reach 69–82°.
A year in Fayette at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Fayette’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Fayette’s place in Iowa beside it.
What a year in Fayette feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 151 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by May 4 and the first by October 4. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Fayette, IA, 3 miles from the town’s center, 100 ft higher.
The 2023 USDA map puts Fayette’s center in zone 4b: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −20°. 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 41 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Fayette, IA, falls mostly in January, February and December. 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 109 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Fayette
94% 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 Fayette, IA.
Living with Fayette’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
151 frost-free days in zone 4b. The last frost comes by May 4 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 4.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: May, June, July, August and September. 0.6 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Fayette from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (53%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 9%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Fayette and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Fayette yet.
Climates most like Fayette’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fayette, IA | 8° | 82° | 38" | 41" |
| Beaver Dam, WI | 10° | 82° | 35" | 43" |
| Colchester, VT | 10° | 81° | 38" | 50" |
| Woodbury, MN | 7° | 82° | 33" | 40" |
| Plattsburgh, NY | 9° | 81° | 35" | 50" |
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 Fayette averaged 0.9° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in December (+2.9°).
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 Fayette compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Fayette’s place among Iowa’s.
Fayette weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Fayette’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Fayette, IA. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 25° | 8° | 1.1" | 10.8" | 7 | 25 | 7° – 30° |
| February | 30° | 13° | 1.2" | 9.9" | 7 | 26 | 8° – 34° |
| March | 43° | 24° | 2.0" | 5.4" | 8 | 16 | 25° – 49° |
| April | 58° | 35° | 3.9" | 1.8" | 11 | 2 | 37° – 53° |
| May | 69° | 47° | 4.7" | 0.0" | 13 | 0 | 52° – 65° |
| June | 79° | 57° | 6.0" | 0.0" | 12 | 0 | 65° – 72° |
| July | 82° | 61° | 5.0" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 65° – 78° |
| August | 79° | 58° | 4.2" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 63° – 75° |
| September | 73° | 50° | 3.7" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 55° – 67° |
| October | 60° | 38° | 2.8" | 0.3" | 9 | 0 | 44° – 55° |
| November | 44° | 26° | 2.0" | 2.7" | 7 | 3 | 27° – 46° |
| December | 31° | 15° | 1.5" | 10.2" | 8 | 17 | 8° – 34° |
| Year | 56° | 36° | 38.1" | 41.1" | 109 | 89 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. February swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 8° to 34°. June is the most reliable, staying within 7°.
Where Fayette’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 Fayette’s center.
- Snow: Fayette, IA.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Fayette, IA, 3 miles from the town’s center, 100 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 Fayette’s climate
What is the weather like in Fayette?
A typical July afternoon reaches 82°, a January night drops to 8°, and about 41 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 95% of U.S. towns; cooler July afternoons than 84% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Fayette in winter?
January nights average 8°. About 164 nights a year reach 32° or below and 26 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 7°.
How much snow does Fayette get?
About 41 inches in a normal winter at Fayette, IA, most of it in January, February and December, with snow on the ground about 89 days a year.
How hot does it get in Fayette?
July, with a typical high of 82° and a low of 61°. About 7 days a year reach 90° (Fayette, IA).
When is the first and last frost in Fayette?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by May 4 and the first fall frost by October 4, about 151 frost-free days, at Fayette, IA.
What growing zone is Fayette in?
Zone 4b on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −20°.
What is the best time of year to visit Fayette?
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 Fayette 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 Fayette.
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.