Photo: Billwhittaker · CC BY-SA 3.0Midwinter lows in Hills sink below those of 90% of U.S. towns
Expect July afternoons of about 85°. A year here swings 72° from midwinter lows to midsummer highs. Its yearly precipitation falls short of 71% of U.S. towns. Picnics, hikes and garden evenings come into their own from May to June and August to October, with highs of 64–83°.
A year in Hills at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Hills’ climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Hills’ place in Iowa beside it.
What a year in Hills feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 162 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 29 and the first by October 9. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Iowa City, IA, 4 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Hills’ center in zone 5b: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −12°. 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 28 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Iowa City, 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 109 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Hills
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 Iowa City, IA.
Living with Hills’ climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
162 frost-free days in zone 5b. The last frost comes by Apr 29 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 9.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: May, June, August, September and October.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Hills from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (36%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 11%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Hills and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Hills yet.
Climates most like Hills’, 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hills, IA | 13° | 85° | 37" | 28" |
| Sandwich, IL | 15° | 84° | 37" | 28" |
| Janesville, WI | 13° | 83° | 37" | 37" |
| Blair, NE | 14° | 85° | 32" | 32" |
| Schererville, IN | 17° | 84° | 39" | 27" |
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 Hills averaged 0.6° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in December (+1.9°).
A smaller shift than in 96% 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 Hills compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Hills’ place among Iowa’s.
Hills weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Hills’ center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Iowa City, IA. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 30° | 13° | 1.1" | 7.6" | 7 | 18 | 13° – 34° |
| February | 35° | 17° | 1.4" | 7.5" | 7 | 13 | 14° – 38° |
| March | 49° | 28° | 2.3" | 3.2" | 9 | 4 | 29° – 53° |
| April | 62° | 38° | 3.6" | 0.5" | 11 | 0 | 40° – 57° |
| May | 73° | 50° | 4.8" | 0.0" | 13 | 0 | 56° – 68° |
| June | 82° | 60° | 5.2" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 68° – 75° |
| July | 85° | 64° | 4.2" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 68° – 81° |
| August | 83° | 61° | 4.2" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 67° – 78° |
| September | 77° | 53° | 3.7" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 59° – 69° |
| October | 64° | 41° | 2.9" | 0.4" | 9 | 0 | 46° – 58° |
| November | 48° | 29° | 2.1" | 1.1" | 8 | 2 | 30° – 49° |
| December | 36° | 19° | 1.6" | 7.2" | 8 | 11 | 13° – 36° |
| Year | 60° | 39° | 37.2" | 27.5" | 109 | 48 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. February swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 14° to 38°. June is the most reliable, staying within 7°.
Where Hills’ 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 Hills’ center.
- Snow: Iowa City, IA.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Iowa City, IA, 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 Hills’ climate
What is the weather like in Hills?
A typical July afternoon reaches 85°, a January night drops to 13°, and about 28 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 90% of U.S. towns; cooler July afternoons than 52% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Hills in winter?
January nights average 13°. About 130 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 13°.
How much snow does Hills get?
About 28 inches in a normal winter at Iowa City, 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 Hills?
July, with a typical high of 85° and a low of 64°. About 24 days a year reach 90° and 1 reach 100° (Iowa City, IA).
When is the first and last frost in Hills?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 29 and the first fall frost by October 9, about 162 frost-free days, at Iowa City, IA.
What growing zone is Hills in?
Zone 5b on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −12°.
What is the best time of year to visit Hills?
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 Hills getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 0.6° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 96% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Hills.
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.