Photo: Jared Winkler · CC BY-SA 4.0Winter nights in Hornick are colder than in 93% of U.S. towns
July afternoons average 86°. It is a dry place: less rain and snow fall here than on 86% of U.S. towns. The latest 30-year average runs 1.0° warmer than 1901–2000’s, with March up the most. For walks and days out, May, June, August and September bring highs of 73–83°.
A year in Hornick at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Hornick’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Hornick’s place in Iowa beside it.
What a year in Hornick feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 154 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by May 1 and the first by October 3. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Onawa 3nw, IA, 11 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Hornick’s center in zone 5a: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −16°. 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 24 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Kennebec, IA, falls mostly in December. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 30 inches a year; June is the wettest month and January the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 80 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Hornick
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 Onawa 3nw, IA.
Living with Hornick’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
154 frost-free days in zone 5a. The last frost comes by May 1 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 3.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: May, June, August and September.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Hornick from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (30%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 11%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Hornick and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Hornick yet.
Climates most like Hornick’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hornick, IA | 11° | 86° | 30" | 24" |
| Hastings, NE | 15° | 87° | 27" | 29" |
| Spring Valley, IL | 15° | 85° | 37" | 29" |
| Tecumseh, MI | 17° | 84° | 34" | 26" |
| Prairie du Chien, WI | 10° | 83° | 37" | 34" |
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 Hornick averaged 1.0° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in March (+2.4°).
A smaller shift than in 76% 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 Hornick compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Hornick’s place among Iowa’s.
Hornick weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Hornick’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Kennebec, IA. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 30° | 11° | 0.7" | 5.7" | 4 | 15 | 12° – 34° |
| February | 35° | 15° | 0.8" | 4.9" | 5 | 17 | 14° – 34° |
| March | 48° | 27° | 1.6" | 3.4" | 6 | 3 | 30° – 53° |
| April | 62° | 37° | 3.2" | 1.6" | 9 | 0 | 41° – 56° |
| May | 73° | 49° | 4.3" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 56° – 66° |
| June | 82° | 60° | 4.4" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 67° – 76° |
| July | 86° | 63° | 3.5" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 68° – 81° |
| August | 83° | 61° | 3.9" | 0.0" | 7 | 0 | 66° – 77° |
| September | 77° | 52° | 3.0" | 0.0" | 6 | 0 | 58° – 70° |
| October | 64° | 39° | 2.3" | 0.5" | 6 | 0 | 44° – 56° |
| November | 47° | 26° | 1.3" | 0.9" | 4 | 1 | 27° – 48° |
| December | 34° | 16° | 1.0" | 6.9" | 5 | 12 | 11° – 31° |
| Year | 60° | 38° | 29.9" | 23.9" | 80 | 48 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. March swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 30° to 53°. June is the most reliable, staying within 8°.
Where Hornick’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 Hornick’s center.
- Snow: Kennebec, IA.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Onawa 3nw, IA, 11 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 Hornick’s climate
What is the weather like in Hornick?
A typical July afternoon reaches 86°, a January night drops to 11°, and about 24 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 93% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 53% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Hornick in winter?
January nights average 11°. About 151 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 12°.
How much snow does Hornick get?
About 24 inches in a normal winter at Kennebec, IA, most of it in December, with snow on the ground about 48 days a year.
How hot does it get in Hornick?
July, with a typical high of 86° and a low of 63°. About 27 days a year reach 90° (Onawa 3nw, IA).
When is the first and last frost in Hornick?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by May 1 and the first fall frost by October 3, about 154 frost-free days, at Onawa 3nw, IA.
What growing zone is Hornick in?
Zone 5a on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −16°.
What is the best time of year to visit Hornick?
By one simple rule (highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more), May, June, August and September. The rule is ours, not NOAA’s; the month table has the numbers to judge by.
Is Hornick getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.0° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 76% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Hornick.
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.