Photo: PopePompus · CC BY-SA 4.0Winter nights in Kirkville are colder than in 87% of U.S. towns
Midsummer highs settle at about 85°. By precipitation alone, it ranks drier than 72% of U.S. towns. December has warmed most since 1901–2000, part of a 0.7° rise. Warm coats and heating bills mark the months from November to March, when means dip under 50°.
A year in Kirkville at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Kirkville’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Kirkville’s place in Iowa beside it.
What a year in Kirkville feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 172 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 23 and the first by October 14. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Ottumwa Industrial Airport, 4 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Kirkville’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 24 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Ottumwa Industrial Airport, falls mostly in January. 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 Kirkville
86% 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 Ottumwa Industrial Airport.
Living with Kirkville’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
172 frost-free days in zone 5b. The last frost comes by Apr 23 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 14.
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 Kirkville from natural hazards, drought is the largest share (54%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 6%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Kirkville and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Kirkville yet.
Climates most like Kirkville’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kirkville, IA | 14° | 85° | 37" | 24" |
| Ottawa, IL | 16° | 85° | 37" | 24" |
| Bellevue, NE | 14° | 86° | 33" | 25" |
| Defiance, OH | 19° | 85° | 37" | 24" |
| 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 Kirkville averaged 0.7° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in December (+2.3°).
A smaller shift than in 94% 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 Kirkville compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Kirkville’s place among Iowa’s.
Kirkville weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Kirkville’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Ottumwa Industrial Airport. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 31° | 14° | 1.2" | 7.1" | 7 | 18 | 15° – 35° |
| February | 36° | 18° | 1.5" | 5.8" | 7 | 9 | 16° – 38° |
| March | 50° | 29° | 2.2" | 3.0" | 10 | 4 | 32° – 54° |
| April | 62° | 40° | 3.8" | 1.4" | 12 | 1 | 43° – 57° |
| May | 72° | 51° | 4.9" | 0.0" | 13 | 0 | 56° – 70° |
| June | 81° | 61° | 5.1" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 68° – 75° |
| July | 85° | 65° | 4.1" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 69° – 82° |
| August | 83° | 62° | 4.3" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 67° – 78° |
| September | 77° | 54° | 3.5" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 59° – 71° |
| October | 64° | 42° | 2.9" | 0.5" | 9 | 0 | 47° – 58° |
| November | 49° | 30° | 2.1" | 1.6" | 8 | 2 | 31° – 50° |
| December | 37° | 20° | 1.5" | 4.2" | 7 | 5 | 13° – 38° |
| Year | 61° | 40° | 36.8" | 23.6" | 109 | 38 |
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 38°. June is the most reliable, staying within 7°.
Where Kirkville’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 Kirkville’s center.
- Snow: Ottumwa Industrial Airport.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Ottumwa Industrial 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 Kirkville’s climate
What is the weather like in Kirkville?
A typical July afternoon reaches 85°, a January night drops to 14°, and about 24 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 87% of U.S. towns; cooler July afternoons than 50% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Kirkville in winter?
January nights average 14°. About 131 nights a year reach 32° or below and 11 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 15°.
How much snow does Kirkville get?
About 24 inches in a normal winter at Ottumwa Industrial Airport, most of it in January, with snow on the ground about 38 days a year.
How hot does it get in Kirkville?
July, with a typical high of 85° and a low of 65°. About 19 days a year reach 90° (Ottumwa Industrial Airport).
When is the first and last frost in Kirkville?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 23 and the first fall frost by October 14, about 172 frost-free days, at Ottumwa Industrial Airport.
What growing zone is Kirkville 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 Kirkville?
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 Kirkville getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 0.7° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 94% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Kirkville.
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.