Photo: Magicpiano · CC BY-SA 4.0Lake View’s winters are colder and snowier than most of the U.S.
A typical July afternoon reaches 84°, a January night drops to 9°, and about 31 inches of snow falls in a normal winter.
A year in Lake View at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Lake View’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Lake View’s place in Iowa beside it.
What a year in Lake View feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 158 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 30 and the first by October 6. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Sac City, IA, 9 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Lake View’s center in zone 5a: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −17°. 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 31 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Sac City, IA, falls mostly in January, February and December. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 32 inches a year; June is the wettest month and January the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 97 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Lake View
92% 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 Sac City, IA.
Living with Lake View’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
158 frost-free days in zone 5a. The last frost comes by Apr 30 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 6.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: May, June, July, August and September. 1.1 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Lake View from natural hazards, hail is the largest share (24%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 11%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Lake View and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Lake View yet.
Climates most like Lake View’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lake View, IA | 9° | 84° | 32" | 31" |
| Winona, MN | 8° | 83° | 36" | 38" |
| Berlin, WI | 9° | 82° | 33" | 38" |
| Rockford, IL | 13° | 84° | 37" | 37" |
| Mount Pleasant, MI | 15° | 83° | 33" | 39" |
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 Lake View averaged 0.9° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in December (+2.4°).
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 Lake View compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Lake View’s place among Iowa’s.
Lake View weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Lake View’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Sac City, IA. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 27° | 9° | 0.8" | 7.0" | 5 | 20 | 8° – 32° |
| February | 33° | 14° | 1.0" | 7.4" | 5 | 17 | 13° – 34° |
| March | 46° | 26° | 1.8" | 4.2" | 7 | 9 | 29° – 51° |
| April | 60° | 36° | 3.4" | 1.9" | 10 | 1 | 39° – 54° |
| May | 71° | 48° | 4.4" | 0.0" | 13 | 0 | 54° – 66° |
| June | 81° | 59° | 4.9" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 66° – 75° |
| July | 84° | 62° | 3.8" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 67° – 79° |
| August | 81° | 60° | 4.2" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 65° – 76° |
| September | 76° | 51° | 3.1" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 57° – 69° |
| October | 63° | 39° | 2.3" | 0.5" | 8 | 0 | 44° – 56° |
| November | 46° | 26° | 1.5" | 2.7" | 5 | 3 | 26° – 48° |
| December | 32° | 15° | 1.1" | 7.2" | 6 | 14 | 8° – 30° |
| Year | 58° | 37° | 32.2" | 30.9" | 97 | 64 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. January swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 8° to 32°. June is the most reliable, staying within 9°.
Where Lake View’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 Lake View’s center.
- Snow: Sac City, IA.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Sac City, IA, 9 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 Lake View’s climate
What is the weather like in Lake View?
A typical July afternoon reaches 84°, a January night drops to 9°, and about 31 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 94% of U.S. towns; cooler July afternoons than 62% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Lake View in winter?
January nights average 9°. About 159 nights a year reach 32° or below and 22 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 8°.
How much snow does Lake View get?
About 31 inches in a normal winter at Sac City, IA, most of it in January, February and December, with snow on the ground about 64 days a year.
How hot does it get in Lake View?
July, with a typical high of 84° and a low of 62°. About 13 days a year reach 90° (Sac City, IA).
When is the first and last frost in Lake View?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 30 and the first fall frost by October 6, about 158 frost-free days, at Sac City, IA.
What growing zone is Lake View in?
Zone 5a on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −17°.
What is the best time of year to visit Lake View?
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 Lake View 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 Lake View.
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.