Lawton has colder winter nights than 93% of U.S. towns
In July the day’s top temperature is typically 85°. A year here swings 75° from midwinter lows to midsummer highs. Precipitation is light here, less than falls on 85% of U.S. towns. The frost-free window for a garden runs roughly April 29 to October 5.
A year in Lawton at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Lawton’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Lawton’s place in Iowa beside it.
What a year in Lawton feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 159 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 29 and the first by October 5. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Sioux City Gateway Airport, 12 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Lawton’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 36 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Sioux City Gateway Airport, falls mostly in February. 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 102 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Lawton
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 Sioux City Gateway Airport.
Living with Lawton’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
159 frost-free days in zone 5a. 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 5.
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 Lawton from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (36%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 13%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Lawton and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Lawton yet.
Climates most like Lawton’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lawton, IA | 10° | 85° | 30" | 36" |
| Redwood Falls, MN | 6° | 83° | 29" | 44" |
| Grand Island, NE | 15° | 87° | 27" | 28" |
| Berlin, WI | 9° | 82° | 33" | 38" |
| Rockford, IL | 13° | 84° | 37" | 37" |
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 Lawton averaged 1.2° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in March (+2.6°).
A smaller shift than in 61% 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 Lawton compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Lawton’s place among Iowa’s.
Lawton weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Lawton’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Sioux City Gateway Airport. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 29° | 10° | 0.7" | 7.7" | 7 | 20 | 11° – 33° |
| February | 34° | 15° | 0.8" | 8.7" | 7 | 15 | 13° – 34° |
| March | 47° | 26° | 1.6" | 5.7" | 8 | 7 | 29° – 53° |
| April | 61° | 37° | 3.1" | 2.3" | 10 | 1 | 40° – 55° |
| May | 72° | 48° | 4.0" | 0.0" | 12 | 0 | 55° – 66° |
| June | 82° | 59° | 4.8" | 0.0" | 12 | 0 | 66° – 75° |
| July | 85° | 63° | 3.5" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 68° – 80° |
| August | 83° | 61° | 4.0" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 66° – 77° |
| September | 76° | 51° | 3.0" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 58° – 69° |
| October | 63° | 39° | 2.3" | 0.8" | 8 | 0 | 44° – 55° |
| November | 46° | 26° | 1.3" | 3.2" | 6 | 3 | 27° – 46° |
| December | 33° | 15° | 1.0" | 7.6" | 7 | 13 | 10° – 30° |
| Year | 59° | 37° | 30.1" | 36.0" | 102 | 58 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. March swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 29° to 53°. June is the most reliable, staying within 9°.
Where Lawton’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 Lawton’s center.
- Snow: Sioux City Gateway Airport.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Sioux City Gateway Airport, 12 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 Lawton’s climate
What is the weather like in Lawton?
A typical July afternoon reaches 85°, a January night drops to 10°, and about 36 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 93% of U.S. towns; cooler July afternoons than 51% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Lawton in winter?
January nights average 10°. About 154 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 11°.
How much snow does Lawton get?
About 36 inches in a normal winter at Sioux City Gateway Airport, most of it in February, with snow on the ground about 58 days a year.
How hot does it get in Lawton?
July, with a typical high of 85° and a low of 63°. About 25 days a year reach 90° (Sioux City Gateway Airport).
When is the first and last frost in Lawton?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 29 and the first fall frost by October 5, about 159 frost-free days, at Sioux City Gateway Airport.
What growing zone is Lawton 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 Lawton?
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 Lawton getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.2° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 61% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Lawton.
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.