Photo: SkylerSailer · CC BY-SA 4.0Winter nights in Le Mars are colder than in 95% of U.S. towns
Peak summer warmth arrives in July, with afternoons near 85°. Precipitation is light here, less than falls on 86% of U.S. towns. Decade by decade the climate has edged up, 1.2° above 1901–2000. Garden planting can start around April 30; autumn frost returns near October 4.
A year in Le Mars at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Le Mars’ climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Le Mars’ place in Iowa beside it.
What a year in Le Mars feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 157 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 30 and the first by October 4. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Le Mars, IA, 1.4 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Le Mars’ 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 Le Mars, IA, is heaviest from January through February, about 8 inches a month. 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 77 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Le Mars
91% 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 Le Mars, IA.
Living with Le Mars’ climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
157 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 4.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: May, June, August and September. 5.0 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Le Mars from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (40%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 15%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Le Mars and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Le Mars yet.
Climates most like Le Mars’, 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Le Mars, IA | 9° | 85° | 30" | 31" |
| St. Peter, MN | 6° | 83° | 32" | 38" |
| Berlin, WI | 9° | 82° | 33" | 38" |
| Grand Island, NE | 15° | 87° | 27" | 28" |
| 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 Le Mars averaged 1.2° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in January (+2.5°).
A smaller shift than in 63% 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 Le Mars compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Le Mars’ place among Iowa’s.
Le Mars weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Le Mars’ center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Le Mars, IA. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 28° | 9° | 0.7" | 7.8" | 4 | 9° – 33° |
| February | 33° | 13° | 0.9" | 7.5" | 5 | 12° – 34° |
| March | 46° | 25° | 1.6" | 4.6" | 6 | 28° – 52° |
| April | 60° | 36° | 3.0" | 1.9" | 8 | 38° – 54° |
| May | 72° | 48° | 4.3" | 0.1" | 10 | 54° – 66° |
| June | 82° | 59° | 4.6" | 0.0" | 10 | 66° – 75° |
| July | 85° | 62° | 3.5" | 0.0" | 7 | 67° – 80° |
| August | 82° | 60° | 3.6" | 0.0" | 8 | 66° – 76° |
| September | 76° | 51° | 3.1" | 0.0" | 7 | 57° – 68° |
| October | 62° | 38° | 2.4" | 0.4" | 6 | 43° – 55° |
| November | 46° | 25° | 1.3" | 2.6" | 4 | 25° – 46° |
| December | 32° | 14° | 1.0" | 6.0" | 4 | 9° – 29° |
| Year | 59° | 37° | 29.9" | 30.9" | 77 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. January swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 9° to 33°. June is the most reliable, staying within 9°.
Where Le Mars’ 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 Le Mars’ center.
- Snow: Le Mars, IA (NOAA station in town).
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Le Mars, IA, 1.4 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 Le Mars’ climate
What is the weather like in Le Mars?
A typical July afternoon reaches 85°, a January night drops to 9°, and about 31 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 95% of U.S. towns; cooler July afternoons than 52% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Le Mars in winter?
January nights average 9°. About 160 nights a year reach 32° or below and 23 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 9°.
How much snow does Le Mars get?
About 31 inches in a normal winter at Le Mars, IA, heaviest from January through February, about 8 inches a month.
How hot does it get in Le Mars?
July, with a typical high of 85° and a low of 62°. About 17 days a year reach 90° (Le Mars, IA).
When is the first and last frost in Le Mars?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 30 and the first fall frost by October 4, about 157 frost-free days, at Le Mars, IA.
What growing zone is Le Mars 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 Le Mars?
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 Le Mars getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.2° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 63% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Le Mars.
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.