Liscomb has colder winter nights than 94% of U.S. towns
In July the day’s top temperature is typically 84°. It is a dry place: less rain and snow fall here than on 74% of U.S. towns. Warming shows here too: 0.7° more than in 1901–2000, led by December. Warm coats and heating bills mark the months from November to April, when means dip under 50°.
A year in Liscomb at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Liscomb’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Liscomb’s place in Iowa beside it.
What a year in Liscomb feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 162 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 28 and the first by October 7. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Marshalltown, IA, 10 miles from the town’s center, 130 ft lower.
The 2023 USDA map puts Liscomb’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 32 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Conrad, IA, is heaviest from January through February, about 9 inches a month. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 36 inches a year; June is the wettest month and January the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 85 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Liscomb
90% 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 Marshalltown, IA.
Living with Liscomb’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
162 frost-free days in zone 5a. The last frost comes by Apr 28 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 7.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: May, June, July, August and September.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Liscomb from natural hazards, drought is the largest share (38%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 6%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Liscomb and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Liscomb yet.
Climates most like Liscomb’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Liscomb, IA | 10° | 84° | 36" | 32" |
| Edgerton, WI | 12° | 83° | 37" | 36" |
| Freeport, IL | 12° | 83° | 38" | 35" |
| Lake City, MN | 6° | 83° | 35" | 34" |
| Blair, NE | 14° | 85° | 32" | 32" |
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 Liscomb averaged 0.7° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in December (+2.3°).
A smaller shift than in 93% 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 Liscomb compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Liscomb’s place among Iowa’s.
Liscomb weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Liscomb’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Conrad, IA. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 27° | 10° | 0.9" | 8.7" | 5 | 8° – 32° |
| February | 32° | 15° | 1.1" | 8.6" | 5 | 12° – 35° |
| March | 46° | 26° | 1.9" | 4.8" | 7 | 28° – 51° |
| April | 60° | 37° | 3.8" | 1.2" | 9 | 39° – 55° |
| May | 71° | 49° | 4.9" | 0.0" | 11 | 54° – 68° |
| June | 81° | 59° | 5.7" | 0.0" | 10 | 67° – 74° |
| July | 84° | 63° | 4.2" | 0.0" | 7 | 68° – 79° |
| August | 82° | 60° | 4.3" | 0.0" | 8 | 66° – 76° |
| September | 76° | 52° | 3.4" | 0.0" | 7 | 57° – 69° |
| October | 62° | 39° | 2.6" | 0.5" | 7 | 45° – 56° |
| November | 46° | 27° | 1.9" | 2.1" | 5 | 28° – 48° |
| December | 33° | 16° | 1.4" | 5.8" | 5 | 10° – 34° |
| Year | 58° | 38° | 35.9" | 31.7" | 85 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. December swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 10° to 34°. June is the most reliable, staying within 7°.
Where Liscomb’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 Liscomb’s center.
- Snow: Conrad, IA.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Marshalltown, IA, 10 miles from the town’s center, 130 ft lower; 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 Liscomb’s climate
What is the weather like in Liscomb?
A typical July afternoon reaches 84°, a January night drops to 10°, and about 32 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 Liscomb in winter?
January nights average 10°. About 152 nights a year reach 32° or below and 20 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 8°.
How much snow does Liscomb get?
About 32 inches in a normal winter at Conrad, IA, heaviest from January through February, about 9 inches a month.
How hot does it get in Liscomb?
July, with a typical high of 84° and a low of 63°. About 13 days a year reach 90° (Marshalltown, IA).
When is the first and last frost in Liscomb?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 28 and the first fall frost by October 7, about 162 frost-free days, at Marshalltown, IA.
What growing zone is Liscomb 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 Liscomb?
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 Liscomb getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 0.7° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 93% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Liscomb.
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.