Photo: Jamo2008 · CC BY-SA 3.0Popejoy’s winters are colder and snowier than most of the U.S.
A typical July afternoon reaches 83°, a January night drops to 9°, and about 30 inches of snow falls in a normal winter.
A year in Popejoy at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Popejoy’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Popejoy’s place in Iowa beside it.
What a year in Popejoy feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 164 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 28 and the first by October 10. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Iowa Falls, IA, 10 miles from the town’s center, 100 ft lower.
The 2023 USDA map puts Popejoy’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 30 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Popejoy 1s, IA, falls mostly in January. 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 Popejoy
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 Iowa Falls, IA.
Living with Popejoy’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
164 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 10.
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 Popejoy from natural hazards, drought is the largest share (52%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 13%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Popejoy and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Popejoy yet.
Climates most like Popejoy’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Popejoy, IA | 9° | 83° | 36" | 30" |
| Portage, WI | 10° | 83° | 36" | 39" |
| Harvard, IL | 13° | 83° | 38" | 32" |
| Cottage Grove, MN | 7° | 82° | 33" | 41" |
| Howell, MI | 16° | 82° | 34" | 33" |
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 Popejoy averaged 0.9° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in December (+2.6°).
A smaller shift than in 83% 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 Popejoy compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Popejoy’s place among Iowa’s.
Popejoy weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Popejoy’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Popejoy 1s, IA. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 26° | 9° | 0.8" | 8.7" | 5 | 7° – 29° |
| February | 30° | 13° | 1.0" | 6.6" | 5 | 10° – 33° |
| March | 44° | 25° | 2.0" | 4.1" | 6 | 26° – 49° |
| April | 59° | 36° | 3.8" | 1.8" | 9 | 38° – 54° |
| May | 70° | 48° | 5.0" | 0.0" | 11 | 53° – 66° |
| June | 80° | 58° | 5.7" | 0.0" | 10 | 66° – 73° |
| July | 83° | 62° | 4.3" | 0.0" | 8 | 67° – 78° |
| August | 80° | 59° | 4.4" | 0.0" | 8 | 65° – 74° |
| September | 75° | 50° | 3.3" | 0.0" | 7 | 56° – 67° |
| October | 61° | 38° | 2.6" | 0.2" | 7 | 44° – 54° |
| November | 45° | 26° | 1.7" | 1.9" | 5 | 26° – 47° |
| December | 31° | 15° | 1.3" | 6.7" | 6 | 7° – 32° |
| Year | 57° | 36° | 36.0" | 30.0" | 85 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. December swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 7° to 32°. June is the most reliable, staying within 7°.
Where Popejoy’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 Popejoy’s center.
- Snow: Popejoy 1s, IA (NOAA station in town).
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Iowa Falls, IA, 10 miles from the town’s center, 100 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 Popejoy’s climate
What is the weather like in Popejoy?
A typical July afternoon reaches 83°, a January night drops to 9°, and about 30 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 95% of U.S. towns; cooler July afternoons than 74% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Popejoy in winter?
January nights average 9°. About 157 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 7°.
How much snow does Popejoy get?
About 30 inches in a normal winter at Popejoy 1s, IA, most of it in January.
How hot does it get in Popejoy?
July, with a typical high of 83° and a low of 62°. About 11 days a year reach 90° (Iowa Falls, IA).
When is the first and last frost in Popejoy?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 28 and the first fall frost by October 10, about 164 frost-free days, at Iowa Falls, IA.
What growing zone is Popejoy 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 Popejoy?
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 Popejoy getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 0.9° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 83% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Popejoy.
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.