Photo: Jared Winkler · CC BY-SA 4.0Winter nights in Prescott are colder than in 90% of U.S. towns
Midsummer highs settle at about 85°. Precipitation is light here, less than falls on 74% of U.S. towns. Decade by decade the climate has edged up, 0.8° above 1901–2000. Plan time outside from May to June and August to October, when highs sit at 64–83°.
A year in Prescott at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Prescott’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Prescott’s place in Iowa beside it.
What a year in Prescott feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 168 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 27 and the first by October 12. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Corning, IA, 8 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Prescott’s center in zone 5b: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −14°. 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 28 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Corning, 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 92 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Prescott
88% 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 Corning, IA.
Living with Prescott’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
168 frost-free days in zone 5b. The last frost comes by Apr 27 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 12.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: May, June, August, September and October. 0.0 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Prescott from natural hazards, drought is the largest share (53%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 18%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Prescott and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Prescott yet.
Climates most like Prescott’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prescott, IA | 13° | 85° | 36" | 28" |
| Colona, IL | 15° | 85° | 37" | 28" |
| Beloit, WI | 13° | 83° | 37" | 37" |
| Auburn, IN | 17° | 84° | 38" | 30" |
| Bryan, OH | 18° | 84° | 37" | 29" |
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 Prescott averaged 0.8° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in December (+2.3°).
A smaller shift than in 89% 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 Prescott compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Prescott’s place among Iowa’s.
Prescott weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Prescott’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Corning, IA. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 31° | 13° | 0.8" | 8.2" | 6 | 15° – 35° |
| February | 36° | 17° | 1.2" | 6.2" | 6 | 16° – 37° |
| March | 50° | 28° | 2.0" | 3.3" | 7 | 32° – 54° |
| April | 62° | 38° | 3.6" | 1.2" | 10 | 42° – 56° |
| May | 72° | 49° | 5.2" | 0.0" | 12 | 55° – 69° |
| June | 81° | 60° | 5.3" | 0.0" | 10 | 67° – 74° |
| July | 85° | 64° | 4.3" | 0.0" | 8 | 68° – 81° |
| August | 83° | 61° | 4.2" | 0.0" | 8 | 66° – 77° |
| September | 76° | 53° | 3.6" | 0.0" | 7 | 58° – 71° |
| October | 64° | 40° | 2.9" | 0.4" | 8 | 45° – 57° |
| November | 49° | 28° | 1.9" | 1.6" | 6 | 29° – 49° |
| December | 36° | 18° | 1.3" | 6.9" | 6 | 11° – 34° |
| Year | 60° | 39° | 36.2" | 27.8" | 92 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. December swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 11° to 34°. June is the most reliable, staying within 8°.
Where Prescott’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 Prescott’s center.
- Snow: Corning, IA.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Corning, IA, 8 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 Prescott’s climate
What is the weather like in Prescott?
A typical July afternoon reaches 85°, a January night drops to 13°, and about 28 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 90% of U.S. towns; cooler July afternoons than 53% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Prescott in winter?
January nights average 13°. About 148 nights a year reach 32° or below and 12 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 15°.
How much snow does Prescott get?
About 28 inches in a normal winter at Corning, IA, most of it in January.
How hot does it get in Prescott?
July, with a typical high of 85° and a low of 64°. About 17 days a year reach 90° (Corning, IA).
When is the first and last frost in Prescott?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 27 and the first fall frost by October 12, about 168 frost-free days, at Corning, IA.
What growing zone is Prescott in?
Zone 5b on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −14°.
What is the best time of year to visit Prescott?
By one simple rule (highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more), May, June, August, September and October. The rule is ours, not NOAA’s; the month table has the numbers to judge by.
Is Prescott getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 0.8° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 89% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Prescott.
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.