Photo: PopePompus · CC BY-SA 4.0Midwinter lows in Promise City sink below those of 86% of U.S. towns
Midsummer highs settle at about 85°. Expect the heaviest rain or snow in May and the lightest in January. Its yearly precipitation falls short of 66% of U.S. towns. Keep the boiler serviced for the months from November to March, which average under 50°.
A year in Promise City at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Promise City’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Promise City’s place in Iowa beside it.
What a year in Promise City feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 178 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 21 and the first by October 19. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Allerton, IA, 12 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Promise City’s center in zone 5b: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −12°. 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 22 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Centerville, IA, falls mostly in January. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 38 inches a year; May is the wettest month and January the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 90 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Promise City
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 Allerton, IA.
Living with Promise City’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
178 frost-free days in zone 5b. The last frost comes by Apr 21 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 19.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: May, June, August, September and October.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Promise City from natural hazards, drought is the largest share (26%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 16%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Promise City and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Promise City yet.
Climates most like Promise City’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Promise City, IA | 14° | 85° | 38" | 22" |
| Eureka, IL | 16° | 85° | 38" | 21" |
| Schererville, IN | 17° | 84° | 39" | 27" |
| Defiance, OH | 19° | 85° | 37" | 24" |
| Claverack, NY | 16° | 84° | 42" | 31" |
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 Promise City averaged 0.5° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in December (+2.1°).
A smaller shift than in 98% 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 Promise City compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Promise City’s place among Iowa’s.
Promise City weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Promise City’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Centerville, IA. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 32° | 14° | 1.1" | 7.1" | 5 | 16° – 35° |
| February | 37° | 18° | 1.5" | 5.0" | 6 | 16° – 39° |
| March | 50° | 29° | 2.2" | 3.2" | 7 | 32° – 54° |
| April | 62° | 40° | 3.9" | 1.7" | 9 | 43° – 57° |
| May | 72° | 50° | 5.4" | 0.0" | 11 | 56° – 69° |
| June | 81° | 60° | 5.2" | 0.0" | 10 | 67° – 74° |
| July | 85° | 65° | 4.4" | 0.0" | 7 | 69° – 82° |
| August | 84° | 62° | 4.3" | 0.0" | 8 | 67° – 78° |
| September | 76° | 54° | 3.8" | 0.0" | 7 | 59° – 70° |
| October | 64° | 42° | 3.0" | 0.3" | 8 | 47° – 57° |
| November | 49° | 30° | 2.1" | 1.9" | 6 | 31° – 49° |
| December | 37° | 20° | 1.5" | 2.3" | 5 | 14° – 37° |
| Year | 61° | 40° | 38.3" | 21.5" | 90 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. December swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 14° to 37°. June is the most reliable, staying within 7°.
Where Promise City’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 Promise City’s center.
- Snow: Centerville, IA.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Allerton, IA, 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 Promise City’s climate
What is the weather like in Promise City?
A typical July afternoon reaches 85°, a January night drops to 14°, and about 22 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 86% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 51% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Promise City in winter?
January nights average 14°. About 141 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 16°.
How much snow does Promise City get?
About 22 inches in a normal winter at Centerville, IA, most of it in January.
How hot does it get in Promise City?
July, with a typical high of 85° and a low of 65°. About 16 days a year reach 90° (Allerton, IA).
When is the first and last frost in Promise City?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 21 and the first fall frost by October 19, about 178 frost-free days, at Allerton, IA.
What growing zone is Promise City in?
Zone 5b on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −12°.
What is the best time of year to visit Promise City?
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 Promise City getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 0.5° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 98% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Promise City.
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.