Photo: Jared Winkler · CC BY-SA 4.0January in Shambaugh bites harder than in 87% of U.S. towns
Peak summer warmth arrives in July, with afternoons near 86°. Only 72° separates winter nights from summer afternoons. It is a dry place: less rain and snow fall here than on 74% of U.S. towns. Keep the boiler serviced for the months from November to March, which average under 50°.
A year in Shambaugh at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Shambaugh’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Shambaugh’s place in Iowa beside it.
What a year in Shambaugh 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 25 and the first by October 11. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Clarinda, IA, 5 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Shambaugh’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 23 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Clarinda, IA, is heaviest from January through February, about 6 inches a month. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 36 inches a year; May is the wettest month and January the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 100 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Shambaugh
87% 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 Clarinda, IA.
Living with Shambaugh’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 25 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 11.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: May, June, September and October.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Shambaugh from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (27%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 23%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Shambaugh and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Shambaugh yet.
Climates most like Shambaugh’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shambaugh, IA | 14° | 86° | 36" | 23" |
| Chillicothe, IL | 16° | 86° | 37" | 20" |
| Napoleon, OH | 19° | 85° | 36" | 25" |
| Lock Haven, PA | 19° | 86° | 41" | 30" |
| Schererville, IN | 17° | 84° | 39" | 27" |
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 Shambaugh averaged 0.8° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in December (+2.5°).
A smaller shift than in 88% 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 Shambaugh compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Shambaugh’s place among Iowa’s.
Shambaugh weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Shambaugh’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Clarinda, IA. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 33° | 14° | 0.8" | 6.5" | 5 | 15 | 16° – 36° |
| February | 39° | 19° | 1.2" | 6.3" | 6 | 11 | 19° – 39° |
| March | 52° | 30° | 2.2" | 2.7" | 8 | 4 | 34° – 56° |
| April | 64° | 39° | 3.6" | 0.9" | 11 | 0 | 44° – 57° |
| May | 74° | 51° | 5.4" | 0.0" | 13 | 0 | 57° – 71° |
| June | 83° | 61° | 5.1" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 68° – 76° |
| July | 86° | 65° | 4.5" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 70° – 82° |
| August | 85° | 63° | 4.0" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 68° – 78° |
| September | 78° | 53° | 3.3" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 59° – 72° |
| October | 66° | 41° | 2.8" | 0.3" | 8 | 0 | 47° – 58° |
| November | 50° | 29° | 1.8" | 1.8" | 6 | 2 | 31° – 49° |
| December | 38° | 19° | 1.4" | 4.3" | 6 | 9 | 14° – 35° |
| Year | 62° | 40° | 36.0" | 22.8" | 100 | 40 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. March swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 34° to 56°. June is the most reliable, staying within 8°.
Where Shambaugh’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 Shambaugh’s center.
- Snow: Clarinda, IA.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Clarinda, IA, 5 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 Shambaugh’s climate
What is the weather like in Shambaugh?
A typical July afternoon reaches 86°, a January night drops to 14°, and about 23 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 87% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 58% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Shambaugh in winter?
January nights average 14°. About 149 nights a year reach 32° or below and 13 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 16°.
How much snow does Shambaugh get?
About 23 inches in a normal winter at Clarinda, IA, heaviest from January through February, about 6 inches a month, with snow on the ground about 40 days a year.
How hot does it get in Shambaugh?
July, with a typical high of 86° and a low of 65°. About 20 days a year reach 90° (Clarinda, IA).
When is the first and last frost in Shambaugh?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 25 and the first fall frost by October 11, about 168 frost-free days, at Clarinda, IA.
What growing zone is Shambaugh 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 Shambaugh?
By one simple rule (highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more), May, June, September and October. The rule is ours, not NOAA’s; the month table has the numbers to judge by.
Is Shambaugh getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 0.8° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 88% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Shambaugh.
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.