Photo: Jared Winkler · CC BY-SA 4.0Nights turn raw in Silver City each January, colder than in 87% of U.S. towns
High summer brings afternoon highs near 86°. Expect the heaviest rain or snow in May and the lightest in January. Precipitation is light here, less than falls on 79% of U.S. towns. Tender plants can go out after about April 23; in half of years the first frost comes by October 11.
A year in Silver City at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Silver City’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Silver City’s place in Iowa beside it.
What a year in Silver City feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 170 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 23 and the first by October 11. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Glenwood 3sw, IA, 10 miles from the town’s center, 130 ft lower.
The 2023 USDA map puts Silver City’s center in zone 5b: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −10°. 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 20 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Hastings 4ne, IA, falls mostly in February. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 34 inches a year; May is the wettest month and January the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 91 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Silver City
85% 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 Glenwood 3sw, IA.
Living with Silver City’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
170 frost-free days in zone 5b. The last frost comes by Apr 23 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, August, September and October.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Silver City from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (47%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 9%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Silver City and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Silver City yet.
Climates most like Silver 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Silver City, IA | 14° | 86° | 34" | 20" |
| Chillicothe, IL | 16° | 86° | 37" | 20" |
| Napoleon, OH | 19° | 85° | 36" | 25" |
| Tecumseh, MI | 17° | 84° | 34" | 26" |
| Kirksville, MO | 17° | 86° | 41" | 19" |
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 Silver City averaged 0.8° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in March (+2.3°).
A smaller shift than in 91% 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 Silver City compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Silver City’s place among Iowa’s.
Silver City weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Silver City’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Hastings 4ne, IA. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 32° | 14° | 0.8" | 4.7" | 4 | 13 | 16° – 36° |
| February | 38° | 18° | 1.0" | 6.7" | 5 | 12 | 17° – 37° |
| March | 51° | 29° | 1.9" | 1.3" | 6 | 3 | 33° – 55° |
| April | 63° | 39° | 3.4" | 0.4" | 10 | 0 | 43° – 57° |
| May | 73° | 51° | 5.2" | 0.1" | 12 | 0 | 57° – 69° |
| June | 83° | 61° | 5.0" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 68° – 76° |
| July | 86° | 65° | 4.0" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 70° – 82° |
| August | 84° | 63° | 4.0" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 68° – 78° |
| September | 78° | 54° | 3.4" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 59° – 71° |
| October | 65° | 42° | 2.6" | 0.3" | 8 | 0 | 47° – 58° |
| November | 49° | 29° | 1.5" | 0.6" | 5 | 1 | 30° – 50° |
| December | 37° | 19° | 1.3" | 5.5" | 5 | 9 | 14° – 34° |
| Year | 61° | 40° | 34.0" | 19.6" | 91 | 38 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. March swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 33° to 55°. June is the most reliable, staying within 8°.
Where Silver 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 Silver City’s center.
- Snow: Hastings 4ne, IA.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Glenwood 3sw, 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 Silver City’s climate
What is the weather like in Silver City?
A typical July afternoon reaches 86°, a January night drops to 14°, and about 20 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 87% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 54% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Silver City in winter?
January nights average 14°. About 146 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 Silver City get?
About 20 inches in a normal winter at Hastings 4ne, IA, most of it in February, with snow on the ground about 38 days a year.
How hot does it get in Silver City?
July, with a typical high of 86° and a low of 65°. About 34 days a year reach 90° and 1 reach 100° (Glenwood 3sw, IA).
When is the first and last frost in Silver City?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 23 and the first fall frost by October 11, about 170 frost-free days, at Glenwood 3sw, IA.
What growing zone is Silver City in?
Zone 5b on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −10°.
What is the best time of year to visit Silver 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 Silver City getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 0.8° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 91% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Silver 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.