Photo: Robert Stinnett · CC BY 2.0Winter nights in State Center are colder than in 92% of U.S. towns
In July the day’s top temperature is typically 84°. Its yearly precipitation falls short of 74% of U.S. towns. Warming shows here too: 0.8° more than in 1901–2000, led by December. Keep the boiler serviced for the months from November to April, which average under 50°.
A year in State Center at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about State Center’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with State Center’s place in Iowa beside it.
What a year in State Center 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 24 and the first by October 12. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Colo, IA, 8 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts State Center’s center in zone 5a: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −16°. 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 31 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Colo, IA, is heaviest from January through February, about 8 inches a month. 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 87 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in State Center
90% 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 Colo, IA.
Living with State Center’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
170 frost-free days in zone 5a. The last frost comes by Apr 24 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, July, August, September and October. 0.0 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in State Center from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (38%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 5%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →State Center and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around State Center yet.
Climates most like State Center’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| State Center, IA | 11° | 84° | 36" | 31" |
| Edgerton, WI | 12° | 83° | 37" | 36" |
| Freeport, IL | 12° | 83° | 38" | 35" |
| Winona, MN | 8° | 83° | 36" | 38" |
| 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 State Center averaged 0.8° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in December (+2.4°).
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 State Center compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with State Center’s place among Iowa’s.
State Center weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at State Center’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Colo, IA. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 28° | 11° | 0.9" | 7.4" | 5 | 9° – 32° |
| February | 33° | 16° | 1.1" | 7.6" | 5 | 13° – 35° |
| March | 46° | 27° | 2.0" | 4.5" | 6 | 28° – 51° |
| April | 60° | 38° | 3.8" | 1.7" | 9 | 40° – 55° |
| May | 71° | 49° | 5.0" | 0.0" | 12 | 54° – 68° |
| June | 80° | 59° | 5.6" | 0.0" | 10 | 67° – 73° |
| July | 84° | 63° | 4.1" | 0.0" | 9 | 68° – 79° |
| August | 81° | 60° | 4.3" | 0.0" | 8 | 66° – 76° |
| September | 75° | 52° | 3.4" | 0.0" | 7 | 57° – 69° |
| October | 62° | 40° | 2.7" | 0.7" | 7 | 45° – 56° |
| November | 46° | 28° | 1.9" | 1.9" | 6 | 29° – 48° |
| December | 33° | 17° | 1.3" | 6.8" | 5 | 10° – 34° |
| Year | 58° | 38° | 36.0" | 30.6" | 87 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. December swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 10° to 34°. June is the most reliable, staying within 7°.
Where State Center’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 State Center’s center.
- Snow: Colo, IA.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Colo, 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 State Center’s climate
What is the weather like in State Center?
A typical July afternoon reaches 84°, a January night drops to 11°, and about 31 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 92% of U.S. towns; cooler July afternoons than 65% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in State Center in winter?
January nights average 11°. About 151 nights a year reach 32° or below and 18 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 9°.
How much snow does State Center get?
About 31 inches in a normal winter at Colo, IA, heaviest from January through February, about 8 inches a month.
How hot does it get in State Center?
July, with a typical high of 84° and a low of 63°. About 11 days a year reach 90° (Colo, IA).
When is the first and last frost in State Center?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 24 and the first fall frost by October 12, about 170 frost-free days, at Colo, IA.
What growing zone is State Center in?
Zone 5a on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −16°.
What is the best time of year to visit State Center?
By one simple rule (highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more), May, June, July, August, September and October. The rule is ours, not NOAA’s; the month table has the numbers to judge by.
Is State Center 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 State Center.
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.