Grand Auditorium and Hotel Block · Photo: Jim Roberts · CC BY-SA 4.0Midwinter lows in Story City sink below those of 94% of U.S. towns
Sunny July days climb to about 84°. By precipitation alone, it ranks drier than 74% of U.S. towns. Since 1901–2000, the year has warmed by 0.8°, most of all in December. Garden chairs stay out from May to September, the months with highs of 71–84°.
A year in Story City at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Story City’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Story City’s place in Iowa beside it.
What a year in Story City feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 173 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 23 and the first by October 14. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Ames 8 Wsw, IA, 15 miles from the town’s center, 100 ft higher.
The 2023 USDA map puts Story City’s center in zone 5a: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −15°. 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 32 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Jewell, IA, falls mostly in January and December. 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 98 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Story 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 Ames 8 Wsw, IA.
Living with Story City’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
173 frost-free days in zone 5a. 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 14.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: May, June, July, August and September. 0.0 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Story City from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (49%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 4%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Story City and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Story City yet.
Climates most like Story 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Story City, IA | 10° | 84° | 36" | 32" |
| 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 Story City 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 Story City compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Story City’s place among Iowa’s.
Story City weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Story City’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Jewell, IA. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 28° | 10° | 0.9" | 8.4" | 7 | 20 | 9° – 32° |
| February | 32° | 15° | 1.0" | 6.9" | 6 | 17 | 13° – 34° |
| March | 46° | 26° | 2.0" | 4.4" | 7 | 8 | 28° – 51° |
| April | 60° | 37° | 3.8" | 1.3" | 10 | 1 | 40° – 55° |
| May | 71° | 49° | 5.0" | 0.0" | 12 | 0 | 54° – 67° |
| June | 81° | 59° | 5.5" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 67° – 73° |
| July | 84° | 63° | 4.2" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 68° – 79° |
| August | 82° | 60° | 4.4" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 65° – 76° |
| September | 76° | 52° | 3.5" | 0.0" | 7 | 0 | 57° – 69° |
| October | 63° | 39° | 2.6" | 0.4" | 8 | 0 | 45° – 56° |
| November | 46° | 27° | 1.8" | 1.7" | 6 | 2 | 27° – 48° |
| December | 33° | 16° | 1.3" | 9.1" | 6 | 15 | 9° – 32° |
| Year | 58° | 38° | 36.1" | 32.2" | 98 | 63 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. December swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 9° to 32°. June is the most reliable, staying within 7°.
Where Story 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 Story City’s center.
- Snow: Jewell, IA.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Ames 8 Wsw, IA, 15 miles from the town’s center, 100 ft higher; 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 Story City’s climate
What is the weather like in Story City?
A typical July afternoon reaches 84°, a January night drops to 10°, and about 32 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 94% of U.S. towns; cooler July afternoons than 61% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Story City in winter?
January nights average 10°. About 141 nights a year reach 32° or below and 16 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 9°.
How much snow does Story City get?
About 32 inches in a normal winter at Jewell, IA, most of it in January and December, with snow on the ground about 63 days a year.
How hot does it get in Story City?
July, with a typical high of 84° and a low of 63°. About 15 days a year reach 90° (Ames 8 Wsw, IA).
When is the first and last frost in Story City?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 23 and the first fall frost by October 14, about 173 frost-free days, at Ames 8 Wsw, IA.
What growing zone is Story City in?
Zone 5a on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −15°.
What is the best time of year to visit Story City?
By one simple rule (highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more), May, June, July, August and September. The rule is ours, not NOAA’s; the month table has the numbers to judge by.
Is Story City 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 Story 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.