Photo: Billwhittaker at English Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 3.0Tama has colder winter nights than 93% of U.S. towns
The warmest part of a July day comes in at 84° on average. A year here swings 73° from midwinter lows to midsummer highs. By precipitation alone, it ranks drier than 73% of U.S. towns. The heating season runs November to April: each of those months averages under 50°.
A year in Tama at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Tama’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Tama’s place in Iowa beside it.
What a year in Tama feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 162 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 30 and the first by October 9. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Toledo 3n, IA, 5 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Tama’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 33 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Toledo 3n, IA, falls mostly in January, February 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 103 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Tama
91% 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 Toledo 3n, IA.
Living with Tama’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
162 frost-free days in zone 5a. The last frost comes by Apr 30 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 9.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: May, June, July, August and September. 2.5 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Tama from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (46%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 8%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Tama and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Tama yet.
Climates most like Tama’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tama, IA | 11° | 84° | 36" | 33" |
| 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 Tama averaged 0.7° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in December (+2.2°).
A smaller shift than in 95% 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 Tama compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Tama’s place among Iowa’s.
Tama weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Tama’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Toledo 3n, IA. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 28° | 11° | 1.0" | 8.6" | 7 | 20 | 10° – 32° |
| February | 33° | 15° | 1.1" | 7.9" | 7 | 15 | 12° – 36° |
| March | 46° | 26° | 2.0" | 4.2" | 8 | 7 | 28° – 51° |
| April | 60° | 37° | 3.8" | 1.1" | 10 | 1 | 39° – 55° |
| May | 71° | 49° | 4.7" | 0.2" | 12 | 0 | 54° – 68° |
| June | 80° | 59° | 5.4" | 0.0" | 12 | 0 | 67° – 73° |
| July | 84° | 62° | 4.3" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 67° – 79° |
| August | 82° | 60° | 4.2" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 66° – 77° |
| September | 76° | 52° | 3.7" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 58° – 69° |
| October | 63° | 40° | 2.8" | 0.4" | 8 | 0 | 45° – 56° |
| November | 46° | 28° | 2.0" | 1.8" | 7 | 2 | 28° – 48° |
| December | 33° | 17° | 1.4" | 8.6" | 7 | 12 | 10° – 35° |
| Year | 58° | 38° | 36.4" | 32.8" | 103 | 57 |
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 35°. June is the most reliable, staying within 6°.
Where Tama’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 Tama’s center.
- Snow: Toledo 3n, IA.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Toledo 3n, 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 Tama’s climate
What is the weather like in Tama?
A typical July afternoon reaches 84°, a January night drops to 11°, and about 33 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 93% of U.S. towns; cooler July afternoons than 64% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Tama in winter?
January nights average 11°. About 152 nights a year reach 32° or below and 19 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 10°.
How much snow does Tama get?
About 33 inches in a normal winter at Toledo 3n, IA, most of it in January, February and December, with snow on the ground about 57 days a year.
How hot does it get in Tama?
July, with a typical high of 84° and a low of 62°. About 12 days a year reach 90° (Toledo 3n, IA).
When is the first and last frost in Tama?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 30 and the first fall frost by October 9, about 162 frost-free days, at Toledo 3n, IA.
What growing zone is Tama 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 Tama?
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 Tama getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 0.7° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 95% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Tama.
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.