Photo: PopePompus · CC BY-SA 4.0January in Udell bites harder than in 86% of U.S. towns
Peak summer warmth arrives in July, with afternoons near 85°. The year swings widely: the coldest month’s nights and the warmest month’s afternoons are 71° apart. Precipitation is light here, less than falls on 67% of U.S. towns. Garden chairs stay out from April to June and August to October, the months with highs of 62–84°.
A year in Udell at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Udell’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Udell’s place in Iowa beside it.
What a year in Udell 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 28 and the first by October 14. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Centerville, IA, 8 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Udell’s center in zone 5b: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −12°. 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 22 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Centerville, IA, falls mostly in January. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 38 inches a year; May is the wettest month and January the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 90 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Udell
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 Centerville, IA.
Living with Udell’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 28 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: April, May, June, August, September and October.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Udell from natural hazards, drought is the largest share (34%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 14%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Udell and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Udell yet.
Climates most like Udell’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Udell, IA | 15° | 85° | 38" | 22" |
| Eureka, IL | 16° | 85° | 38" | 21" |
| Schererville, IN | 17° | 84° | 39" | 27" |
| Defiance, OH | 19° | 85° | 37" | 24" |
| Claverack, NY | 16° | 84° | 42" | 31" |
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 Udell averaged 0.5° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in December (+2.0°).
A smaller shift than in 97% 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 Udell compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Udell’s place among Iowa’s.
Udell weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Udell’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Centerville, IA. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 32° | 15° | 1.2" | 7.1" | 5 | 16° – 35° |
| February | 37° | 19° | 1.5" | 5.0" | 6 | 16° – 39° |
| March | 50° | 29° | 2.2" | 3.2" | 7 | 32° – 54° |
| April | 62° | 40° | 3.9" | 1.7" | 9 | 43° – 58° |
| May | 72° | 51° | 5.2" | 0.0" | 11 | 56° – 69° |
| June | 81° | 61° | 5.2" | 0.0" | 10 | 68° – 75° |
| July | 85° | 65° | 4.2" | 0.0" | 7 | 69° – 82° |
| August | 84° | 62° | 4.2" | 0.0" | 8 | 67° – 78° |
| September | 76° | 54° | 3.9" | 0.0" | 7 | 59° – 70° |
| October | 64° | 42° | 2.9" | 0.3" | 8 | 47° – 58° |
| November | 49° | 31° | 2.1" | 1.9" | 6 | 32° – 50° |
| December | 37° | 20° | 1.6" | 2.3" | 5 | 14° – 38° |
| Year | 61° | 41° | 38.1" | 21.5" | 90 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. December swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 14° to 38°. June is the most reliable, staying within 7°.
Where Udell’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 Udell’s center.
- Snow: Centerville, IA.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Centerville, 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 Udell’s climate
What is the weather like in Udell?
A typical July afternoon reaches 85°, a January night drops to 15°, and about 22 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 86% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 51% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Udell in winter?
January nights average 15°. About 132 nights a year reach 32° or below and 10 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 16°.
How much snow does Udell get?
About 22 inches in a normal winter at Centerville, IA, most of it in January.
How hot does it get in Udell?
July, with a typical high of 85° and a low of 65°. About 17 days a year reach 90° (Centerville, IA).
When is the first and last frost in Udell?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 28 and the first fall frost by October 14, about 168 frost-free days, at Centerville, IA.
What growing zone is Udell in?
Zone 5b on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −12°.
What is the best time of year to visit Udell?
By one simple rule (highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more), April, May, June, August, September and October. The rule is ours, not NOAA’s; the month table has the numbers to judge by.
Is Udell getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 0.5° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 97% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Udell.
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.