Old East Paint Creek Lutheran Church · Photo: James M Larson · CC BY-SA 3.0Waterville has colder winter nights than 94% of U.S. towns
Midsummer highs settle at about 82°. A year here swings 72° from midwinter lows to midsummer highs. By July afternoons alone, it runs cooler than 84% of U.S. towns. From May to September, highs of 69–82° make it easy to spend the day outdoors.
A year in Waterville at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Waterville’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Waterville’s place in Iowa beside it.
What a year in Waterville feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 175 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 24 and the first by October 17. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Lynxville Dam 9, WI, 10 miles from the town’s center, 270 ft lower.
The 2023 USDA map puts Waterville’s center in zone 5a: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −19°. 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 36 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Lynxville Dam 9, WI, is heaviest from January through February, about 10 inches a month. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 39 inches a year; June is the wettest month and January the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 116 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Waterville
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 Lynxville Dam 9, WI.
Living with Waterville’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
175 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 17.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: May, June, July, August and September. 0.1 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Waterville from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (69%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 11%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Waterville and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Waterville yet.
Climates most like Waterville’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Waterville, IA | 9° | 82° | 39" | 36" |
| Pewaukee, WI | 12° | 82° | 35" | 37" |
| Colchester, VT | 10° | 81° | 38" | 50" |
| Woodstock, IL | 14° | 83° | 38" | 35" |
| Plattsburgh, NY | 9° | 81° | 35" | 50" |
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 Waterville averaged 0.9° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in December (+2.7°).
A smaller shift than in 82% 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 Waterville compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Waterville’s place among Iowa’s.
Waterville weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Waterville’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Lynxville Dam 9, WI. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 25° | 9° | 1.2" | 9.9" | 9 | 25 | 6° – 30° |
| February | 30° | 13° | 1.2" | 10.0" | 8 | 25 | 9° – 33° |
| March | 43° | 25° | 2.0" | 4.6" | 9 | 13 | 26° – 49° |
| April | 57° | 36° | 4.0" | 0.6" | 11 | 1 | 37° – 53° |
| May | 69° | 47° | 4.9" | 0.0" | 13 | 0 | 53° – 64° |
| June | 78° | 57° | 5.9" | 0.0" | 12 | 0 | 65° – 72° |
| July | 82° | 62° | 4.6" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 66° – 78° |
| August | 80° | 60° | 4.2" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 64° – 76° |
| September | 72° | 52° | 4.1" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 55° – 68° |
| October | 60° | 40° | 2.8" | 0.1" | 9 | 0 | 44° – 55° |
| November | 43° | 27° | 2.1" | 1.7" | 8 | 2 | 27° – 47° |
| December | 31° | 16° | 1.5" | 8.6" | 9 | 17 | 9° – 33° |
| Year | 56° | 37° | 38.7" | 35.5" | 116 | 83 |
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 33°. June is the most reliable, staying within 7°.
Where Waterville’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 Waterville’s center.
- Snow: Lynxville Dam 9, WI.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Lynxville Dam 9, WI, 10 miles from the town’s center, 270 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 Waterville’s climate
What is the weather like in Waterville?
A typical July afternoon reaches 82°, a January night drops to 9°, and about 36 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 94% of U.S. towns; cooler July afternoons than 84% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Waterville in winter?
January nights average 9°. About 134 nights a year reach 32° or below and 15 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 6°.
How much snow does Waterville get?
About 36 inches in a normal winter at Lynxville Dam 9, WI, heaviest from January through February, about 10 inches a month, with snow on the ground about 83 days a year.
How hot does it get in Waterville?
July, with a typical high of 82° and a low of 62°. About 8 days a year reach 90° (Lynxville Dam 9, WI).
When is the first and last frost in Waterville?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 24 and the first fall frost by October 17, about 175 frost-free days, at Lynxville Dam 9, WI.
What growing zone is Waterville in?
Zone 5a on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −19°.
What is the best time of year to visit Waterville?
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 Waterville getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 0.9° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 82% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Waterville.
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.