Photo: Jim Roberts · CC BY-SA 4.0Midwinter lows in What Cheer sink below those of 90% of U.S. towns
Sunny July days climb to about 85°. The wettest month is June; the driest is January. Its yearly precipitation falls short of 72% of U.S. towns. From May to June and August to October, highs of 64–83° make it easy to spend the day outdoors.
A year in What Cheer at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about What Cheer’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with What Cheer’s place in Iowa beside it.
What a year in What Cheer feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 172 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 24 and the first by October 15. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Sigourney, IA, 8 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts What Cheer’s center in zone 5b: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −13°. 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 24 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Ottumwa Industrial Airport, falls mostly in January. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 37 inches a year; June is the wettest month and January the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 109 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in What Cheer
89% 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 Sigourney, IA.
Living with What Cheer’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
172 frost-free days in zone 5b. 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 15.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: May, June, August, September and October. 0.0 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in What Cheer from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (48%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 11%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →What Cheer and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around What Cheer yet.
Climates most like What Cheer’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| What Cheer, IA | 13° | 85° | 37" | 24" |
| Ottawa, IL | 16° | 85° | 37" | 24" |
| Schererville, IN | 17° | 84° | 39" | 27" |
| Bellevue, NE | 14° | 86° | 33" | 25" |
| Beloit, WI | 13° | 83° | 37" | 37" |
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 What Cheer averaged 0.8° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in December (+2.5°).
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 What Cheer compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with What Cheer’s place among Iowa’s.
What Cheer weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at What Cheer’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Ottumwa Industrial Airport. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 30° | 13° | 1.2" | 7.1" | 7 | 18 | 13° – 34° |
| February | 35° | 17° | 1.5" | 5.8" | 7 | 9 | 15° – 38° |
| March | 48° | 28° | 2.1" | 3.0" | 10 | 4 | 31° – 52° |
| April | 62° | 38° | 3.7" | 1.4" | 12 | 1 | 42° – 57° |
| May | 72° | 50° | 4.9" | 0.0" | 13 | 0 | 55° – 68° |
| June | 81° | 60° | 5.1" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 68° – 74° |
| July | 85° | 63° | 4.2" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 68° – 81° |
| August | 83° | 61° | 4.3" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 66° – 77° |
| September | 77° | 53° | 3.5" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 58° – 70° |
| October | 64° | 41° | 2.9" | 0.5" | 9 | 0 | 47° – 58° |
| November | 48° | 29° | 2.1" | 1.6" | 8 | 2 | 30° – 49° |
| December | 35° | 19° | 1.5" | 4.2" | 7 | 5 | 12° – 37° |
| Year | 60° | 39° | 36.9" | 23.6" | 109 | 38 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. December swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 12° to 37°. June is the most reliable, staying within 6°.
Where What Cheer’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 What Cheer’s center.
- Snow: Ottumwa Industrial Airport.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Sigourney, 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 What Cheer’s climate
What is the weather like in What Cheer?
A typical July afternoon reaches 85°, a January night drops to 13°, and about 24 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 90% of U.S. towns; cooler July afternoons than 53% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in What Cheer in winter?
January nights average 13°. About 142 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 13°.
How much snow does What Cheer get?
About 24 inches in a normal winter at Ottumwa Industrial Airport, most of it in January, with snow on the ground about 38 days a year.
How hot does it get in What Cheer?
July, with a typical high of 85° and a low of 63°. About 16 days a year reach 90° (Sigourney, IA).
When is the first and last frost in What Cheer?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 24 and the first fall frost by October 15, about 172 frost-free days, at Sigourney, IA.
What growing zone is What Cheer in?
Zone 5b on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −13°.
What is the best time of year to visit What Cheer?
By one simple rule (highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more), May, June, August, September and October. The rule is ours, not NOAA’s; the month table has the numbers to judge by.
Is What Cheer 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 What Cheer.
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.