Bethany’s winters are colder but less snowy than most of the U.S.
A typical July afternoon reaches 86°, a January night drops to 19°, and about 15 inches of snow falls in a normal winter.
A year in Bethany at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Bethany’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Bethany’s place in Illinois beside it.
What a year in Bethany feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 187 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 15 and the first by October 22. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Sullivan 3s, IL, 9 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Bethany’s center in zone 6a: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −6°. 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 15 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Lovington, IL, falls mostly in February and December. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 40 inches a year; May is the wettest month and February the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 112 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Bethany
83% of the work is heating. Months averaging under 55° run from November 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 Sullivan 3s, IL.
Living with Bethany’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
187 frost-free days in zone 6a. The last frost comes by Apr 15 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 22.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: April, May, June, September and October. 0.0 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Bethany from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (43%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 21%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Bethany and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Bethany yet.
Climates most like Bethany’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bethany, IL | 19° | 86° | 40" | 15" |
| Macon, MO | 18° | 87° | 42" | 15" |
| Trotwood, OH | 21° | 85° | 41" | 12" |
| Fort Madison, IA | 17° | 86° | 39" | 18" |
| Ambridge, PA | 21° | 85° | 39" | 20" |
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 Bethany averaged 1.0° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in December (+2.1°).
A smaller shift than in 75% 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 Bethany compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Bethany’s place among Illinois’.
Bethany weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Bethany’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Lovington, IL. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 35° | 19° | 2.3" | 4.0" | 8 | 20° – 39° |
| February | 40° | 23° | 2.0" | 4.3" | 9 | 19° – 41° |
| March | 52° | 32° | 2.8" | 1.3" | 10 | 35° – 55° |
| April | 64° | 42° | 4.3" | 0.3" | 10 | 46° – 59° |
| May | 74° | 53° | 4.5" | 0.0" | 13 | 58° – 72° |
| June | 83° | 62° | 4.5" | 0.0" | 11 | 68° – 76° |
| July | 86° | 65° | 4.0" | 0.0" | 9 | 70° – 82° |
| August | 85° | 63° | 3.2" | 0.0" | 8 | 69° – 79° |
| September | 79° | 56° | 3.0" | 0.0" | 7 | 62° – 72° |
| October | 67° | 44° | 3.3" | 0.0" | 10 | 51° – 61° |
| November | 52° | 33° | 3.3" | 0.5" | 9 | 34° – 50° |
| December | 40° | 25° | 2.4" | 4.7" | 10 | 18° – 41° |
| Year | 63° | 43° | 39.7" | 15.1" | 112 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. December swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 18° to 41°. June is the most reliable, staying within 8°.
Where Bethany’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 Bethany’s center.
- Snow: Lovington, IL.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Sullivan 3s, IL, 9 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 Bethany’s climate
What is the weather like in Bethany?
A typical July afternoon reaches 86°, a January night drops to 19°, and about 15 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 62% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 54% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Bethany in winter?
January nights average 19°. About 122 nights a year reach 32° or below and 6 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 20°.
How much snow does Bethany get?
About 15 inches in a normal winter at Lovington, IL, most of it in February and December.
How hot does it get in Bethany?
July, with a typical high of 86° and a low of 65°. About 22 days a year reach 90° (Sullivan 3s, IL).
When is the first and last frost in Bethany?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 15 and the first fall frost by October 22, about 187 frost-free days, at Sullivan 3s, IL.
What growing zone is Bethany in?
Zone 6a on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −6°.
What is the best time of year to visit Bethany?
By one simple rule (highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more), April, May, June, September and October. The rule is ours, not NOAA’s; the month table has the numbers to judge by.
Is Bethany getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.0° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 75% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Bethany.
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.