Carlock’s winters are colder and snowier than most of the U.S.
A typical July afternoon reaches 85°, a January night drops to 17°, and about 22 inches of snow falls in a normal winter.
A year in Carlock at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Carlock’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Carlock’s place in Illinois beside it.
What a year in Carlock feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 178 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 21 and the first by October 17. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Congerville 2nw, IL, 6 miles from the town’s center, 130 ft lower.
The 2023 USDA map puts Carlock’s center in zone 5b: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −10°. 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 Congerville 2nw, IL, falls mostly in January. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 38 inches a year; May is the wettest month and February the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 110 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Carlock
84% of the work is heating. 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 Congerville 2nw, IL.
Living with Carlock’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
178 frost-free days in zone 5b. The last frost comes by Apr 21 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, August, September and October.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Carlock from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (39%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 33%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Carlock and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Carlock yet.
Climates most like Carlock’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Carlock, IL | 17° | 85° | 38" | 22" |
| Centerville, IA | 15° | 85° | 38" | 22" |
| Defiance, OH | 19° | 85° | 37" | 24" |
| Peru, IN | 19° | 84° | 40" | 21" |
| Kirksville, MO | 17° | 86° | 41" | 19" |
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 Carlock averaged 1.5° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in December (+2.8°).
A bigger shift than in 62% 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 Carlock compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Carlock’s place among Illinois’.
Carlock weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Carlock’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Congerville 2nw, IL. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 33° | 17° | 2.1" | 6.8" | 9 | 16 | 17° – 37° |
| February | 38° | 21° | 1.9" | 5.2" | 7 | 10 | 16° – 40° |
| March | 50° | 30° | 2.6" | 2.8" | 9 | 4 | 32° – 55° |
| April | 63° | 40° | 3.9" | 0.8" | 11 | 0 | 43° – 57° |
| May | 74° | 51° | 4.6" | 0.0" | 12 | 0 | 56° – 71° |
| June | 82° | 60° | 4.1" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 67° – 75° |
| July | 85° | 64° | 4.1" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 69° – 81° |
| August | 84° | 62° | 3.6" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 67° – 78° |
| September | 78° | 54° | 3.2" | 0.0" | 7 | 0 | 60° – 71° |
| October | 65° | 42° | 3.3" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 49° – 60° |
| November | 50° | 32° | 2.8" | 1.5" | 8 | 2 | 33° – 50° |
| December | 38° | 22° | 2.2" | 5.2" | 8 | 9 | 16° – 40° |
| Year | 62° | 41° | 38.3" | 22.3" | 110 | 41 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. February swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 16° to 40°. June is the most reliable, staying within 8°.
Where Carlock’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 Carlock’s center.
- Snow: Congerville 2nw, IL.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Congerville 2nw, IL, 6 miles from the town’s center, 130 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 Carlock’s climate
What is the weather like in Carlock?
A typical July afternoon reaches 85°, a January night drops to 17°, and about 22 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 77% of U.S. towns; cooler July afternoons than 51% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Carlock in winter?
January nights average 17°. About 134 nights a year reach 32° or below and 9 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 17°.
How much snow does Carlock get?
About 22 inches in a normal winter at Congerville 2nw, IL, most of it in January, with snow on the ground about 41 days a year.
How hot does it get in Carlock?
July, with a typical high of 85° and a low of 64°. About 24 days a year reach 90° (Congerville 2nw, IL).
When is the first and last frost in Carlock?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 21 and the first fall frost by October 17, about 178 frost-free days, at Congerville 2nw, IL.
What growing zone is Carlock in?
Zone 5b on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −10°.
What is the best time of year to visit Carlock?
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 Carlock getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.5° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A bigger shift than 62% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Carlock.
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.