Photo: Ken Lund from Reno, Nevada, USA · CC BY-SA 2.0Winter nights in Downs are colder than in 76% of U.S. towns
High summer brings afternoon highs near 85°. By precipitation alone, it ranks drier than 66% of U.S. towns. December has warmed most since 1901–2000, part of a 1.4° rise. Seedlings are safe outdoors from about April 25, with the first autumn frost due around October 16.
A year in Downs at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Downs’ climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Downs’ place in Illinois beside it.
What a year in Downs 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 25 and the first by October 16. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Normal 4ne, IL, 11 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Downs’ center in zone 6a: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −9°. 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 7 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Bloomington Wtr Wks, IL, falls mostly in December. 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 96 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Downs
86% 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 Normal 4ne, IL.
Living with Downs’ climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
172 frost-free days in zone 6a. The last frost comes by Apr 25 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 16.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: May, June, August, September and October. 0.7 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Downs from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (46%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 33%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Downs and its neighbors
Every town next door is within a degree of Downs in January and July, closer than the 5 km grid can tell apart. Tap a town to see its climate.
Climates most like Downs’, 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Downs, IL | 17° | 85° | 38" | 6.5" |
| St. Marys, OH | 19° | 84° | 39" | 10" |
| Cameron, MO | 18° | 87° | 40" | 7.6" |
| Wabash, IN | 19° | 84° | 40" | 20" |
| Mission, KS | 21° | 88° | 40" | 11" |
Temperatures and rain come from NOAA’s 5 km grid, so each town gets its own value. Snow and frost-free days come from the nearest weather station, so neighbors often share them.
Warmer than it used to be
The last 30 years in Downs averaged 1.4° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in December (+2.6°).
A bigger shift than in 56% 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 Downs compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Downs’ place among Illinois’.
Downs weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Downs’ center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Bloomington Wtr Wks, IL. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 33° | 17° | 2.2" | 1.8" | 6 | 17° – 37° |
| February | 38° | 21° | 1.9" | 0.8" | 6 | 17° – 40° |
| March | 50° | 30° | 2.6" | 1.2" | 8 | 33° – 56° |
| April | 63° | 40° | 3.8" | 0.0" | 10 | 43° – 58° |
| May | 74° | 51° | 4.5" | 0.0" | 11 | 57° – 71° |
| June | 83° | 60° | 4.2" | 0.0" | 9 | 67° – 75° |
| July | 85° | 64° | 4.2" | 0.0" | 8 | 69° – 81° |
| August | 84° | 61° | 3.6" | 0.0" | 8 | 67° – 78° |
| September | 78° | 54° | 3.1" | 0.0" | 7 | 60° – 71° |
| October | 65° | 43° | 3.3" | 0.0" | 9 | 49° – 60° |
| November | 50° | 32° | 2.9" | 0.1" | 8 | 34° – 49° |
| December | 38° | 22° | 2.2" | 2.6" | 7 | 17° – 40° |
| Year | 62° | 41° | 38.4" | 6.5" | 96 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. December swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 17° to 40°. June is the most reliable, staying within 8°.
Where Downs’ 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 Downs’ center.
- Snow: Bloomington Wtr Wks, IL.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Normal 4ne, IL, 11 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 Downs’ climate
What is the weather like in Downs?
A typical July afternoon reaches 85°, a January night drops to 17°, and about 7 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 76% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 51% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Downs in winter?
January nights average 17°. About 133 nights a year reach 32° or below and 8 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 17°.
How much snow does Downs get?
About 6.5 inches in a normal winter at Bloomington Wtr Wks, IL, most of it in December.
How hot does it get in Downs?
July, with a typical high of 85° and a low of 64°. About 26 days a year reach 90° (Normal 4ne, IL).
When is the first and last frost in Downs?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 25 and the first fall frost by October 16, about 172 frost-free days, at Normal 4ne, IL.
What growing zone is Downs in?
Zone 6a on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −9°.
What is the best time of year to visit Downs?
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 Downs getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.4° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A bigger shift than 56% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Downs.
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.