Photo: SenorAnderson at en.wikipedia · CC BY-SA 3.0No extremes in Gays: its weather tracks the middle of U.S. towns
In January the night’s low is typically 20°. June is the wettest month, February the driest. Seedlings are safe outdoors from about April 16, with the first autumn frost due around October 22.
A year in Gays at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Gays’ climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Gays’ place in Illinois beside it.
What a year in Gays 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 16 and the first by October 22. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Windsor, IL, 5 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Gays’ center in zone 6a: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −5°. 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 14 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Windsor, IL, falls mostly in January. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 42 inches a year; June is the wettest month and February the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 107 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Gays
84% 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 Windsor, IL.
Living with Gays’ 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 16 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.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Gays from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (49%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 16%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Gays and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Gays yet.
Climates most like Gays’, 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gays, IL | 20° | 86° | 42" | 14" |
| Trotwood, OH | 21° | 85° | 41" | 12" |
| Macon, MO | 18° | 87° | 42" | 15" |
| Connersville, IN | 20° | 85° | 44" | 16" |
| Moundsville, WV | 22° | 85° | 43" | 16" |
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 Gays averaged 0.9° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in December (+2.0°).
A smaller shift than in 81% 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 Gays compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Gays’ place among Illinois’.
Gays weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Gays’ center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Windsor, IL. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 35° | 20° | 2.6" | 5.2" | 9 | 10 | 20° – 39° |
| February | 40° | 24° | 2.2" | 3.4" | 7 | 5 | 19° – 42° |
| March | 52° | 33° | 3.0" | 1.4" | 9 | 1 | 35° – 55° |
| April | 64° | 43° | 4.6" | 0.3" | 11 | 0 | 45° – 60° |
| May | 74° | 54° | 4.5" | 0.0" | 13 | 0 | 58° – 72° |
| June | 83° | 62° | 4.8" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 68° – 76° |
| July | 86° | 65° | 4.2" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 70° – 82° |
| August | 84° | 63° | 3.1" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 69° – 79° |
| September | 79° | 56° | 3.0" | 0.0" | 7 | 0 | 63° – 72° |
| October | 67° | 45° | 3.6" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 51° – 60° |
| November | 52° | 34° | 3.6" | 0.8" | 9 | 1 | 35° – 50° |
| December | 40° | 25° | 2.5" | 2.6" | 8 | 4 | 18° – 41° |
| Year | 63° | 44° | 41.5" | 13.7" | 107 | 21 |
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 7°.
Where Gays’ 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 Gays’ center.
- Snow: Windsor, IL.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Windsor, IL, 5 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 Gays’ climate
What is the weather like in Gays?
A typical July afternoon reaches 86°, a January night drops to 20°, and about 14 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 59% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 53% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Gays in winter?
January nights average 20°. About 109 nights a year reach 32° or below and 4 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 20°.
How much snow does Gays get?
About 14 inches in a normal winter at Windsor, IL, most of it in January, with snow on the ground about 21 days a year.
How hot does it get in Gays?
July, with a typical high of 86° and a low of 65°. About 26 days a year reach 90° (Windsor, IL).
When is the first and last frost in Gays?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 16 and the first fall frost by October 22, about 187 frost-free days, at Windsor, IL.
What growing zone is Gays in?
Zone 6a on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −5°.
What is the best time of year to visit Gays?
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 Gays getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.0° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 81% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Gays.
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.