Grant Park’s winters are colder and snowier than most of the U.S.
A typical July afternoon reaches 84°, a January night drops to 17°, and about 24 inches of snow falls in a normal winter.
A year in Grant Park at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Grant Park’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Grant Park’s place in Illinois beside it.
What a year in Grant Park feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 171 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 29 and the first by October 16. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Lowell, IN, 11 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Grant Park’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 24 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Momence 5ene, IL, falls mostly in January. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 40 inches a year; June is the wettest month and February the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 101 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Grant Park
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 Lowell, IN.
Living with Grant Park’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
171 frost-free days in zone 5b. The last frost comes by Apr 29 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, July, August, September and October. 0.0 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Grant Park from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (63%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 21%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Grant Park and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Grant Park yet.
Climates most like Grant Park’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grant Park, IL | 17° | 84° | 40" | 24" |
| Bucyrus, OH | 18° | 83° | 40" | 23" |
| Winchester, IN | 19° | 84° | 41" | 25" |
| Claverack, NY | 16° | 84° | 42" | 31" |
| Mount Pleasant, IA | 15° | 85° | 38" | 25" |
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 Grant Park averaged 1.2° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in December (+2.5°).
A smaller shift than in 60% 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 Grant Park compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Grant Park’s place among Illinois’.
Grant Park weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Grant Park’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Momence 5ene, IL. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 32° | 17° | 2.3" | 7.9" | 8 | 11 | 15° – 37° |
| February | 37° | 20° | 1.9" | 7.1" | 7 | 10 | 16° – 39° |
| March | 48° | 29° | 2.4" | 2.0" | 8 | 2 | 30° – 54° |
| April | 61° | 39° | 3.8" | 0.2" | 10 | 0 | 42° – 56° |
| May | 72° | 50° | 4.5" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 55° – 68° |
| June | 82° | 59° | 4.8" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 66° – 75° |
| July | 84° | 63° | 4.6" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 68° – 79° |
| August | 82° | 61° | 4.0" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 67° – 78° |
| September | 77° | 54° | 3.4" | 0.0" | 7 | 0 | 60° – 70° |
| October | 64° | 43° | 3.4" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 49° – 59° |
| November | 49° | 32° | 2.7" | 0.4" | 8 | 0 | 33° – 49° |
| December | 37° | 22° | 2.2" | 6.0" | 8 | 6 | 16° – 40° |
| Year | 61° | 41° | 39.9" | 23.6" | 101 | 30 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. December swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 16° to 40°. June is the most reliable, staying within 9°.
Where Grant Park’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 Grant Park’s center.
- Snow: Momence 5ene, IL.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Lowell, IN, 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 Grant Park’s climate
What is the weather like in Grant Park?
A typical July afternoon reaches 84°, a January night drops to 17°, and about 24 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 78% of U.S. towns; cooler July afternoons than 60% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Grant Park in winter?
January nights average 17°. About 136 nights a year reach 32° or below and 10 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 15°.
How much snow does Grant Park get?
About 24 inches in a normal winter at Momence 5ene, IL, most of it in January, with snow on the ground about 30 days a year.
How hot does it get in Grant Park?
July, with a typical high of 84° and a low of 63°. About 16 days a year reach 90° (Lowell, IN).
When is the first and last frost in Grant Park?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 29 and the first fall frost by October 16, about 171 frost-free days, at Lowell, IN.
What growing zone is Grant Park 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 Grant Park?
By one simple rule (highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more), May, June, July, August, September and October. The rule is ours, not NOAA’s; the month table has the numbers to judge by.
Is Grant Park getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.2° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 60% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Grant Park.
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.