January in Gulfport bites harder than in 82% of U.S. towns
In July the day’s top temperature is typically 86°. May is the wettest month here, with about 3.3 times the rain of January. Precipitation is light here, less than falls on 67% of U.S. towns. From April to June and August to October, highs of 63–84° make it easy to spend the day outdoors.
A year in Gulfport at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Gulfport’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Gulfport’s place in Illinois beside it.
What a year in Gulfport 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 20. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Burlington Muni Airport, 2.8 miles from the town’s center, 170 ft higher.
The 2023 USDA map puts Gulfport’s 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 22 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Burlington 2s, IA, is heaviest from January through February, about 6 inches a month. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 38 inches a year; May is the wettest month and January the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 114 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Gulfport
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 Burlington Muni Airport.
Living with Gulfport’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 20.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: April, May, June, August, September and October.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Gulfport from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (50%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 9%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Gulfport and its neighbors
Every town next door is within a degree of Gulfport in January and July, closer than the 5 km grid can tell apart. Tap a town to see its climate.
Climates most like Gulfport’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gulfport, IL | 16° | 86° | 38" | 22" |
| Clarinda, IA | 14° | 86° | 36" | 23" |
| Savannah, MO | 18° | 87° | 37" | 21" |
| Defiance, OH | 19° | 85° | 37" | 24" |
| Peru, IN | 19° | 84° | 40" | 21" |
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 Gulfport averaged 0.7° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in December (+2.0°).
A smaller shift than in 93% 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 Gulfport compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Gulfport’s place among Illinois’.
Gulfport weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Gulfport’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Burlington 2s, IA. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 32° | 16° | 1.6" | 6.3" | 9 | 13 | 16° – 36° |
| February | 37° | 20° | 1.8" | 5.8" | 9 | 9 | 16° – 40° |
| March | 50° | 30° | 2.5" | 2.1" | 10 | 3 | 32° – 54° |
| April | 63° | 41° | 3.8" | 0.9" | 11 | 0 | 43° – 59° |
| May | 73° | 52° | 5.1" | 0.0" | 13 | 0 | 58° – 70° |
| June | 82° | 62° | 4.9" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 69° – 76° |
| July | 86° | 65° | 4.0" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 70° – 81° |
| August | 84° | 63° | 3.7" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 68° – 79° |
| September | 78° | 55° | 3.6" | 0.0" | 7 | 0 | 61° – 71° |
| October | 65° | 43° | 3.0" | 0.1" | 9 | 0 | 49° – 59° |
| November | 50° | 32° | 2.4" | 1.3" | 9 | 1 | 33° – 51° |
| December | 37° | 22° | 1.9" | 5.3" | 8 | 7 | 14° – 39° |
| Year | 62° | 42° | 38.1" | 21.8" | 114 | 34 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. December swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 14° to 39°. June is the most reliable, staying within 7°.
Where Gulfport’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 Gulfport’s center.
- Snow: Burlington 2s, IA.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Burlington Muni Airport, 2.8 miles from the town’s center, 170 ft higher; 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 Gulfport’s climate
What is the weather like in Gulfport?
A typical July afternoon reaches 86°, a January night drops to 16°, and about 22 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 82% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 53% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Gulfport in winter?
January nights average 16°. About 119 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 16°.
How much snow does Gulfport get?
About 22 inches in a normal winter at Burlington 2s, IA, heaviest from January through February, about 6 inches a month, with snow on the ground about 34 days a year.
How hot does it get in Gulfport?
July, with a typical high of 86° and a low of 65°. About 23 days a year reach 90° (Burlington Muni Airport).
When is the first and last frost in Gulfport?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 15 and the first fall frost by October 20, about 187 frost-free days, at Burlington Muni Airport.
What growing zone is Gulfport 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 Gulfport?
By one simple rule (highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more), April, May, June, August, September and October. The rule is ours, not NOAA’s; the month table has the numbers to judge by.
Is Gulfport getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 0.7° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 93% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Gulfport.
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.