Midwinter lows in Lee sink below those of 88% of U.S. towns
In July the day’s top temperature is typically 83°. Summers stay cool: July afternoons here are cooler than in 75% of U.S. towns. Compared with 1901–2000, the average now sits 1.0° higher. Keep the boiler serviced for the months from November to April, which average under 50°.
A year in Lee at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Lee’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Lee’s place in Illinois beside it.
What a year in Lee feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 163 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 28 and the first by October 10. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Shabbona 5 Nne, IL, 6 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Lee’s center in zone 5b: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −14°. 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 28 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Steward 3s, IL, is heaviest from January through February, about 9 inches a month. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 38 inches a year; June is the wettest month and January the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 115 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Lee
92% 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 Shabbona 5 Nne, IL.
Living with Lee’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
163 frost-free days in zone 5b. The last frost comes by Apr 28 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 10.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: May, June, July, August, September and October. 0.1 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Lee from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (53%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 10%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Lee and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Lee yet.
Climates most like Lee’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lee, IL | 14° | 83° | 38" | 28" |
| Grinnell, IA | 12° | 84° | 38" | 31" |
| Garrett, IN | 17° | 83° | 38" | 30" |
| Howell, MI | 16° | 82° | 34" | 33" |
| Sayre, PA | 17° | 84° | 37" | 35" |
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 Lee averaged 1.0° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in December (+2.3°).
A smaller shift than in 77% 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 Lee compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Lee’s place among Illinois’.
Lee weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Lee’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Steward 3s, IL. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 29° | 14° | 1.7" | 8.6" | 9 | 14 | 12° – 33° |
| February | 33° | 18° | 1.7" | 8.8" | 8 | 13 | 12° – 37° |
| March | 46° | 27° | 2.3" | 1.9" | 9 | 3 | 28° – 52° |
| April | 59° | 37° | 3.6" | 0.6" | 11 | 0 | 39° – 55° |
| May | 71° | 48° | 4.7" | 0.0" | 13 | 0 | 53° – 66° |
| June | 80° | 58° | 4.9" | 0.0" | 12 | 0 | 65° – 74° |
| July | 83° | 62° | 4.0" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 66° – 78° |
| August | 81° | 60° | 3.9" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 65° – 77° |
| September | 75° | 53° | 3.5" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 58° – 68° |
| October | 62° | 41° | 3.1" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 47° – 57° |
| November | 47° | 30° | 2.5" | 1.5" | 7 | 1 | 30° – 48° |
| December | 34° | 19° | 2.1" | 6.9" | 10 | 11 | 12° – 38° |
| Year | 58° | 39° | 37.9" | 28.3" | 115 | 44 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. December swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 12° to 38°. June is the most reliable, staying within 8°.
Where Lee’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 Lee’s center.
- Snow: Steward 3s, IL.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Shabbona 5 Nne, IL, 6 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 Lee’s climate
What is the weather like in Lee?
A typical July afternoon reaches 83°, a January night drops to 14°, and about 28 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 88% of U.S. towns; cooler July afternoons than 75% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Lee in winter?
January nights average 14°. About 144 nights a year reach 32° or below and 14 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 12°.
How much snow does Lee get?
About 28 inches in a normal winter at Steward 3s, IL, heaviest from January through February, about 9 inches a month, with snow on the ground about 44 days a year.
How hot does it get in Lee?
July, with a typical high of 83° and a low of 62°. About 8 days a year reach 90° (Shabbona 5 Nne, IL).
When is the first and last frost in Lee?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 28 and the first fall frost by October 10, about 163 frost-free days, at Shabbona 5 Nne, IL.
What growing zone is Lee in?
Zone 5b on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −14°.
What is the best time of year to visit Lee?
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 Lee getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.0° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 77% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Lee.
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.