Long Point has colder winter nights than 82% of U.S. towns
On a normal July day the thermometer tops out near 85°. Only 69° separates winter nights from summer afternoons. Precipitation is light here, less than falls on 70% of U.S. towns. Seedlings are safe outdoors from about April 26, with the first autumn frost due around October 17.
A year in Long Point at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Long Point’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Long Point’s place in Illinois beside it.
What a year in Long Point feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 173 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 26 and the first by October 17. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Minonk, IL, 10 miles from the town’s center, 110 ft higher.
The 2023 USDA map puts Long Point’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 22 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Minonk, IL, falls mostly in January and 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 114 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Long Point
85% 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 Minonk, IL.
Living with Long Point’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
173 frost-free days in zone 5b. The last frost comes by Apr 26 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 17.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: May, June, August, September and October.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Long Point from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (61%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 17%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Long Point and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Long Point yet.
Climates most like Long Point’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Long Point, IL | 16° | 85° | 38" | 22" |
| Centerville, IA | 15° | 85° | 38" | 22" |
| Defiance, OH | 19° | 85° | 37" | 24" |
| Columbia City, IN | 17° | 83° | 39" | 21" |
| Savannah, MO | 18° | 87° | 37" | 21" |
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 Long Point averaged 1.4° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in December (+2.7°).
A bigger shift than in 52% 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 Long Point compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Long Point’s place among Illinois’.
Long Point weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Long Point’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Minonk, IL. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 32° | 16° | 2.0" | 5.9" | 9 | 14 | 16° – 36° |
| February | 37° | 20° | 1.7" | 5.2" | 8 | 9 | 15° – 39° |
| March | 49° | 29° | 2.5" | 3.2" | 9 | 3 | 31° – 54° |
| April | 63° | 39° | 3.6" | 0.8" | 12 | 0 | 42° – 58° |
| May | 74° | 50° | 4.7" | 0.0" | 13 | 0 | 56° – 69° |
| June | 82° | 60° | 4.2" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 67° – 75° |
| July | 85° | 64° | 4.0" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 69° – 81° |
| August | 83° | 62° | 3.7" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 67° – 79° |
| September | 78° | 54° | 3.4" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 60° – 70° |
| October | 65° | 42° | 3.1" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 49° – 60° |
| November | 50° | 31° | 2.5" | 1.1" | 9 | 1 | 33° – 49° |
| December | 37° | 22° | 2.1" | 5.5" | 8 | 8 | 15° – 40° |
| Year | 61° | 41° | 37.5" | 21.7" | 114 | 35 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. December swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 15° to 40°. June is the most reliable, staying within 8°.
Where Long Point’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 Long Point’s center.
- Snow: Minonk, IL.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Minonk, IL, 10 miles from the town’s center, 110 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 Long Point’s climate
What is the weather like in Long Point?
A typical July afternoon reaches 85°, 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; cooler July afternoons than 51% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Long Point in winter?
January nights average 16°. About 135 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 16°.
How much snow does Long Point get?
About 22 inches in a normal winter at Minonk, IL, most of it in January and December, with snow on the ground about 35 days a year.
How hot does it get in Long Point?
July, with a typical high of 85° and a low of 64°. About 27 days a year reach 90° (Minonk, IL).
When is the first and last frost in Long Point?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 26 and the first fall frost by October 17, about 173 frost-free days, at Minonk, IL.
What growing zone is Long Point 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 Long Point?
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 Long Point getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.4° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A bigger shift than 52% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Long Point.
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.