In Loraine, July heat, January chill and rainfall all sit near the middle of U.S. towns
Nights in January average 18°. Rain follows the seasons: May brings about 2.9 times as much as January. Winter nights are cold: in January they are colder than in 70% of U.S. towns. The heating season runs November to March: each of those months averages under 50°.
A year in Loraine at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Loraine’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Loraine’s place in Illinois beside it.
What a year in Loraine 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 18 and the first by October 21. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Golden, IL, 11 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Loraine’s center in zone 6a: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −7°. 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 23 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Bentley, IL, falls mostly in January. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 40 inches a year; May is the wettest month and January the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 106 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Loraine
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 Golden, IL.
Living with Loraine’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 18 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 21.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: April, May, June, September and October. 0.5 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Loraine from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (27%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 31%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Loraine and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Loraine yet.
Climates most like Loraine’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Loraine, IL | 18° | 86° | 40" | 23" |
| Savannah, MO | 18° | 87° | 37" | 21" |
| Lock Haven, PA | 19° | 86° | 41" | 30" |
| Dublin, OH | 21° | 85° | 40" | 24" |
| Peru, IN | 19° | 84° | 40" | 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 Loraine averaged 0.6° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in December (+1.8°).
A smaller shift than in 96% 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 Loraine compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Loraine’s place among Illinois’.
Loraine weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Loraine’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Bentley, IL. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 35° | 18° | 1.8" | 7.6" | 8 | 15 | 19° – 38° |
| February | 40° | 22° | 1.9" | 6.3" | 7 | 8 | 18° – 42° |
| March | 52° | 32° | 2.5" | 2.1" | 9 | 2 | 34° – 55° |
| April | 64° | 42° | 4.1" | 0.4" | 11 | 0 | 45° – 60° |
| May | 74° | 53° | 5.1" | 0.0" | 12 | 0 | 58° – 73° |
| June | 83° | 63° | 4.8" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 69° – 77° |
| July | 86° | 66° | 4.0" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 71° – 82° |
| August | 85° | 64° | 4.0" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 69° – 80° |
| September | 78° | 56° | 3.5" | 0.0" | 7 | 0 | 61° – 72° |
| October | 66° | 44° | 3.3" | 0.1" | 8 | 0 | 49° – 60° |
| November | 51° | 33° | 2.6" | 1.4" | 8 | 1 | 35° – 51° |
| December | 39° | 23° | 2.0" | 5.2" | 8 | 6 | 16° – 40° |
| Year | 63° | 43° | 39.5" | 23.1" | 106 | 32 |
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 8°.
Where Loraine’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 Loraine’s center.
- Snow: Bentley, IL.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Golden, IL, 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 Loraine’s climate
What is the weather like in Loraine?
A typical July afternoon reaches 86°, a January night drops to 18°, and about 23 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 70% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 58% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Loraine in winter?
January nights average 18°. About 124 nights a year reach 32° or below and 7 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 19°.
How much snow does Loraine get?
About 23 inches in a normal winter at Bentley, IL, most of it in January, with snow on the ground about 32 days a year.
How hot does it get in Loraine?
July, with a typical high of 86° and a low of 66°. About 24 days a year reach 90° (Golden, IL).
When is the first and last frost in Loraine?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 18 and the first fall frost by October 21, about 187 frost-free days, at Golden, IL.
What growing zone is Loraine in?
Zone 6a on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −7°.
What is the best time of year to visit Loraine?
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 Loraine getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 0.6° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 96% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Loraine.
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.