Maquon’s winters are colder but less snowy than most of the U.S.
A typical July afternoon reaches 85°, a January night drops to 16°, and about 21 inches of snow falls in a normal winter.
A year in Maquon at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Maquon’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Maquon’s place in Illinois beside it.
What a year in Maquon feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 181 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 21 and the first by October 20. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Knoxville, IL, 10 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Maquon’s center in zone 5b: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −11°. 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 21 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Yates City, IL, falls mostly in January, February and December. 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 109 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Maquon
87% 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 Knoxville, IL.
Living with Maquon’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
181 frost-free days in zone 5b. The last frost comes by Apr 21 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: May, June, August, September and October.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Maquon from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (33%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 21%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Maquon and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Maquon yet.
Climates most like Maquon’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Maquon, IL | 16° | 85° | 38" | 21" |
| Clarinda, IA | 14° | 86° | 36" | 23" |
| Savannah, MO | 18° | 87° | 37" | 21" |
| Defiance, OH | 19° | 85° | 37" | 24" |
| West Lafayette, IN | 18° | 84° | 40" | 19" |
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 Maquon averaged 0.8° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in December (+1.9°).
A smaller shift than in 91% 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 Maquon compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Maquon’s place among Illinois’.
Maquon weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Maquon’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Yates City, IL. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 32° | 16° | 1.8" | 6.0" | 8 | 14 | 16° – 36° |
| February | 37° | 20° | 1.9" | 5.9" | 8 | 9 | 15° – 39° |
| March | 50° | 30° | 2.4" | 2.8" | 9 | 4 | 32° – 54° |
| April | 63° | 39° | 3.8" | 0.4" | 10 | 0 | 43° – 59° |
| May | 74° | 51° | 5.0" | 0.0" | 14 | 0 | 57° – 70° |
| June | 83° | 61° | 4.6" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 68° – 76° |
| July | 85° | 64° | 4.1" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 69° – 81° |
| August | 84° | 62° | 3.6" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 67° – 79° |
| September | 78° | 54° | 3.6" | 0.0" | 7 | 0 | 60° – 71° |
| October | 65° | 42° | 3.0" | 0.1" | 10 | 0 | 48° – 59° |
| November | 50° | 31° | 2.6" | 0.7" | 7 | 1 | 33° – 50° |
| December | 37° | 21° | 2.1" | 5.4" | 8 | 8 | 14° – 39° |
| Year | 61° | 41° | 38.2" | 21.3" | 109 | 36 |
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 8°.
Where Maquon’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 Maquon’s center.
- Snow: Yates City, IL.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Knoxville, IL, 10 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 Maquon’s climate
What is the weather like in Maquon?
A typical July afternoon reaches 85°, a January night drops to 16°, and about 21 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 82% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 52% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Maquon in winter?
January nights average 16°. About 135 nights a year reach 32° or below and 12 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 16°.
How much snow does Maquon get?
About 21 inches in a normal winter at Yates City, IL, most of it in January, February and December, with snow on the ground about 36 days a year.
How hot does it get in Maquon?
July, with a typical high of 85° and a low of 64°. About 13 days a year reach 90° (Knoxville, IL).
When is the first and last frost in Maquon?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 21 and the first fall frost by October 20, about 181 frost-free days, at Knoxville, IL.
What growing zone is Maquon in?
Zone 5b on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −11°.
What is the best time of year to visit Maquon?
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 Maquon getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 0.8° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 91% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Maquon.
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.