Photo: Adam Moss from Macomb, IL, United States · CC BY-SA 2.0Mount Sterling’s winters are colder but less snowy than most of the U.S.
A typical July afternoon reaches 86°, a January night drops to 18°, and about 14 inches of snow falls in a normal winter.
A year in Mount Sterling at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Mount Sterling’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Mount Sterling’s place in Illinois beside it.
What a year in Mount Sterling feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 179 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 18 and the first by October 15. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Perry 6 Nw, IL, 13 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Mount Sterling’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 14 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Mt Sterling, IL, falls mostly in January. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 39 inches a year; May is the wettest month and January the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 82 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Mount Sterling
82% 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 Perry 6 Nw, IL.
Living with Mount Sterling’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
179 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 15.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: April, May, June, September and October. 0.0 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Cold waves are 36% of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Mount Sterling from natural hazards, the largest share. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Mount Sterling and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Mount Sterling yet.
Climates most like Mount Sterling’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mount Sterling, IL | 18° | 86° | 39" | 14" |
| Van Wert, OH | 19° | 84° | 39" | 17" |
| Savannah, MO | 18° | 87° | 37" | 21" |
| Wabash, IN | 19° | 84° | 40" | 20" |
| Ambridge, PA | 21° | 85° | 39" | 20" |
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 Mount Sterling 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 Mount Sterling compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Mount Sterling’s place among Illinois’.
Mount Sterling weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Mount Sterling’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Mt Sterling, IL. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 35° | 18° | 1.8" | 5.3" | 6 | 11 | 20° – 38° |
| February | 40° | 23° | 1.9" | 2.8" | 5 | 6 | 19° – 42° |
| March | 52° | 32° | 2.7" | 1.3" | 7 | 1 | 34° – 55° |
| April | 64° | 42° | 4.0" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 45° – 59° |
| May | 74° | 53° | 4.9" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 58° – 73° |
| June | 83° | 62° | 4.7" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 68° – 77° |
| July | 86° | 65° | 3.7" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 71° – 82° |
| August | 84° | 63° | 3.6" | 0.0" | 6 | 0 | 68° – 79° |
| September | 78° | 55° | 3.7" | 0.0" | 6 | 0 | 61° – 72° |
| October | 66° | 44° | 3.1" | 0.0" | 7 | 0 | 49° – 60° |
| November | 51° | 33° | 2.7" | 0.6" | 6 | 0 | 35° – 50° |
| December | 39° | 23° | 2.0" | 3.5" | 5 | 6 | 17° – 40° |
| Year | 63° | 43° | 38.7" | 13.5" | 82 | 24 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. December swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 17° to 40°. June is the most reliable, staying within 9°.
Where Mount Sterling’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 Mount Sterling’s center.
- Snow: Mt Sterling, IL (NOAA station in town).
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Perry 6 Nw, IL, 13 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 Mount Sterling’s climate
What is the weather like in Mount Sterling?
A typical July afternoon reaches 86°, a January night drops to 18°, and about 14 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 68% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 54% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Mount Sterling in winter?
January nights average 18°. About 126 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 20°.
How much snow does Mount Sterling get?
About 14 inches in a normal winter at Mt Sterling, IL, most of it in January, with snow on the ground about 24 days a year.
How hot does it get in Mount Sterling?
July, with a typical high of 86° and a low of 65°. About 31 days a year reach 90° and 1 reach 100° (Perry 6 Nw, IL).
When is the first and last frost in Mount Sterling?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 18 and the first fall frost by October 15, about 179 frost-free days, at Perry 6 Nw, IL.
What growing zone is Mount Sterling 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 Mount Sterling?
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 Mount Sterling 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 Mount Sterling.
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.