Photo: Nyttend · Public domainNights turn raw in Oquawka each January, colder than in 83% of U.S. towns
Expect July afternoons of about 86°. Its yearly precipitation falls short of 71% of U.S. towns. Compared with 1901–2000, the average now sits 0.7° higher. From April to June and August to October, highs of 63–84° make it easy to spend the day outdoors.
A year in Oquawka at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Oquawka’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Oquawka’s place in Illinois beside it.
What a year in Oquawka feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 202 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 8 and the first by October 29. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Gladstone Dam 18, IL, 5 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Oquawka’s center in zone 6a: 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 17 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Gladstone Dam 18, IL, falls mostly in February. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 37 inches a year; May is the wettest month and January the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 103 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Oquawka
84% 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 Gladstone Dam 18, IL.
Living with Oquawka’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
202 frost-free days in zone 6a. The last frost comes by Apr 8 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 29.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: April, May, June, August, September and October.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Oquawka from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (44%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 13%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Oquawka and its neighbors
Every town next door is within a degree of Oquawka in January and July, closer than the 5 km grid can tell apart. Tap a town to see its climate.
Climates most like Oquawka’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oquawka, IL | 15° | 86° | 37" | 17" |
| Clarinda, IA | 14° | 86° | 36" | 23" |
| Savannah, MO | 18° | 87° | 37" | 21" |
| Van Wert, OH | 19° | 84° | 39" | 17" |
| West Lafayette, IN | 18° | 84° | 40" | 19" |
Temperatures and rain come from NOAA’s 5 km grid, so each town gets its own value. Snow and frost-free days come from the nearest weather station, so neighbors often share them.
Warmer than it used to be
The last 30 years in Oquawka averaged 0.7° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in December (+1.9°).
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 Oquawka compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Oquawka’s place among Illinois’.
Oquawka weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Oquawka’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Gladstone Dam 18, IL. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 32° | 15° | 1.5" | 4.9" | 7 | 16° – 36° |
| February | 37° | 20° | 1.7" | 6.3" | 7 | 15° – 40° |
| March | 50° | 30° | 2.4" | 1.8" | 8 | 32° – 54° |
| April | 63° | 40° | 3.7" | 0.3" | 10 | 43° – 59° |
| May | 73° | 52° | 4.9" | 0.0" | 12 | 57° – 70° |
| June | 83° | 62° | 4.8" | 0.0" | 10 | 69° – 75° |
| July | 86° | 65° | 3.9" | 0.0" | 9 | 70° – 81° |
| August | 84° | 63° | 3.7" | 0.0" | 9 | 67° – 79° |
| September | 78° | 55° | 3.5" | 0.0" | 7 | 60° – 71° |
| October | 65° | 43° | 2.9" | 0.1" | 8 | 48° – 59° |
| November | 50° | 31° | 2.3" | 0.3" | 8 | 32° – 50° |
| December | 37° | 21° | 1.8" | 3.2" | 7 | 14° – 38° |
| Year | 61° | 41° | 37.1" | 16.9" | 103 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. February swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 15° to 40°. June is the most reliable, staying within 6°.
Where Oquawka’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 Oquawka’s center.
- Snow: Gladstone Dam 18, IL.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Gladstone Dam 18, IL, 5 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 Oquawka’s climate
What is the weather like in Oquawka?
A typical July afternoon reaches 86°, a January night drops to 15°, and about 17 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 83% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 53% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Oquawka in winter?
January nights average 15°. About 122 nights a year reach 32° or below and 9 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 16°.
How much snow does Oquawka get?
About 17 inches in a normal winter at Gladstone Dam 18, IL, most of it in February.
How hot does it get in Oquawka?
July, with a typical high of 86° and a low of 65°. About 21 days a year reach 90° (Gladstone Dam 18, IL).
When is the first and last frost in Oquawka?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 8 and the first fall frost by October 29, about 202 frost-free days, at Gladstone Dam 18, IL.
What growing zone is Oquawka in?
Zone 6a 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 Oquawka?
By one simple rule (highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more), April, May, June, August, September and October. The rule is ours, not NOAA’s; the month table has the numbers to judge by.
Is Oquawka 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 Oquawka.
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.