Photo: Nyttend · Public domainA middle-of-the-road climate: Palestine is close to most U.S. towns on every count
In July the day’s top temperature is typically 87°. A year here swings 65° from midwinter lows to midsummer highs. Summer afternoons here are warmer than in 62% of U.S. towns. Tender plants can go out after about April 12; in half of years the first frost comes by October 22.
A year in Palestine at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Palestine’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Palestine’s place in Illinois beside it.
What a year in Palestine feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 193 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 12 and the first by October 22. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Palestine, IL, 0.7 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Palestine’s center in zone 6b: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −3°. 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 12 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Palestine, IL, falls mostly in January. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 45 inches a year; May is the wettest month and February the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 108 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Palestine
80% 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 Palestine, IL.
Living with Palestine’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
193 frost-free days in zone 6b. The last frost comes by Apr 12 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 22.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: April, May, September and October.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Palestine from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (50%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 9%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Palestine and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Palestine yet.
Climates most like Palestine’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Palestine, IL | 22° | 87° | 45" | 12" |
| Park Hills, MO | 22° | 87° | 46" | 8.7" |
| Collegeville, PA | 23° | 88° | 47" | 13" |
| Loveland, OH | 23° | 86° | 44" | 14" |
| Parkersburg, WV | 24° | 86° | 44" | 11" |
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 Palestine averaged 1.2° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in December (+2.2°).
A smaller shift than in 65% 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 Palestine compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Palestine’s place among Illinois’.
Palestine weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Palestine’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Palestine, IL. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 38° | 22° | 3.0" | 4.3" | 9 | 23° – 41° |
| February | 43° | 25° | 2.4" | 2.2" | 8 | 21° – 43° |
| March | 54° | 34° | 3.5" | 1.1" | 10 | 36° – 57° |
| April | 66° | 44° | 5.0" | 0.0" | 11 | 48° – 61° |
| May | 76° | 54° | 5.0" | 0.0" | 11 | 59° – 74° |
| June | 84° | 63° | 5.0" | 0.0" | 10 | 69° – 77° |
| July | 87° | 66° | 4.3" | 0.0" | 9 | 71° – 84° |
| August | 86° | 64° | 3.2" | 0.0" | 7 | 70° – 80° |
| September | 80° | 56° | 3.4" | 0.0" | 7 | 64° – 74° |
| October | 68° | 45° | 3.8" | 0.1" | 8 | 52° – 62° |
| November | 54° | 35° | 3.7" | 0.5" | 9 | 37° – 51° |
| December | 42° | 27° | 3.0" | 3.4" | 10 | 21° – 44° |
| Year | 65° | 45° | 45.4" | 11.6" | 108 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. December swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 21° to 44°. June is the most reliable, staying within 8°.
Where Palestine’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 Palestine’s center.
- Snow: Palestine, IL (NOAA station in town).
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Palestine, IL, 0.7 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 Palestine’s climate
What is the weather like in Palestine?
A typical July afternoon reaches 87°, a January night drops to 22°, and about 12 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Milder January nights than 51% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 62% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Palestine in winter?
January nights average 22°. About 101 nights a year reach 32° or below and 3 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 23°.
How much snow does Palestine get?
About 12 inches in a normal winter at Palestine, IL, most of it in January.
How hot does it get in Palestine?
July, with a typical high of 87° and a low of 66°. About 38 days a year reach 90° (Palestine, IL).
When is the first and last frost in Palestine?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 12 and the first fall frost by October 22, about 193 frost-free days, at Palestine, IL.
What growing zone is Palestine in?
Zone 6b on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −3°.
What is the best time of year to visit Palestine?
By one simple rule (highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more), April, May, September and October. The rule is ours, not NOAA’s; the month table has the numbers to judge by.
Is Palestine getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.2° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 65% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Palestine.
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.