A middle-of-the-road climate: Phillipstown is close to most U.S. towns on every count
On a normal January night the air cools to about 25°. Precipitation is plentiful here, more than falls on 70% of U.S. towns. Decade by decade the climate has edged up, 0.9° above 1901–2000. The frost-free window for a garden runs roughly April 15 to October 19.
A year in Phillipstown at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Phillipstown’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Phillipstown’s place in Illinois beside it.
What a year in Phillipstown feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 183 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 15 and the first by October 19. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Carmi 3, IL, 10 miles from the town’s center, 180 ft lower.
The 2023 USDA map puts Phillipstown’s center in zone 6b: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about 0°. 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 Grayville, IL, falls mostly in February and December. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 47 inches a year; April is the wettest month and February the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 130 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Phillipstown
80% of the work is heating. Months averaging under 55° run from November through March.
Degree days add up how far each day’s average falls below (heating) or rises above (cooling) 65° over a year. NOAA normals at Carmi 3, IL.
Living with Phillipstown’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
183 frost-free days in zone 6b. The last frost comes by Apr 15 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 19.
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 Phillipstown from natural hazards, earthquakes are the largest share (43%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 8%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Phillipstown and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Phillipstown yet.
Climates most like Phillipstown’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Phillipstown, IL | 25° | 88° | 47" | 12" |
| Aurora, MO | 24° | 89° | 47" | 12" |
| Collegeville, PA | 23° | 88° | 47" | 13" |
| Claymont, DE | 25° | 87° | 47" | 12" |
| Pea Ridge, WV | 25° | 87° | 45" | 9.6" |
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 Phillipstown averaged 0.9° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in February (+1.8°).
A smaller shift than in 84% 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 Phillipstown compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Phillipstown’s place among Illinois’.
Phillipstown weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Phillipstown’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Grayville, IL. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 41° | 25° | 3.3" | 2.3" | 11 | 27° – 42° |
| February | 46° | 28° | 3.0" | 4.6" | 11 | 26° – 46° |
| March | 56° | 36° | 4.4" | 0.2" | 13 | 38° – 59° |
| April | 68° | 46° | 5.1" | 0.0" | 11 | 50° – 62° |
| May | 77° | 56° | 5.0" | 0.0" | 13 | 61° – 73° |
| June | 85° | 65° | 4.3" | 0.0" | 10 | 70° – 79° |
| July | 88° | 68° | 4.4" | 0.0" | 11 | 73° – 85° |
| August | 87° | 66° | 3.3" | 0.0" | 9 | 72° – 82° |
| September | 81° | 58° | 3.3" | 0.0" | 8 | 65° – 75° |
| October | 70° | 47° | 3.3" | 0.0" | 10 | 54° – 64° |
| November | 56° | 36° | 4.0" | 0.0" | 10 | 39° – 52° |
| December | 45° | 28° | 3.6" | 4.7" | 14 | 24° – 46° |
| Year | 67° | 46° | 47.0" | 11.8" | 130 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. December swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 24° to 46°. June is the most reliable, staying within 9°.
Where Phillipstown’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 Phillipstown’s center.
- Snow: Grayville, IL.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Carmi 3, IL, 10 miles from the town’s center, 180 ft lower; 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 Phillipstown’s climate
What is the weather like in Phillipstown?
A typical July afternoon reaches 88°, a January night drops to 25°, and about 12 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Milder January nights than 61% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 67% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Phillipstown in winter?
January nights average 25°. About 103 nights a year reach 32° or below and 2 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 27°.
How much snow does Phillipstown get?
About 12 inches in a normal winter at Grayville, IL, most of it in February and December.
How hot does it get in Phillipstown?
July, with a typical high of 88° and a low of 68°. About 38 days a year reach 90° (Carmi 3, IL).
When is the first and last frost in Phillipstown?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 15 and the first fall frost by October 19, about 183 frost-free days, at Carmi 3, IL.
What growing zone is Phillipstown in?
Zone 6b on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about 0°.
What is the best time of year to visit Phillipstown?
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 Phillipstown getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 0.9° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 84% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Phillipstown.
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.