Princeville has colder winter nights than 82% of U.S. towns
Midsummer highs settle at about 85°. Precipitation is light here, less than falls on 70% of U.S. towns. Decade by decade the climate has edged up, 1.0° above 1901–2000. Garden planting can start around April 22; autumn frost returns near October 14.
A year in Princeville at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Princeville’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Princeville’s place in Illinois beside it.
What a year in Princeville feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 174 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 22 and the first by October 14. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Princeville, IL, 0.5 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Princeville’s center in zone 5b: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −12°. 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 20 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Princeville, IL, falls mostly in December. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 38 inches a year; May is the wettest month and February the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 107 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Princeville
86% 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 Princeville, IL.
Living with Princeville’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
174 frost-free days in zone 5b. The last frost comes by Apr 22 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 14.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: May, June, August, September and October. 0.2 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Princeville from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (31%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 25%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Princeville and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Princeville yet.
Climates most like Princeville’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Princeville, IL | 16° | 85° | 38" | 20" |
| Centerville, IA | 15° | 85° | 38" | 22" |
| Defiance, OH | 19° | 85° | 37" | 24" |
| West Lafayette, IN | 18° | 84° | 40" | 19" |
| Savannah, MO | 18° | 87° | 37" | 21" |
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 Princeville averaged 1.0° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in December (+2.2°).
A smaller shift than in 76% 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 Princeville compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Princeville’s place among Illinois’.
Princeville weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Princeville’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Princeville, IL. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 32° | 16° | 1.8" | 5.4" | 8 | 10 | 16° – 36° |
| February | 37° | 20° | 1.8" | 5.5" | 7 | 7 | 15° – 39° |
| March | 49° | 29° | 2.4" | 2.0" | 9 | 3 | 32° – 54° |
| April | 63° | 39° | 3.8" | 0.1" | 11 | 0 | 43° – 58° |
| May | 74° | 51° | 4.7" | 0.0" | 12 | 0 | 57° – 70° |
| June | 82° | 60° | 4.4" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 67° – 75° |
| July | 85° | 64° | 4.0" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 69° – 80° |
| August | 83° | 61° | 3.6" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 67° – 79° |
| September | 78° | 54° | 3.5" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 60° – 70° |
| October | 65° | 42° | 3.0" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 49° – 59° |
| November | 49° | 31° | 2.5" | 0.9" | 8 | 0 | 33° – 50° |
| December | 37° | 21° | 2.0" | 6.4" | 7 | 10 | 14° – 39° |
| Year | 61° | 41° | 37.5" | 20.3" | 107 | 30 |
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 Princeville’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 Princeville’s center.
- Snow: Princeville, IL (NOAA station in town).
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Princeville, IL, 0.5 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 Princeville’s climate
What is the weather like in Princeville?
A typical July afternoon reaches 85°, a January night drops to 16°, and about 20 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 82% of U.S. towns; cooler July afternoons than 50% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Princeville in winter?
January nights average 16°. About 143 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 Princeville get?
About 20 inches in a normal winter at Princeville, IL, most of it in December, with snow on the ground about 30 days a year.
How hot does it get in Princeville?
July, with a typical high of 85° and a low of 64°. About 23 days a year reach 90° (Princeville, IL).
When is the first and last frost in Princeville?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 22 and the first fall frost by October 14, about 174 frost-free days, at Princeville, IL.
What growing zone is Princeville in?
Zone 5b on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −12°.
What is the best time of year to visit Princeville?
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 Princeville getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.0° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 76% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Princeville.
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.