Photo: David Wilson · CC BY 2.0Quincy’s winters are colder but less snowy than most of the U.S.
A typical July afternoon reaches 87°, a January night drops to 19°, and about 17 inches of snow falls in a normal winter.
A year in Quincy at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Quincy’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Quincy’s place in Illinois beside it.
What a year in Quincy feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 204 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 8 and the first by October 30. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Quincy Dam 21, IL, 3 miles from the town’s center, 140 ft lower.
The 2023 USDA map puts Quincy’s center in zone 6a: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −6°. 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 Payson, IL, falls mostly in January and December. 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 105 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Quincy
81% 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 Quincy Dam 21, IL.
Living with Quincy’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
204 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 30.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: April, May, June, September and October. 13 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Quincy from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (40%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 34%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Quincy and its neighbors
Every town next door is within a degree of Quincy in January and July, closer than the 5 km grid can tell apart. Tap a town to see its climate.
Climates most like Quincy’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Quincy, IL | 19° | 87° | 39" | 17" |
| Excelsior Springs, MO | 19° | 87° | 40" | 19" |
| Terre Haute, IN | 21° | 87° | 43" | 15" |
| Spring Hill, KS | 21° | 88° | 40" | 14" |
| Dayton, OH | 22° | 86° | 41" | 12" |
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 Quincy averaged 0.4° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in December (+1.7°).
A smaller shift than in all but 140 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 Quincy compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Quincy’s place among Illinois’.
Quincy weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Quincy’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Payson, IL. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 35° | 19° | 1.8" | 5.3" | 7 | 15 | 20° – 39° |
| February | 40° | 23° | 1.9" | 4.5" | 6 | 10 | 19° – 43° |
| March | 52° | 32° | 2.6" | 1.4" | 8 | 2 | 35° – 56° |
| April | 64° | 43° | 4.1" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 46° – 60° |
| May | 74° | 54° | 5.1" | 0.0" | 12 | 0 | 59° – 73° |
| June | 83° | 63° | 4.8" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 69° – 77° |
| July | 87° | 67° | 3.9" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 71° – 84° |
| August | 85° | 65° | 3.9" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 69° – 80° |
| September | 79° | 56° | 3.5" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 62° – 73° |
| October | 66° | 45° | 3.2" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 50° – 61° |
| November | 52° | 34° | 2.6" | 0.7" | 8 | 1 | 35° – 51° |
| December | 40° | 24° | 2.0" | 5.1" | 7 | 8 | 17° – 41° |
| Year | 63° | 44° | 39.4" | 17.0" | 105 | 36 |
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 41°. June is the most reliable, staying within 8°.
Where Quincy’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 Quincy’s center.
- Snow: Payson, IL.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Quincy Dam 21, IL, 3 miles from the town’s center, 140 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 Quincy’s climate
What is the weather like in Quincy?
A typical July afternoon reaches 87°, a January night drops to 19°, and about 17 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 66% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 60% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Quincy in winter?
January nights average 19°. About 112 nights a year reach 32° or below and 5 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 20°.
How much snow does Quincy get?
About 17 inches in a normal winter at Payson, IL, most of it in January and December, with snow on the ground about 36 days a year.
How hot does it get in Quincy?
July, with a typical high of 87° and a low of 67°. About 31 days a year reach 90° and 2 reach 100° (Quincy Dam 21, IL).
When is the first and last frost in Quincy?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 8 and the first fall frost by October 30, about 204 frost-free days, at Quincy Dam 21, IL.
What growing zone is Quincy in?
Zone 6a on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −6°.
What is the best time of year to visit Quincy?
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 Quincy getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 0.4° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than all but 140 U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Quincy.
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.