Photo: User:Visviva · CC BY-SA 4.0No extremes in Ricks Township: its weather tracks the middle of U.S. towns
In July the day’s top temperature is typically 86°. The latest 30-year average runs 1.0° warmer than 1901–2000’s, with December up the most. Plan time outside from April to June and September to October, when highs sit at 65–84°.
A year in Ricks Township at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Ricks Township’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Ricks Township’s place in Illinois beside it.
What a year in Ricks Township feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 190 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 12 and the first by October 20. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Morrisonville, IL, 2.7 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Ricks Township’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 16 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Morrisonville, IL, falls mostly in January. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 40 inches a year; May is the wettest month and February the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 100 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Ricks Township
82% 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 Morrisonville, IL.
Living with Ricks Township’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
190 frost-free days in zone 6a. 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 20.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: April, May, June, September and October. 5.9 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Ricks Township from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (28%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 23%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Ricks Township and its neighbors
Every town next door is within a degree of Ricks Township in January and July, closer than the 5 km grid can tell apart. Tap a town to see its climate.
Climates most like Ricks Township’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ricks Township, IL | 20° | 86° | 40" | 16" |
| Moberly, MO | 19° | 87° | 42" | 15" |
| Dayton, OH | 22° | 86° | 41" | 12" |
| Strasburg, VA | 23° | 87° | 39" | 21" |
| Louisburg, KS | 21° | 88° | 41" | 14" |
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 Ricks Township averaged 1.0° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in December (+1.9°).
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 Ricks Township compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Ricks Township’s place among Illinois’.
Ricks Township weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Ricks Township’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Morrisonville, IL. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 36° | 20° | 2.4" | 5.9" | 7 | 10 | 22° – 39° |
| February | 41° | 24° | 2.1" | 3.9" | 7 | 5 | 21° – 42° |
| March | 52° | 33° | 2.9" | 2.4" | 9 | 1 | 36° – 57° |
| April | 65° | 43° | 4.4" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 47° – 60° |
| May | 75° | 54° | 4.8" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 59° – 72° |
| June | 84° | 62° | 4.6" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 67° – 76° |
| July | 86° | 65° | 3.7" | 0.0" | 7 | 0 | 71° – 83° |
| August | 85° | 63° | 3.4" | 0.0" | 7 | 0 | 69° – 80° |
| September | 80° | 55° | 3.2" | 0.0" | 7 | 0 | 63° – 72° |
| October | 67° | 44° | 3.3" | 0.2" | 9 | 0 | 52° – 61° |
| November | 52° | 34° | 3.2" | 0.6" | 8 | 1 | 35° – 50° |
| December | 41° | 25° | 2.3" | 3.2" | 8 | 4 | 19° – 41° |
| Year | 64° | 43° | 40.2" | 16.2" | 100 | 22 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. December swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 19° to 41°. June is the most reliable, staying within 9°.
Where Ricks Township’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 Ricks Township’s center.
- Snow: Morrisonville, IL.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Morrisonville, IL, 2.7 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 Ricks Township’s climate
What is the weather like in Ricks Township?
A typical July afternoon reaches 86°, a January night drops to 20°, and about 16 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 58% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 58% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Ricks Township in winter?
January nights average 20°. About 122 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 22°.
How much snow does Ricks Township get?
About 16 inches in a normal winter at Morrisonville, IL, most of it in January, with snow on the ground about 22 days a year.
How hot does it get in Ricks Township?
July, with a typical high of 86° and a low of 65°. About 25 days a year reach 90° (Morrisonville, IL).
When is the first and last frost in Ricks Township?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 12 and the first fall frost by October 20, about 190 frost-free days, at Morrisonville, IL.
What growing zone is Ricks Township 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 Ricks Township?
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 Ricks Township 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 Ricks Township.
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.