The climate in Ripley sits close to the middle of U.S. towns
Expect July afternoons of about 86°. A year here swings 68° from midwinter lows to midsummer highs. Its January nights bite harder than in 69% of U.S. towns. From April to June and September to October, highs of 64–83° make it easy to spend the day outdoors.
A year in Ripley at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Ripley’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Ripley’s place in Illinois beside it.
What a year in Ripley feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 189 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 16 and the first by October 23. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Rushville, IL, 8 miles from the town’s center, 150 ft higher.
The 2023 USDA map puts Ripley’s center in zone 6a: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −7°. 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 14 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Mt Sterling, IL, falls mostly in January. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 38 inches a year; May is the wettest month and January the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 82 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Ripley
85% 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 Rushville, IL.
Living with Ripley’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
189 frost-free days in zone 6a. The last frost comes by Apr 16 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 23.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: April, May, June, September and October.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Ripley from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (27%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 39%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Ripley and its neighbors
Every town next door is within a degree of Ripley in January and July, closer than the 5 km grid can tell apart. Tap a town to see its climate.
Climates most like Ripley’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ripley, IL | 18° | 86° | 38" | 14" |
| Chillicothe, MO | 18° | 88° | 40" | 14" |
| Trotwood, OH | 21° | 85° | 41" | 12" |
| Spring Hill, KS | 21° | 88° | 40" | 14" |
| Terre Haute, IN | 21° | 87° | 43" | 15" |
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 Ripley averaged 0.7° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in December (+2.0°).
A smaller shift than in 93% 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 Ripley compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Ripley’s place among Illinois’.
Ripley weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Ripley’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Mt Sterling, IL. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 35° | 18° | 1.8" | 5.3" | 6 | 11 | 20° – 38° |
| February | 40° | 22° | 1.9" | 2.8" | 5 | 6 | 19° – 42° |
| March | 52° | 32° | 2.6" | 1.3" | 7 | 1 | 34° – 55° |
| April | 64° | 42° | 3.9" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 45° – 60° |
| May | 75° | 53° | 4.9" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 58° – 73° |
| June | 83° | 62° | 4.7" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 69° – 78° |
| July | 86° | 65° | 3.7" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 71° – 82° |
| August | 85° | 63° | 3.6" | 0.0" | 6 | 0 | 69° – 80° |
| September | 79° | 55° | 3.6" | 0.0" | 6 | 0 | 61° – 73° |
| October | 66° | 43° | 3.1" | 0.0" | 7 | 0 | 49° – 60° |
| November | 52° | 33° | 2.6" | 0.6" | 6 | 0 | 35° – 50° |
| December | 40° | 24° | 2.0" | 3.5" | 5 | 6 | 17° – 40° |
| Year | 63° | 43° | 38.4" | 13.5" | 82 | 24 |
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 40°. June is the most reliable, staying within 9°.
Where Ripley’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 Ripley’s center.
- Snow: Mt Sterling, IL.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Rushville, IL, 8 miles from the town’s center, 150 ft higher; 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 Ripley’s climate
What is the weather like in Ripley?
A typical July afternoon reaches 86°, a January night drops to 18°, and about 14 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 69% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 58% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Ripley in winter?
January nights average 18°. About 121 nights a year reach 32° or below and 7 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 20°.
How much snow does Ripley get?
About 14 inches in a normal winter at Mt Sterling, IL, most of it in January, with snow on the ground about 24 days a year.
How hot does it get in Ripley?
July, with a typical high of 86° and a low of 65°. About 21 days a year reach 90° (Rushville, IL).
When is the first and last frost in Ripley?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 16 and the first fall frost by October 23, about 189 frost-free days, at Rushville, IL.
What growing zone is Ripley in?
Zone 6a on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −7°.
What is the best time of year to visit Ripley?
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 Ripley getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 0.7° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 93% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Ripley.
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.