Photo: User:Visviva · CC BY-SA 4.0Sangamon Valley Township’s winters are colder but less snowy than most of the U.S.
A typical July afternoon reaches 87°, a January night drops to 18°, and about 19 inches of snow falls in a normal winter.
A year in Sangamon Valley Township at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Sangamon Valley Township’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Sangamon Valley Township’s place in Illinois beside it.
What a year in Sangamon Valley Township feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 179 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 19 and the first by October 17. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Jacksonville 2e, IL, 19 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Sangamon Valley Township’s center in zone 6a: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −8°. 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 19 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Virginia, IL, is heaviest from January through February, about 6 inches a month. 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 102 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Sangamon Valley Township
84% 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 Jacksonville 2e, IL.
Living with Sangamon Valley Township’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
179 frost-free days in zone 6a. The last frost comes by Apr 19 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 17.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: April, May, June, September and October. 1.5 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Cold waves are 40% of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Sangamon Valley Township from natural hazards, the largest share. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Sangamon Valley Township and its neighbors
Every town next door is within a degree of Sangamon Valley Township in January and July, closer than the 5 km grid can tell apart. Tap a town to see its climate.
Climates most like Sangamon Valley 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sangamon Valley Township, IL | 18° | 87° | 38" | 19" |
| Savannah, MO | 18° | 87° | 37" | 21" |
| Atchison, KS | 19° | 88° | 37" | 17" |
| Huntingdon, PA | 21° | 85° | 40" | 26" |
| Van Wert, OH | 19° | 84° | 39" | 17" |
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 Sangamon Valley Township averaged 0.7° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in December (+2.1°).
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 Sangamon Valley Township compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Sangamon Valley Township’s place among Illinois’.
Sangamon Valley Township weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Sangamon Valley Township’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Virginia, IL. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 35° | 18° | 2.0" | 6.6" | 7 | 14 | 20° – 39° |
| February | 40° | 23° | 1.9" | 6.0" | 6 | 8 | 19° – 41° |
| March | 52° | 32° | 2.6" | 2.4" | 9 | 3 | 34° – 55° |
| April | 65° | 41° | 4.0" | 0.1" | 11 | 0 | 45° – 60° |
| May | 75° | 53° | 4.8" | 0.0" | 12 | 0 | 59° – 73° |
| June | 84° | 62° | 4.5" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 69° – 76° |
| July | 87° | 65° | 3.8" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 70° – 82° |
| August | 85° | 63° | 3.6" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 69° – 80° |
| September | 79° | 55° | 3.4" | 0.0" | 7 | 0 | 62° – 72° |
| October | 67° | 43° | 3.1" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 50° – 60° |
| November | 52° | 33° | 2.7" | 0.4" | 8 | 1 | 35° – 50° |
| December | 40° | 24° | 2.1" | 3.8" | 8 | 6 | 18° – 41° |
| Year | 63° | 43° | 38.4" | 19.3" | 102 | 31 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. December swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 18° to 41°. June is the most reliable, staying within 8°.
Where Sangamon Valley 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 Sangamon Valley Township’s center.
- Snow: Virginia, IL.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Jacksonville 2e, IL, 19 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 Sangamon Valley Township’s climate
What is the weather like in Sangamon Valley Township?
A typical July afternoon reaches 87°, a January night drops to 18°, and about 19 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 68% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 59% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Sangamon Valley Township in winter?
January nights average 18°. About 128 nights a year reach 32° or below and 6 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 20°.
How much snow does Sangamon Valley Township get?
About 19 inches in a normal winter at Virginia, IL, heaviest from January through February, about 6 inches a month, with snow on the ground about 31 days a year.
How hot does it get in Sangamon Valley Township?
July, with a typical high of 87° and a low of 65°. About 28 days a year reach 90° (Jacksonville 2e, IL).
When is the first and last frost in Sangamon Valley Township?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 19 and the first fall frost by October 17, about 179 frost-free days, at Jacksonville 2e, IL.
What growing zone is Sangamon Valley Township in?
Zone 6a on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −8°.
What is the best time of year to visit Sangamon Valley 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 Sangamon Valley Township 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 Sangamon Valley 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.