Photo: Chris Flook · CC BY-SA 4.0For weather, Napoleon is about as ordinary as U.S. towns get
January nights here settle around 21°. Precipitation is plentiful here, more than falls on 71% of U.S. towns. December has warmed most since 1901–2000, part of a 0.8° rise. Central heating does most of its work from November to March, in months below 50° on average.
A year in Napoleon at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Napoleon’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Napoleon’s place in Indiana beside it.
What a year in Napoleon feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 194 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 15 and the first by October 26. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Greensburg, IN, 13 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Napoleon’s center in zone 6b: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −5°. 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 13 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Greensburg, IN, falls mostly in January. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 47 inches a year; May is the wettest month and February the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 122 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Napoleon
82% of the work is heating. 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 Greensburg, IN.
Living with Napoleon’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
194 frost-free days in zone 6b. The last frost comes by Apr 15 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 26.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: April, May, June, August, September and October. 0.0 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Napoleon from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (47%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 8%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Napoleon and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Napoleon yet.
Climates most like Napoleon’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Napoleon, IN | 21° | 84° | 47" | 13" |
| Morgantown, WV | 22° | 84° | 45" | 14" |
| Marion, VA | 23° | 83° | 46" | 10" |
| Oyster Bay, NY | 24° | 84° | 46" | 19" |
| Lansdale, PA | 22° | 86° | 49" | 13" |
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 Napoleon averaged 0.8° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in December (+1.8°).
A smaller shift than in 90% 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 Napoleon compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Napoleon’s place among Indiana’s.
Napoleon weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Napoleon’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Greensburg, IN. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 37° | 21° | 3.5" | 4.4" | 11 | 8 | 20° – 40° |
| February | 42° | 24° | 2.9" | 3.8" | 9 | 6 | 20° – 43° |
| March | 52° | 32° | 3.9" | 1.7" | 11 | 2 | 35° – 55° |
| April | 64° | 42° | 4.8" | 0.0" | 13 | 0 | 47° – 59° |
| May | 74° | 52° | 5.2" | 0.0" | 13 | 0 | 57° – 70° |
| June | 81° | 60° | 5.1" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 66° – 74° |
| July | 84° | 64° | 4.5" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 69° – 80° |
| August | 84° | 62° | 3.5" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 68° – 78° |
| September | 78° | 55° | 3.2" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 62° – 72° |
| October | 66° | 44° | 3.5" | 0.1" | 8 | 0 | 51° – 61° |
| November | 52° | 33° | 3.5" | 0.2" | 9 | 0 | 36° – 49° |
| December | 42° | 26° | 3.7" | 3.1" | 11 | 5 | 21° – 44° |
| Year | 63° | 43° | 47.2" | 13.3" | 122 | 21 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. December swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 21° to 44°. June is the most reliable, staying within 8°.
Where Napoleon’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 Napoleon’s center.
- Snow: Greensburg, IN.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Greensburg, IN, 13 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 Napoleon’s climate
What is the weather like in Napoleon?
A typical July afternoon reaches 84°, a January night drops to 21°, and about 13 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 52% of U.S. towns; cooler July afternoons than 57% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Napoleon in winter?
January nights average 21°. About 109 nights a year reach 32° or below and 4 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 20°.
How much snow does Napoleon get?
About 13 inches in a normal winter at Greensburg, IN, most of it in January, with snow on the ground about 21 days a year.
How hot does it get in Napoleon?
July, with a typical high of 84° and a low of 64°. About 16 days a year reach 90° (Greensburg, IN).
When is the first and last frost in Napoleon?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 15 and the first fall frost by October 26, about 194 frost-free days, at Greensburg, IN.
What growing zone is Napoleon in?
Zone 6b on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −5°.
What is the best time of year to visit Napoleon?
By one simple rule (highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more), April, May, June, August, September and October. The rule is ours, not NOAA’s; the month table has the numbers to judge by.
Is Napoleon getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 0.8° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 90% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Napoleon.
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.