Photo: Quentin Melson · CC BY-SA 4.0Shoals gets more rain and snow than 83% of U.S. towns: 50 inches of precipitation a year
Sunny July days climb to about 86°. Decade by decade the climate has edged up, 0.9° above 1901–2000. The outdoor season runs from April to June and September to October, with highs of 66–84°.
A year in Shoals at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Shoals’ climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Shoals’ place in Indiana beside it.
What a year in Shoals 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 15 and the first by October 23. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Shoals 8 S, IN, 8 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Shoals’ center in zone 6b: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −3°. 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 Williams 3 Sw, IN, is heaviest from January through February, about 4 inches a month. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 50 inches a year; May is the wettest month and February the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 119 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Shoals
78% 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 Shoals 8 S, IN.
Living with Shoals’ climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
189 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 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 Shoals from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (68%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 6%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Shoals and its neighbors
Every town next door is within a degree of Shoals in January and July, closer than the 5 km grid can tell apart. Tap a town to see its climate.
Climates most like Shoals’, 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shoals, IN | 22° | 86° | 50" | 13" |
| Lansdale, PA | 22° | 86° | 49" | 13" |
| Hockessin, DE | 24° | 86° | 48" | 12" |
| Maysville, KY | 23° | 86° | 48" | 8.8" |
| Bridgewater Center, NJ | 22° | 87° | 49" | 21" |
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 Shoals averaged 0.9° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in February (+2.2°).
A smaller shift than in 86% 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 Shoals compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Shoals’ place among Indiana’s.
Shoals weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Shoals’ center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Williams 3 Sw, IN. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 39° | 22° | 3.5" | 4.2" | 9 | 23° – 41° |
| February | 44° | 25° | 3.0" | 4.1" | 9 | 23° – 44° |
| March | 55° | 33° | 4.3" | 1.3" | 12 | 36° – 57° |
| April | 66° | 42° | 5.2" | 0.1" | 12 | 48° – 60° |
| May | 76° | 53° | 5.8" | 0.0" | 13 | 58° – 72° |
| June | 84° | 61° | 5.1" | 0.0" | 11 | 67° – 76° |
| July | 86° | 65° | 4.5" | 0.0" | 10 | 70° – 82° |
| August | 86° | 62° | 3.4" | 0.0" | 8 | 69° – 80° |
| September | 80° | 55° | 3.7" | 0.0" | 7 | 63° – 73° |
| October | 68° | 44° | 3.6" | 0.1" | 8 | 52° – 62° |
| November | 55° | 33° | 4.0" | 0.3" | 9 | 37° – 50° |
| December | 44° | 26° | 3.7" | 3.1" | 11 | 22° – 45° |
| Year | 65° | 43° | 49.7" | 13.2" | 119 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. December swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 22° to 45°. June is the most reliable, staying within 9°.
Where Shoals’ 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 Shoals’ center.
- Snow: Williams 3 Sw, IN.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Shoals 8 S, IN, 8 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 Shoals’ climate
What is the weather like in Shoals?
A typical July afternoon reaches 86°, a January night drops to 22°, and about 13 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 51% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 58% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Shoals in winter?
January nights average 22°. About 116 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 23°.
How much snow does Shoals get?
About 13 inches in a normal winter at Williams 3 Sw, IN, heaviest from January through February, about 4 inches a month.
How hot does it get in Shoals?
July, with a typical high of 86° and a low of 65°. About 28 days a year reach 90° (Shoals 8 S, IN).
When is the first and last frost in Shoals?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 15 and the first fall frost by October 23, about 189 frost-free days, at Shoals 8 S, IN.
What growing zone is Shoals in?
Zone 6b on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −3°.
What is the best time of year to visit Shoals?
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 Shoals getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 0.9° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 86% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Shoals.
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.