Photo: Huwmanbeing (original), Yassie (jpeg conversion) · Public domainTerre Haute’s winters are colder but less snowy than most of the U.S.
A typical July afternoon reaches 87°, a January night drops to 21°, and about 15 inches of snow falls in a normal winter.
A year in Terre Haute at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Terre Haute’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Terre Haute’s place in Indiana beside it.
What a year in Terre Haute feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 183 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 16 and the first by October 18. Day counts come from NOAA’s station at Terre Haute Indiana State, IN, 1.7 miles from the city’s center point, at about the same height; frost dates and degree days from Terre Haute Hulman Rgnl Airport, 4 miles away.
The 2023 USDA map puts Terre Haute’s center in zone 6a: 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 15 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Farmersburg Tv-2, IN, falls mostly in January. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 43 inches a year; June is the wettest month and February the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 121 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Terre Haute
83% 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 Terre Haute Hulman Rgnl Airport.
Living with Terre Haute’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
183 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 18.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: April, May, June, September and October. 7.7 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Terre Haute from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (55%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 13%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Terre Haute and its neighbors
Every town next door is within a degree of Terre Haute in January and July, closer than the 5 km grid can tell apart. Tap a town to see its climate.
Climates most like Terre Haute’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Terre Haute, IN | 21° | 87° | 43" | 15" |
| Moberly, MO | 19° | 87° | 42" | 15" |
| Fairfield, OH | 22° | 86° | 44" | 16" |
| Jerseyville, IL | 21° | 87° | 41" | 13" |
| 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 Terre Haute averaged 1.2° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in December (+2.1°).
A smaller shift than in 60% 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 Terre Haute compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Terre Haute’s place among Indiana’s.
Terre Haute weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Terre Haute’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Farmersburg Tv-2, IN. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 37° | 21° | 3.0" | 5.3" | 11 | 10 | 22° – 40° |
| February | 42° | 24° | 2.3" | 3.6" | 10 | 6 | 20° – 43° |
| March | 53° | 33° | 3.3" | 1.7" | 11 | 1 | 36° – 57° |
| April | 66° | 43° | 4.7" | 0.0" | 12 | 0 | 47° – 60° |
| May | 75° | 53° | 4.4" | 0.0" | 13 | 0 | 58° – 73° |
| June | 84° | 62° | 5.0" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 69° – 76° |
| July | 87° | 65° | 4.1" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 71° – 84° |
| August | 86° | 63° | 3.2" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 70° – 80° |
| September | 80° | 55° | 3.0" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 63° – 73° |
| October | 68° | 44° | 3.5" | 0.1" | 9 | 0 | 52° – 62° |
| November | 53° | 34° | 3.5" | 0.5" | 10 | 1 | 36° – 51° |
| December | 41° | 26° | 2.8" | 3.9" | 11 | 6 | 20° – 43° |
| Year | 64° | 44° | 42.8" | 15.1" | 121 | 23 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. December swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 20° to 43°. June is the most reliable, staying within 7°.
Where Terre Haute’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 Terre Haute’s center.
- Snow: Farmersburg Tv-2, IN.
- Frost dates, heating and cooling: Terre Haute Hulman Rgnl Airport, 4 miles away.
- Freezing nights, 90° and 100° days: Terre Haute Indiana State, IN, 1.7 miles from the city’s center point, 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 Terre Haute’s climate
What is the weather like in Terre Haute?
A typical July afternoon reaches 87°, a January night drops to 21°, and about 15 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 56% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 60% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Terre Haute in winter?
January nights average 21°. About 116 nights a year reach 32° or below and 3 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 22°.
How much snow does Terre Haute get?
About 15 inches in a normal winter at Farmersburg Tv-2, IN, most of it in January, with snow on the ground about 23 days a year.
How hot does it get in Terre Haute?
July, with a typical high of 87° and a low of 65°. About 47 days a year reach 90° and 2 reach 100° (Terre Haute Hulman Rgnl Airport).
When is the first and last frost in Terre Haute?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 16 and the first fall frost by October 18, about 183 frost-free days, at Terre Haute Hulman Rgnl Airport.
What growing zone is Terre Haute in?
Zone 6a 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 Terre Haute?
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 Terre Haute getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.2° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 60% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Terre Haute.
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.