Tri-Lakes has colder winter nights than 76% of U.S. towns
On a normal July day the thermometer tops out near 83°. A year here swings 66° from midwinter lows to midsummer highs. In July, afternoons here are cooler than in 71% of U.S. towns. The heating season runs November to April: each of those months averages under 50°.
A year in Tri-Lakes at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Tri-Lakes’ climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Tri-Lakes’ place in Indiana beside it.
What a year in Tri-Lakes feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 171 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 27 and the first by October 17. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Columbia City, IN, 8 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Tri-Lakes’ 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 21 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Columbia City, IN, is heaviest from January through February, about 7 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 124 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Tri-Lakes
90% 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 Columbia City, IN.
Living with Tri-Lakes’ climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
171 frost-free days in zone 6a. The last frost comes by Apr 27 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: May, June, July, August, September and October. 0.0 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Tri-Lakes from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (44%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 13%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Tri-Lakes and its neighbors
Every town next door is within a degree of Tri-Lakes in January and July, closer than the 5 km grid can tell apart. Tap a town to see its climate.
Climates most like Tri-Lakes’, 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tri-Lakes, IN | 17° | 83° | 38" | 21" |
| Aurora, IL | 15° | 84° | 38" | 28" |
| Columbiana, OH | 19° | 83° | 41" | 28" |
| Franklin Park, PA | 20° | 83° | 41" | 20" |
| Eldridge, IA | 14° | 84° | 38" | 29" |
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 Tri-Lakes averaged 1.1° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in December (+2.4°).
A smaller shift than in 73% 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 Tri-Lakes compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Tri-Lakes’ place among Indiana’s.
Tri-Lakes weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Tri-Lakes’ center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Columbia City, IN. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 32° | 17° | 2.4" | 7.0" | 12 | 15° – 36° |
| February | 36° | 19° | 1.9" | 6.5" | 9 | 14° – 37° |
| March | 47° | 28° | 2.4" | 3.0" | 10 | 28° – 52° |
| April | 60° | 38° | 3.7" | 0.3" | 11 | 42° – 54° |
| May | 71° | 49° | 4.4" | 0.0" | 12 | 53° – 66° |
| June | 80° | 58° | 4.3" | 0.0" | 11 | 64° – 72° |
| July | 83° | 62° | 3.9" | 0.0" | 10 | 67° – 78° |
| August | 81° | 60° | 4.1" | 0.0" | 10 | 66° – 76° |
| September | 75° | 52° | 3.0" | 0.0" | 9 | 60° – 68° |
| October | 63° | 42° | 3.0" | 0.0" | 10 | 48° – 59° |
| November | 48° | 31° | 3.0" | 1.2" | 10 | 33° – 46° |
| December | 37° | 23° | 2.4" | 3.4" | 11 | 16° – 40° |
| Year | 59° | 40° | 38.2" | 21.4" | 124 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. March swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 28° to 52°. September is the most reliable, staying within 8°.
Where Tri-Lakes’ 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 Tri-Lakes’ center.
- Snow: Columbia City, IN.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Columbia City, 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 Tri-Lakes’ climate
What is the weather like in Tri-Lakes?
A typical July afternoon reaches 83°, a January night drops to 17°, and about 21 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 76% of U.S. towns; cooler July afternoons than 71% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Tri-Lakes in winter?
January nights average 17°. About 134 nights a year reach 32° or below and 9 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 15°.
How much snow does Tri-Lakes get?
About 21 inches in a normal winter at Columbia City, IN, heaviest from January through February, about 7 inches a month.
How hot does it get in Tri-Lakes?
July, with a typical high of 83° and a low of 62°. About 9 days a year reach 90° (Columbia City, IN).
When is the first and last frost in Tri-Lakes?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 27 and the first fall frost by October 17, about 171 frost-free days, at Columbia City, IN.
What growing zone is Tri-Lakes 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 Tri-Lakes?
By one simple rule (highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more), May, June, July, August, September and October. The rule is ours, not NOAA’s; the month table has the numbers to judge by.
Is Tri-Lakes getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.1° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 73% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Tri-Lakes.
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.