Photo: Brian Stansberry · CC BY 4.0Weather without surprises: Universal keeps close to the norm for U.S. towns
Nights in January average 20°. The gap between a January night and a July afternoon is 66°. Garden planting can start around April 21; autumn frost returns near October 20.
A year in Universal at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Universal’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Universal’s place in Indiana beside it.
What a year in Universal 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 21 and the first by October 20. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Paris Stp, IL, 11 miles from the town’s center, 120 ft higher.
The 2023 USDA map puts Universal’s center in zone 6a: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −6°. 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 Clinton 2 W, 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 110 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Universal
86% of the work is heating, so the furnace matters far more than the air conditioner. 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 Paris Stp, IL.
Living with Universal’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 21 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 20.
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 Universal from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (45%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 22%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Universal and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Universal yet.
Climates most like Universal’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Universal, IN | 20° | 86° | 43" | 15" |
| Moberly, MO | 19° | 87° | 42" | 15" |
| Lebanon, OH | 22° | 86° | 44" | 14" |
| Moundsville, WV | 22° | 85° | 43" | 16" |
| Columbia, PA | 22° | 86° | 44" | 21" |
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 Universal averaged 1.1° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in December (+2.1°).
A smaller shift than in 72% 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 Universal compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Universal’s place among Indiana’s.
Universal weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Universal’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Clinton 2 W, IN. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 36° | 20° | 2.9" | 6.8" | 10 | 21° – 39° |
| February | 41° | 23° | 2.4" | 2.9" | 8 | 20° – 42° |
| March | 52° | 32° | 3.3" | 1.5" | 9 | 35° – 56° |
| April | 65° | 42° | 4.6" | 0.0" | 11 | 46° – 59° |
| May | 75° | 53° | 4.4" | 0.0" | 12 | 58° – 72° |
| June | 83° | 62° | 5.0" | 0.0" | 11 | 68° – 76° |
| July | 86° | 65° | 4.2" | 0.0" | 9 | 70° – 82° |
| August | 85° | 63° | 3.2" | 0.0" | 7 | 69° – 79° |
| September | 79° | 55° | 3.0" | 0.0" | 7 | 62° – 72° |
| October | 67° | 44° | 3.6" | 0.0" | 8 | 51° – 61° |
| November | 52° | 34° | 3.5" | 0.4" | 8 | 36° – 50° |
| December | 41° | 25° | 2.9" | 3.8" | 10 | 20° – 43° |
| Year | 64° | 43° | 42.9" | 15.4" | 110 |
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 8°.
Where Universal’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 Universal’s center.
- Snow: Clinton 2 W, IN.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Paris Stp, IL, 11 miles from the town’s center, 120 ft higher; 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 Universal’s climate
What is the weather like in Universal?
A typical July afternoon reaches 86°, a January night drops to 20°, and about 15 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 59% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 55% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Universal in winter?
January nights average 20°. About 116 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 21°.
How much snow does Universal get?
About 15 inches in a normal winter at Clinton 2 W, IN, most of it in January.
How hot does it get in Universal?
July, with a typical high of 86° and a low of 65°. About 19 days a year reach 90° (Paris Stp, IL).
When is the first and last frost in Universal?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 21 and the first fall frost by October 20, about 179 frost-free days, at Paris Stp, IL.
What growing zone is Universal in?
Zone 6a on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −6°.
What is the best time of year to visit Universal?
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 Universal getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.1° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 72% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Universal.
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.