Photo: Ktkvtsh · CC BY 4.0Downsville is among the wettest of U.S. towns: 57 inches of precipitation a year
Peak summer warmth arrives in July, with afternoons near 93°. April is the wettest month, August the driest. Summer afternoons here are warmer than in 90% of U.S. towns. Garden planting can start around March 28; autumn frost returns near November 5.
A year in Downsville at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Downsville’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Downsville’s place in Louisiana beside it.
What a year in Downsville feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 224 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by March 28 and the first by November 5. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Calhoun Rsch Stn, LA, 9 miles from the town’s center, 110 ft lower.
The 2023 USDA map puts Downsville’s center in zone 8b: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about 17°. 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 1 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Farmerville, LA, falls mostly in February. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 57 inches a year; April is the wettest month and August the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 90 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Downsville
54% of the work is heating. Months averaging under 55° run from November through February.
Degree days add up how far each day’s average falls below (heating) or rises above (cooling) 65° over a year. NOAA normals at Calhoun Rsch Stn, LA.
Living with Downsville’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
224 frost-free days in zone 8b. The last frost comes by Mar 28 in half of years, so many gardeners wait a week or two past that to set out tomatoes. The first fall frost comes by Nov 5.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: March, April, May, October and November.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Downsville from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (52%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 16%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Downsville and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Downsville yet.
Climates most like Downsville’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Downsville, LA | 35° | 93° | 57" | 1.2" |
| Grenada, MS | 33° | 91° | 57" | 1.1" |
| Selma, AL | 36° | 92° | 54" | 0.4" |
| West Memphis, AR | 33° | 91° | 55" | 1.7" |
| Memphis, TN | 32° | 91° | 56" | 2.7" |
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 Downsville averaged 0.9° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in February (+1.3°).
A smaller shift than in 85% 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 Downsville compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Downsville’s place among Louisiana’s.
Downsville weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Downsville’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Farmerville, LA. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 56° | 35° | 5.5" | 0.5" | 8 | 0 | 40° – 52° |
| February | 61° | 39° | 5.2" | 0.6" | 8 | 0 | 41° – 58° |
| March | 69° | 45° | 5.5" | 0.1" | 8 | 0 | 51° – 66° |
| April | 76° | 52° | 5.9" | 0.0" | 7 | 0 | 59° – 69° |
| May | 83° | 61° | 4.7" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 69° – 76° |
| June | 90° | 68° | 4.6" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 76° – 84° |
| July | 93° | 71° | 4.2" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 78° – 86° |
| August | 93° | 71° | 3.6" | 0.0" | 6 | 0 | 76° – 87° |
| September | 88° | 64° | 3.7" | 0.0" | 6 | 0 | 73° – 82° |
| October | 78° | 52° | 4.7" | 0.0" | 6 | 0 | 61° – 71° |
| November | 66° | 43° | 4.5" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 49° – 59° |
| December | 58° | 37° | 5.5" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 38° – 55° |
| Year | 76° | 53° | 57.4" | 1.2" | 90 | 1 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. December swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 38° to 55°. May is the most reliable, staying within 7°.
Where Downsville’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 Downsville’s center.
- Snow: Farmerville, LA.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Calhoun Rsch Stn, LA, 9 miles from the town’s center, 110 ft lower; 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 Downsville’s climate
What is the weather like in Downsville?
A typical July afternoon reaches 93°, a January night drops to 35°, and about 1 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Milder January nights than 81% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 90% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Downsville in winter?
January nights average 35°. About 57 nights a year reach 32° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 40°.
How much snow does Downsville get?
About 1.2 inches in a normal winter at Farmerville, LA, most of it in February, with snow on the ground about 1 days a year.
How hot does it get in Downsville?
July, with a typical high of 93° and a low of 71°. About 93 days a year reach 90° and 9 reach 100° (Calhoun Rsch Stn, LA).
When is the first and last frost in Downsville?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by March 28 and the first fall frost by November 5, about 224 frost-free days, at Calhoun Rsch Stn, LA.
What growing zone is Downsville in?
Zone 8b on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about 17°.
What is the best time of year to visit Downsville?
By one simple rule (highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more), March, April, May, October and November. The rule is ours, not NOAA’s; the month table has the numbers to judge by.
Is Downsville getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 0.9° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 85% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Downsville.
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.