Photo: Royalbroil · CC BY-SA 4.0Winter nights in Rantoul are colder than in 93% of U.S. towns
In July the day’s top temperature is typically 81°. Summers stay cool: July afternoons here are cooler than in 89% of U.S. towns. Warming shows here too: 1.8° more than in 1901–2000, led by December. From May to September, highs of 67–81° make it easy to spend the day outdoors.
A year in Rantoul at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Rantoul’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Rantoul’s place in Wisconsin beside it.
What a year in Rantoul feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 162 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by May 1 and the first by October 14. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Chilton, WI, 6 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Rantoul’s center in zone 5b: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −15°. 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 44 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Chilton, WI, is heaviest from January through February, about 11 inches a month. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 33 inches a year; June is the wettest month and February the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 122 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Rantoul
93% 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 Chilton, WI.
Living with Rantoul’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
162 frost-free days in zone 5b. The last frost comes by May 1 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 14.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: May, June, July, August and September. 1.8 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Rantoul from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (46%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 24%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Rantoul and its neighbors
Every town next door is within a degree of Rantoul in January and July, closer than the 5 km grid can tell apart. Tap a town to see its climate.
Climates most like Rantoul’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rantoul, WI | 11° | 81° | 33" | 44" |
| Plattsburgh, NY | 9° | 81° | 35" | 50" |
| Lakeville, MN | 7° | 82° | 33" | 41" |
| Clear Lake, IA | 7° | 82° | 36" | 44" |
| Colchester, VT | 10° | 81° | 38" | 50" |
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 Rantoul averaged 1.8° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in December (+3.5°).
A bigger shift than in 77% 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 Rantoul compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Rantoul’s place among Wisconsin’s.
Rantoul weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Rantoul’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Chilton, WI. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 25° | 11° | 1.5" | 11.3" | 10 | 25 | 7° – 30° |
| February | 29° | 13° | 1.2" | 11.3" | 9 | 23 | 10° – 32° |
| March | 41° | 23° | 1.9" | 5.8" | 9 | 12 | 23° – 46° |
| April | 54° | 34° | 3.2" | 2.6" | 11 | 2 | 36° – 50° |
| May | 67° | 45° | 3.8" | 0.1" | 12 | 0 | 49° – 62° |
| June | 76° | 55° | 4.5" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 62° – 70° |
| July | 81° | 59° | 3.8" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 64° – 76° |
| August | 79° | 58° | 3.6" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 63° – 73° |
| September | 72° | 50° | 3.1" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 55° – 66° |
| October | 58° | 39° | 3.0" | 0.6" | 11 | 0 | 44° – 54° |
| November | 43° | 28° | 2.1" | 1.9" | 9 | 4 | 27° – 44° |
| December | 31° | 17° | 1.7" | 9.9" | 10 | 18 | 12° – 35° |
| Year | 55° | 36° | 33.3" | 43.5" | 122 | 85 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. January swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 7° to 30°. June is the most reliable, staying within 9°.
Where Rantoul’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 Rantoul’s center.
- Snow: Chilton, WI.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Chilton, WI, 6 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 Rantoul’s climate
What is the weather like in Rantoul?
A typical July afternoon reaches 81°, a January night drops to 11°, and about 44 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 93% of U.S. towns; cooler July afternoons than 89% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Rantoul in winter?
January nights average 11°. About 155 nights a year reach 32° or below and 19 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 7°.
How much snow does Rantoul get?
About 44 inches in a normal winter at Chilton, WI, heaviest from January through February, about 11 inches a month, with snow on the ground about 85 days a year.
How hot does it get in Rantoul?
July, with a typical high of 81° and a low of 59°. About 6 days a year reach 90° (Chilton, WI).
When is the first and last frost in Rantoul?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by May 1 and the first fall frost by October 14, about 162 frost-free days, at Chilton, WI.
What growing zone is Rantoul in?
Zone 5b on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −15°.
What is the best time of year to visit Rantoul?
By one simple rule (highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more), May, June, July, August and September. The rule is ours, not NOAA’s; the month table has the numbers to judge by.
Is Rantoul getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.8° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A bigger shift than 77% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Rantoul.
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.