Algona, IA Climate: Temperature & Rain by Month
Pulled from NOAA NCEI 1991–2020 normals →: climate measurements used in PlainClimate's documented score
30-year climate normals (1991-2020) from Algona's primary NOAA station, ALGONA.
The climate verdict for Algona
Winter sets the terms in Algona, Iowa. A pronounced 56.7°F seasonal swing and heating demand above twice the cooling total frame an annual average of 46°F. Its climate comfort score of 64/100 (good) lands mid-pack nationally, exceeding 49% of station-mapped location scores.
- 46°F
- annual average temperature (NOAA normal)
- 64/100
- comfort score, above 49% of station-mapped location scores
- 34.1"
- precipitation, annual total
- 159 days
- frost-free days per growing season
Algona: NOAA 1991-2020 normals describe a typical year, not a forecast. Method: /methodology.
Normals record plate
Sheet USC00130133 · Algona, IA 46°F mean · 34.1" precip
TEMP-COOL · RANK-COOL · PHOTO-FINISH · PRCP-MID · SWING-WIDE · COMF-MID · LOAD-HEAT · STN-1 · BOOK-FULL
- TEMP-COOL 46°F
- RANK-COOL #1,578
- PHOTO-FINISH ≈ Milford
- PRCP-MID 34.1"
- SWING-WIDE 57°F
- COMF-MID 64/100
- LOAD-HEAT 7,568 HDD
- STN-1 USC00130133
- BOOK-FULL 6/6 fields
Nearest mean-temperature peer: Milford, IA (+ 0 °F mean)
Instrument codes from this station's NOAA 1991–2020 normals, mean temperature, corpus warmth rank, photo-finish peer station, precipitation band, seasonal swing, comfort composite, degree-day load, and field book, not a livability rating.
Mean-temperature neighbourhood
Nationwide NOAA normal poles and nearest peers, not a reprint of every IA station list.
- Algona (this station) 46°F
- Cold New Ulm, MN 46°F
- Hot Mizpah, MT 46°F
- Near Milford, IA 46°F
- Near Wentworth, SD 46°F
Climate Living Index · Algona
Algona: 43/100 · grade D
Algona publishes 4 of 6 Living Index dimensions (NOAA annual/seasonal normals · NOAA daily multivariate normals); 2 missing weights rescale to 100.
PlainClimate-derived for Algona, not an official NOAA rating. Rankings still use Comfort Score 64/100 (separate formula). Breakpoints and limits.
| Dimension | Station value | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Precipitation balance | 34.1 in · 0.9 from 35 in | 94/100 · A |
| Normal heat + freeze calendar | 165 calendar days | 36/100 · F |
| Frost-free season | 159 days/year | 33/100 · F |
| Annual temperature balance | 46.0°F · 21.5° from 67.5°F | 23/100 · F |
Algona · 2026-08-04 · NOAA NCEI Climate Normals · method · Comfort Score method.
Algona is a continental Köppen climate: Dfa
Coldest-month mean 15.4°F and warmest-month mean 72.1°F place this station in continental, no dry season, hot summer climates (Dfa). Class Dfa is the Peel et al. (2007) label for this station's monthly mean temperature and precipitation normals: continental, specifically continental, no dry season, hot summer.
- Köppen code
- Dfa
- Group
- Continental
- Warmest month
- 72.1°F
- Coldest month
- 15.4°F
Source: official public datasets monthly normals (1991–2020) at the city’s primary station. This is a station classification, not a mapped regional consensus.
National standing · heating-led station
Where Algona sits across the climate record
Three NOAA fields for Algona's primary station, temperature, precipitation, and seasonal swing, are ranked against every station-mapped normal that carries the same field.
- Annual temperature
- Cooler than 77%
- Among 6,861 stations, Algona sits in the cooler third of annual means.
- Annual precipitation
- 46th percentile wetness
- Neither arid nor torrential versus 6,352 station totals.
- Seasonal temperature swing
- Wider than 94%
- Warmest-to-coldest month gap for Algona is large versus 6,861 complete station-years.
How Algona compares across U.S. station-mapped locations
Algona's comfort score vs. all station-mapped locations
PlainClimate composite comfort index (1–100), NOAA 1991–2020 normals
64 49th percentile score exceeds 49% of 6,189 station-mapped location scores
- 0–10: 0 station-mapped locations (0%). Below this entry.
- 10–20: 0 station-mapped locations (0%). Below this entry.
- 20–30: 96 station-mapped locations (2%). Below this entry.
- 30–40: 280 station-mapped locations (5%). Below this entry.
- 40–50: 1,113 station-mapped locations (18%). Below this entry.
- 50–60: 1,329 station-mapped locations (21%). Below this entry.
- 60–70: 1,236 station-mapped locations (20%). This entry sits in this band.
- 70–80: 650 station-mapped locations (11%). Above this entry.
- 80–90: 921 station-mapped locations (15%). Above this entry.
- 90–100: 564 station-mapped locations (9%). Above this entry.
Source NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, PlainClimate comfort index · 1991–2020
Algona's measured station temperature trend
MethodologyAcross 94 complete annual observations from 1864 to 2024, ALGONA warmed at a fitted rate of 0.07°C per decade. The line shows the fitted change relative to its first year, not raw year-to-year temperatures or a forecast.
- Algona primary station fitted change +0.07 °C/decade
Monthly Temperatures
Average daily high and low temperatures by month
| Month | Avg High | Avg Low | Mean | Precip | Freeze Days | 90°F+ Days |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 25°F (-4°C) | 6°F (-14°C) | 15°F (-9°C) | 0.9" | 30.9 | 0.0 |
| February | 29°F (-1°C) | 10°F (-12°C) | 20°F (-7°C) | 1.0" | 27.1 | 0.0 |
| March | 43°F (6°C) | 23°F (-5°C) | 33°F (0°C) | 1.9" | 25.5 | 0.0 |
| April | 58°F (15°C) | 34°F (1°C) | 46°F (8°C) | 3.4" | 10.7 | 0.1 |
| May | 71°F (21°C) | 47°F (8°C) | 59°F (15°C) | 4.7" | 1.2 | 0.7 |
| June | 80°F (27°C) | 58°F (14°C) | 69°F (21°C) | 5.5" | 0.0 | 2.9 |
| July | 83°F (28°C) | 61°F (16°C) | 72°F (22°C) | 4.1" | 0.0 | 3.5 |
| August | 81°F (27°C) | 59°F (15°C) | 70°F (21°C) | 4.3" | 0.0 | 1.5 |
| September | 75°F (24°C) | 50°F (10°C) | 63°F (17°C) | 3.3" | 0.5 | 1.1 |
| October | 62°F (17°C) | 38°F (3°C) | 50°F (10°C) | 2.4" | 9.9 | 0.1 |
| November | 45°F (7°C) | 24°F (-5°C) | 34°F (1°C) | 1.5" | 23.8 | 0.0 |
| December | 31°F (-1°C) | 13°F (-11°C) | 22°F (-6°C) | 1.1" | 30.3 | 0.0 |
The year, day by day
Summer here tops out rather than builds: the warmest normal high is 84°F around July 8, short of 90°F on every date, while 165 dates carry a normal low at or below freezing, the coldest 5°F near January 20.
The freezing stretch
The normal low stays at or below 32°F into April 10, then returns to freezing around October 29, covering 165 dates in all.
Derived from the normal daily minimum. This is a different measure from the 50%-probability frost dates shown elsewhere on this page, which come from NOAA’s frost product.
Where the wet dates fall
The likeliest wet date is May 26, when 41% of years recorded at least a hundredth of an inch. The driest is January 23 at 17%. Summed across the calendar, that is about 98 wet dates a year.
The widest day
September 28 carries the biggest normal gap between afternoon and dawn, 26°F between the normal high and the normal low.
Look up any date
Any date's 1991–2020 normal for Algona.
Monthly Precipitation
Average monthly rainfall
5.2 days with precipitation
5.2 days with precipitation
6.7 days with precipitation
9.9 days with precipitation
13.1 days with precipitation
11.9 days with precipitation
9.3 days with precipitation
8.8 days with precipitation
8.6 days with precipitation
7.4 days with precipitation
5.7 days with precipitation
5.8 days with precipitation
Algona runs a summer-peaked wet season
41% of Algona's yearly precipitation falls in June, July and August alone, against the 25% an evenly spread year would give those three months. The wettest month is June at 5.5", on a wide 56.7°F gap between its warmest and coldest month. Warm-season convection and, across the Southwest, the North American monsoon produce this shape: rain arrives in short heavy bursts during the hottest part of the year rather than as long cool-season soaking.
- Wettest three months: June, May, August, taking 42% of the annual total between them.
- Driest month: January at 0.9".
- Winter share: 9% falls in December, January and February.
Shares are computed from this station's own 1991-2020 monthly precipitation normals. A summer-peaked label means the June-August share reaches 35%; it describes timing across an average year, not any single season, and says nothing about how heavy an individual storm can be.
How Algona's precipitation splits across the calendar
About 98 days a year record measurable precipitation here, carrying 34.1" between them, or roughly 0.35 inches on a typical wet day. That sits in the middle band: neither the many-light-days pattern of the Pacific Northwest and the Great Lakes, nor the few-heavy-events pattern of the Gulf and the desert Southwest.
A wet day is one recording at least 0.01 inches. These are 1991-2020 normals: they describe an average year and say nothing about the heaviest single storm on record.
Frost Dates & Growing Season
First Fall Freeze
October 6
50% probability date
Last Spring Freeze
April 30
50% probability date
Growing Season
159 days
Heating & Cooling Degree Days
Annual totals indicate energy demand for heating and cooling
Heating Degree Days
7,568
Higher = more heating needed
Cooling Degree Days
670
Higher = more cooling needed
Warmest Month
July
Coldest Month
January
Nationwide similar cities
Other rankable U.S. places outside IA closest to Algona on two NOAA annual-normal axes (mean temperature and annual precipitation). Chip rows use distinct link sets.
Closest by average temperature
Nearest out-of-state peers by annual mean temperature (46°F here).
- Arlington, WI 46°F · 0.0°F off
- Eau Claire, WI 46°F · 0.0°F off
- Glenbrook, NV 46°F · 0.0°F off
- Hillsboro, WI 46°F · 0.0°F off
Closest by annual precipitation
Nearest out-of-state peers by annual precipitation (34.1" here), excluding temperature-peer places.
- Chaska, MN 34.1" · 0.0" off
- Table Rock, NE 34.1" · 0.0" off
- Nebraska City, NE 34.1" · 0.0" off
- River Falls, WI 34.1" · 0.0" off
Data-derived climate profile
How Algona's climate pattern fits together
heating led · moderate · high swing
Winter and seasonal range jointly define this record. Algona logs 7,568 heating degree days, more than twice its 670 cooling total, while the typical coldest-to-warmest-month gap reaches 56.7°F. The annual mean therefore compresses two materially different seasons.
Algona's frost-free season lasts about 159 days, a middle-length window whose endpoints matter more than the annual average. It describes freeze probability, not year-specific planting conditions.
Algona's calendar has a pronounced split: July and January mark the typical warm and cold ends of the calendar, with 56.7°F between them. The annual average is 46°F. That average is context, while the monthly highs, lows, and precipitation totals describe the lived parts of the year.
Algona's 34.1 inches of annual precipitation falls in PlainClimate's middle band, so “wet” or “dry” is not the leading description. Snowfall is not added to the interpretation because its annual value is missing. Temperature balance and the calendar distribution carry more information than the annual moisture label alone.
These labels group NOAA 1991-2020 normals from Algona's primary station, so the winter figures are a thirty-year average and not a floor: a single hard season can run well below them. Treat each band as a descriptive range for Algona, not an official NOAA class or a year-ahead forecast.
Questions about Algona's climate
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Data Sources
Data source: NOAA U.S. Climate Normals v1.0.1 (1991-2020). All figures on this page are from Algona's primary station: ALGONA (USC00130133). For informational purposes only.
Place identity: U.S. Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer places. The 2024 Census Gazetteer identifies the exact name-and-state match as an incorporated place (GEOID 1901135). Match rule for Algona: exact normalized name + state only, no fuzzy expansion, so nearby differently spelled facilities stay unmatched.
On this page every temperature, precipitation, and derived score for Algona comes from its primary NOAA station record. No figure on this page is typed in by an editor - each value is rendered from NOAA 1991-2020 U.S. Climate Normals. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of 1991–2020 normals.