Bedford, Iowa climate: Normal weather by month, frost dates and records
Bedford's normal year runs from 12°F January nights to 86°F July afternoons, with 38.4 inches of precipitation a year. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a yearly mean of 10.2°C, January lows of −11°C, July highs of 30°C, 976 mm of precipitation a year.
- NOAA stationBedford
- Station IDUSC00130576
- Location40.67°N 94.72°W
- Elevation1,190 ft (363 m)
- From the centerunder 1 mile
- Population1,474
On October 23, the normal high in Bedford is 61°F and the normal low 38°F, and the chance of measurable rain or snow is 24%.
Normals describe a typical year at the station, not a forecast. The National Weather Service forecast for Bedford.
- Jan 32° 12°
- Feb 37° 16°
- Mar 50° 28°
- Apr 62° 38°
- May 72° 51°
- Jun 82° 61°
- Jul 86° 65°
- Aug 84° 63°
- Sep 77° 54°
- Oct 65° 41°
- Nov 49° 29°
- Dec 37° 18°
Each month: normal high (large) and low, °F. Fill: the month's normal mean, colder blue to hotter red.
What is the weather like in Bedford each month?
July is the warmest month, with normal highs of 86°F; January the coldest, with normal lows of 12°F. The most precipitation falls in June (5.54 in), the least in January (1.08 in).
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Wet days | 90°F days | Freezing nights | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 32°F | 12°F | 22.2°F | 1.08 | 6 | <1 | 30 | 9 h 30 min |
| February | 37°F | 16°F | 26.7°F | 1.49 | 7 | <1 | 25 | 10 h 40 min |
| March | 50°F | 28°F | 38.7°F | 2.42 | 8 | <1 | 21 | 11 h 50 min |
| April | 62°F | 38°F | 50.1°F | 3.60 | 11 | <1 | 7 | 13 h 20 min |
| May | 72°F | 51°F | 61.3°F | 5.27 | 12 | <1 | 1 | 14 h 20 min |
| June | 82°F | 61°F | 71.3°F | 5.54 | 10 | 4 | <1 | 15 h |
| July | 86°F | 65°F | 75.5°F | 4.64 | 9 | 9 | <1 | 14 h 50 min |
| August | 84°F | 63°F | 73.6°F | 4.32 | 9 | 7 | <1 | 13 h 50 min |
| September | 77°F | 54°F | 65.4°F | 3.38 | 7 | 2 | <1 | 12 h 30 min |
| October | 65°F | 41°F | 52.8°F | 2.97 | 8 | <1 | 6 | 11 h 10 min |
| November | 49°F | 29°F | 38.9°F | 2.13 | 6 | <1 | 18 | 10 h |
| December | 37°F | 18°F | 27.6°F | 1.59 | 7 | <1 | 29 | 9 h 20 min |
| Year (annual) | 61°F | 40°F | 50.3°F | 38.43 | 97 | 23 | 137 |
The same normals in °C and millimetres
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 0°C | −11°C | −5.4°C | 27 mm |
| February | 3°C | −9°C | −2.9°C | 38 mm |
| March | 10°C | −2°C | 3.7°C | 61 mm |
| April | 17°C | 3°C | 10.1°C | 91 mm |
| May | 22°C | 10°C | 16.3°C | 134 mm |
| June | 28°C | 16°C | 21.8°C | 141 mm |
| July | 30°C | 19°C | 24.2°C | 118 mm |
| August | 29°C | 17°C | 23.1°C | 110 mm |
| September | 25°C | 12°C | 18.6°C | 86 mm |
| October | 18°C | 5°C | 11.6°C | 75 mm |
| November | 10°C | −2°C | 3.8°C | 54 mm |
| December | 3°C | −8°C | −2.4°C | 40 mm |
NOAA publishes no 1991-2020 snowfall normal for this station. The nearest record that keeps one, Clarinda (16 miles away), gets 23 inches of snow in a normal year; elevation and distance can change that.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00130576; annual normals. Wet days: 0.01 inch or more; 90°F days and freezing nights: NOAA's day counts. Daylight: sunrise to sunset on the 15th, computed from the latitude.
When is the best weather to visit Bedford?
Normal highs sit between 65°F and 85°F in May, June, August and September. Of those, September has the fewest days with rain (7).
That is a measurement, not a recommendation: it counts the months whose normal afternoon high sits between 65°F and 85°F, where a light layer is enough by day.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00130576.
When is the last frost in Bedford?
In Bedford, the last spring frost (32°F) comes after April 24 in half of years and after May 6 in one year in ten; the first autumn frost comes before October 15 in half of years and before October 1 in one year in ten.
Frost-free in half of yearsFrost in 1 to 9 years out of 10Frost most years
- Last spring frost, half of years after
- April 241 year in 10 after May 6; 9 in 10 after April 9
- First autumn frost, half of years before
- October 151 year in 10 before October 1; 9 in 10 before October 29
NOAA puts the median frost-free season at 173 days, and the season without a hard freeze (28°F) at 192 days.
A hard freeze (28°F) comes after April 14 in half of springs and before October 26 in half of autumns.
The USDA's 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Bedford in zone 5b in ZIP code 50833, the nearest ZIP area.
Frost dates for every NOAA station in Iowa · Frost dates by ZIP code
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals (frost probabilities), station USC00130576; USDA 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map, ZIP listings: PRISM Group, Oregon State University, https://prism.oregonstate.edu, accessed October 8, 2026. A 10% date means one year in ten has a frost after it in spring or before it in autumn.
How hot and how cold does it get in Bedford?
In a normal year in Bedford, 23 days a year reach 90°F (1 of them 100°F or more), 137 nights fall to 32°F or colder and 97 days bring measurable precipitation.
- Days at 90°F or more
- 23a normal year
- Days at 100°F or more
- 1a normal year
- Nights at 32°F or colder
- 137a normal year
- Days that stay below freezing
- 42high of 32°F or less
- Days with 0.01 inch of precipitation
- 97a normal year
The highest temperature in this station's record (since 1898) is 110°F, on July 5, 1911; the lowest is −34°F, on February 3, 1996.
The wettest calendar year on that record is 1993, with 57.04 in; the snowiest season is 2003–04, with 49.3 inches.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals, station USC00130576; records: ACIS (NOAA Regional Climate Centers), station USC00130576. Records use complete months only; a month missing more than three days is left out.
How sunny is Bedford?
Over a year 76% of the sunlight that would reach the ground under clear skies gets through the clouds in the area around Bedford, 4.2 kWh per square metre a day. July is the sunniest month (82%) and March the cloudiest (70%).
| Month | Share of clear-sky sunshine | Sunshine, kWh/m² a day |
|---|---|---|
| January | 71% | 2.1 |
| February | 73% | 3.0 |
| March | 70% | 3.9 |
| April | 71% | 5.0 |
| May | 73% | 5.8 |
| June | 79% | 6.4 |
| July | 82% | 6.5 |
| August | 81% | 5.7 |
| September | 81% | 4.7 |
| October | 75% | 3.3 |
| November | 74% | 2.3 |
| December | 70% | 1.8 |
Source: NASA POWER solar climatology, 2001-2020 (CERES SYN1deg). Satellite-based, for the 1-degree cell (about 100 km across) around the station, so it describes the area rather than the airport.
How much heating and cooling does Bedford need?
A normal year in Bedford brings 6,294 heating degree days, 17% more than the median U.S. place (5,373), and 990 cooling degree days, 9% more than the median (908). Seven months need 300 or more heating degree days, a monthly mean of about 55°F or colder. For gardens and crops, NOAA counts 3,336 growing degree days a year above 50°F.
| Month | Heating | Cooling |
|---|---|---|
| January | 1,328 | 0 |
| February | 1,072 | 0 |
| March | 815 | 1 |
| April | 453 | 6 |
| May | 174 | 58 |
| June | 18 | 208 |
| July | 2 | 328 |
| August | 6 | 271 |
| September | 94 | 106 |
| October | 391 | 13 |
| November | 782 | 0 |
| December | 1,159 | 0 |
| Year (annual) | 6,294 | 990 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00130576. A degree day is one degree of a day's mean temperature below 65°F (heating) or above it (cooling); utilities use them to estimate energy use.
Has Bedford been warmer than normal lately?
Over 64 complete years from 1903 to 2017, the station's annual mean temperature rose at a fitted 1.8°F per century (+0.10°C per decade). A fitted rate summarizes the whole record; single years swing well above and below it.
Source: trend: NOAA GHCN-Monthly v4. A year counts only with all twelve months complete.
How does Bedford's climate compare?
Bedford is warmer than 113 of the other 131 places with their own NOAA record in Iowa, and wetter than 101. Across the 7,247 U.S. stations with normals, its annual mean of 50.3°F is warmer than 42%.
In the Köppen classification computed from these normals, Bedford is Dfa: continental, no dry season, hot summer. What the classes mean.
Places with the most similar year elsewhere
Measured month by month on the normal high, low and precipitation, among places of 20,000 or more people in other states:
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 normals for every station PlainClimate covers. Similarity: the root-mean-square difference of the 36 monthly figures, precipitation weighted so an inch counts like 6°F.
Which places near Bedford share this climate record?
6 places have no NOAA station with 1991-2020 normals of their own, and this station is the nearest full record. A place's own climate can differ from these figures, by several degrees where it sits much higher or lower than the station, nearer the coast, or inside a large city's heat; for the larger places the next nearest records are named with their yearly mean, so the spread around them is visible, and places of 50,000 or more have their own page with NOAA's gridded normals.
- Hopkins, MO443 people · 10 mi SW
- Gravity, IA149 people · 6 mi N
- Sheridan, MO139 people · 12 mi SE
- Parnell, MO131 people · 17 mi S
- Sharpsburg, IA69 people · 10 mi NE
- Conway, IA16 people · 8 mi NE
Source: Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer (place centers) and Vintage 2024 population estimates. Distance and direction from the station to each place's center.
Questions about Bedford's climate
What is the coldest month in Bedford?
January, with a normal high of 32°F and a normal low of 12°F. The warmest is July (86°F by day, 65°F at night).
Does it snow in Bedford?
Yes. NOAA publishes no 1991-2020 snowfall normal for Bedford's NOAA station; the nearest record that keeps one, Clarinda (16 miles away), records 23 inches of snow in a normal year.
What is the rainiest month in Bedford?
June, with 5.54 in of precipitation in a normal year; the driest is January with 1.08 in.
What plant hardiness zone is Bedford in?
The USDA's 2023 map puts Bedford in zone 5b in ZIP code 50833, the nearest ZIP area.
How late can frost come in Bedford?
In half of years the last 32°F night comes after April 24; in one year in ten it comes after May 6. Waiting until May 6 leaves about a one-in-ten chance of a later frost.
Nearby and next
- Iowa climateThe statewide normals and every place in the state
- Clarinda, IA16 miles from this station, 50.3°F a year
- Grant City, MO21 miles from this station, 50.4°F a year
- Corning, IA22 miles from this station, 49.4°F a year
- Maryville, MO24 miles from this station, 51.4°F a year
- Compare two placesMonth by month, side by side
Download these normals (CSV) · JSON · How these figures are made