Bedford, Indiana climate: Normal weather by month, frost dates and records
Bedford's normal year runs from 23°F January nights to 84°F July afternoons, with 48.6 inches of precipitation a year. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a yearly mean of 12.4°C, January lows of −5°C, July highs of 29°C, 1,235 mm of precipitation a year.
- NOAA stationBedford (5 mi WNW)
- Station IDUSW00063898
- Location38.89°N 86.57°W
- Elevation760 ft (232 m)
- Population13,853
On October 23, the normal high in Bedford is 64°F and the normal low 43°F, and the chance of measurable rain or snow is 30%.
Normals describe a typical year at the station, not a forecast. The National Weather Service forecast for Bedford.
- Jan 39° 23°
- Feb 43° 26°
- Mar 54° 35°
- Apr 65° 45°
- May 73° 54°
- Jun 81° 63°
- Jul 84° 66°
- Aug 84° 64°
- Sep 77° 57°
- Oct 66° 46°
- Nov 53° 36°
- Dec 43° 28°
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 84°F; January the coldest, with normal lows of 23°F. The most precipitation falls in May (5.48 in), the least in February (3.03 in).
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Wet days | 90°F days | Freezing nights | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 39°F | 23°F | 31.0°F | 3.75 | 12 | <1 | 25 | 9 h 40 min |
| February | 43°F | 26°F | 34.6°F | 3.03 | 12 | <1 | 20 | 10 h 40 min |
| March | 54°F | 35°F | 44.5°F | 4.20 | 12 | <1 | 13 | 11 h 50 min |
| April | 65°F | 45°F | 55.0°F | 5.20 | 12 | <1 | 3 | 13 h 10 min |
| May | 73°F | 54°F | 63.5°F | 5.48 | 14 | <1 | <1 | 14 h 20 min |
| June | 81°F | 63°F | 72.0°F | 5.00 | 11 | 2 | <1 | 14 h 50 min |
| July | 84°F | 66°F | 74.7°F | 4.18 | 11 | 5 | <1 | 14 h 40 min |
| August | 84°F | 64°F | 73.9°F | 3.31 | 7 | 3 | <1 | 13 h 40 min |
| September | 77°F | 57°F | 67.1°F | 3.27 | 8 | 2 | <1 | 12 h 30 min |
| October | 66°F | 46°F | 56.1°F | 3.50 | 9 | <1 | 2 | 11 h 20 min |
| November | 53°F | 36°F | 44.5°F | 3.88 | 10 | <1 | 12 | 10 h 10 min |
| December | 43°F | 28°F | 35.3°F | 3.83 | 13 | <1 | 22 | 9 h 30 min |
| Year (annual) | 64°F | 45°F | 54.3°F | 48.63 | 132 | 12 | 96 |
The same normals in °C and millimetres
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 4°C | −5°C | −0.6°C | 95 mm |
| February | 6°C | −3°C | 1.4°C | 77 mm |
| March | 12°C | 2°C | 6.9°C | 107 mm |
| April | 18°C | 7°C | 12.8°C | 132 mm |
| May | 23°C | 12°C | 17.5°C | 139 mm |
| June | 27°C | 17°C | 22.2°C | 127 mm |
| July | 29°C | 19°C | 23.7°C | 106 mm |
| August | 29°C | 18°C | 23.3°C | 84 mm |
| September | 25°C | 14°C | 19.5°C | 83 mm |
| October | 19°C | 8°C | 13.4°C | 89 mm |
| November | 12°C | 2°C | 6.9°C | 99 mm |
| December | 6°C | −2°C | 1.8°C | 97 mm |
NOAA publishes no 1991-2020 snowfall normal for this station. The nearest record that keeps one, Oolitic (1 miles away), gets 16 inches of snow in a normal year; elevation and distance can change that.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USW00063898; 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, July, August, September and October. Of those, August 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 USW00063898.
When is the last frost in Bedford?
In Bedford, the last spring frost (32°F) comes after April 10 in half of years and after April 30 in one year in ten; the first autumn frost comes before October 30 in half of years and before October 16 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 101 year in 10 after April 30; 9 in 10 after March 25
- First autumn frost, half of years before
- October 301 year in 10 before October 16; 9 in 10 before November 11
NOAA puts the median frost-free season at 201 days, and the season without a hard freeze (28°F) at 226 days.
A hard freeze (28°F) comes after March 28 in half of springs and before November 9 in half of autumns.
The USDA's 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Bedford in zone 6b in ZIP code 47421, the nearest ZIP area.
Frost dates for every NOAA station in Indiana · Frost dates by ZIP code
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals (frost probabilities), station USW00063898; 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, 12 days a year reach 90°F (1 of them 100°F or more), 96 nights fall to 32°F or colder and 132 days bring measurable precipitation.
- Days at 90°F or more
- 12a normal year
- Days at 100°F or more
- 1a normal year
- Nights at 32°F or colder
- 96a normal year
- Days that stay below freezing
- 24high of 32°F or less
- Days with 0.01 inch of precipitation
- 132a normal year
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals, station USW00063898.
How sunny is Bedford?
Over a year 74% of the sunlight that would reach the ground under clear skies gets through the clouds in the area around Bedford, 4.1 kWh per square metre a day. August is the sunniest month (82%) and December the cloudiest (60%).
| Month | Share of clear-sky sunshine | Sunshine, kWh/m² a day |
|---|---|---|
| January | 62% | 1.9 |
| February | 63% | 2.6 |
| March | 66% | 3.7 |
| April | 72% | 5.0 |
| May | 72% | 5.5 |
| June | 80% | 6.3 |
| July | 81% | 6.1 |
| August | 82% | 5.6 |
| September | 80% | 4.6 |
| October | 74% | 3.3 |
| November | 70% | 2.3 |
| December | 60% | 1.6 |
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 4,897 heating degree days, 9% fewer than the median U.S. place (5,373), and 1,043 cooling degree days, 15% 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 3,685 growing degree days a year above 50°F.
| Month | Heating | Cooling |
|---|---|---|
| January | 1,055 | 0 |
| February | 853 | 0 |
| March | 639 | 4 |
| April | 316 | 14 |
| May | 124 | 78 |
| June | 8 | 218 |
| July | 2 | 301 |
| August | 3 | 280 |
| September | 61 | 124 |
| October | 301 | 23 |
| November | 616 | 1 |
| December | 919 | 0 |
| Year (annual) | 4,897 | 1,043 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USW00063898. 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?
2023 averaged 56.2°F, 1.9°F above the 1991-2020 normal of 54.3°F. 3 of the 3 complete years since 2021 ran warmer than the normal.
| Year | Mean | Against normal | Precip. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 55.3°F | +1.0°F | 51.35 |
| 2022 | 54.4°F | +0.1°F | 50.40 |
| 2023 | 56.2°F | +1.9°F | 46.20 |
Source: observed years: ACIS, station USW00063898. A year counts only with all twelve months complete.
How does Bedford's climate compare?
Bedford is warmer than 76 of the other 98 places with their own NOAA record in Indiana, and wetter than 77. Across the 7,247 U.S. stations with normals, its annual mean of 54.3°F is warmer than 58%.
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?
2 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.
- Huron, IN231 people · 13 mi SW
- Williams, IN209 people · 7 mi SW
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 39°F and a normal low of 23°F. The warmest is July (84°F by day, 66°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, Oolitic (1 miles away), records 16 inches of snow in a normal year.
What is the rainiest month in Bedford?
May, with 5.48 in of precipitation in a normal year; the driest is February with 3.03 in.
What plant hardiness zone is Bedford in?
The USDA's 2023 map puts Bedford in zone 6b in ZIP code 47421, the nearest ZIP area.
How late can frost come in Bedford?
In half of years the last 32°F night comes after April 10; in one year in ten it comes after April 30. Waiting until April 30 leaves about a one-in-ten chance of a later frost.
Nearby and next
- Indiana climateThe statewide normals and every place in the state
- Oolitic, IN1 miles from this station, 53.0°F a year
- Crane, IN14 miles from this station, 56.0°F a year
- Bloomington, IN17 miles from this station, 53.8°F a year
- Paoli, IN24 miles from this station, 54.1°F a year
- Compare two placesMonth by month, side by side
Download these normals (CSV) · JSON · How these figures are made