Benton, Illinois climate: Normal weather by month, frost dates and records
Benton's normal year runs from 25°F January nights to 88°F July afternoons. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a yearly mean of 13.5°C, January lows of −4°C, July highs of 31°C.
- NOAA stationBenton (2 mi N)
- Station IDUSC00110608
- Location38.03°N 88.92°W
- Elevation445 ft (136 m)
- From the center1 miles
- Population6,578
On October 23, the normal high in Benton is 66°F and the normal low 44°F.
Normals describe a typical year at the station, not a forecast. The National Weather Service forecast for Benton.
- Jan 41° 25°
- Feb 44° 28°
- Mar 55° 37°
- Apr 67° 46°
- May 76° 56°
- Jun 85° 64°
- Jul 88° 68°
- Aug 87° 66°
- Sep 81° 58°
- Oct 68° 47°
- Nov 55° 37°
- Dec 44° 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 Benton each month?
July is the warmest month, with normal highs of 88°F; January the coldest, with normal lows of 25°F.
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Wet days | 90°F days | Freezing nights | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 41°F | 25°F | 32.6°F | – | <1 | 24 | 9 h 50 min |
| February | 44°F | 28°F | 36.2°F | – | <1 | 19 | 10 h 50 min |
| March | 55°F | 37°F | 46.0°F | – | <1 | 12 | 11 h 50 min |
| April | 67°F | 46°F | 56.7°F | – | <1 | 2 | 13 h 10 min |
| May | 76°F | 56°F | 65.9°F | – | 1 | <1 | 14 h 10 min |
| June | 85°F | 64°F | 74.5°F | – | 8 | <1 | 14 h 50 min |
| July | 88°F | 68°F | 78.1°F | – | 15 | <1 | 14 h 30 min |
| August | 87°F | 66°F | 76.6°F | – | 15 | <1 | 13 h 40 min |
| September | 81°F | 58°F | 69.1°F | – | 4 | <1 | 12 h 30 min |
| October | 68°F | 47°F | 57.5°F | – | <1 | 2 | 11 h 20 min |
| November | 55°F | 37°F | 45.8°F | – | <1 | 11 | 10 h 10 min |
| December | 44°F | 28°F | 36.1°F | – | <1 | 22 | 9 h 30 min |
| Year (annual) | 66°F | 47°F | 56.3°F | – | 43 | 93 |
The same normals in °C and millimetres
| Month | High | Low | Mean |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 5°C | −4°C | 0.3°C |
| February | 7°C | −2°C | 2.3°C |
| March | 13°C | 3°C | 7.8°C |
| April | 19°C | 8°C | 13.7°C |
| May | 25°C | 13°C | 18.8°C |
| June | 29°C | 18°C | 23.6°C |
| July | 31°C | 20°C | 25.6°C |
| August | 31°C | 19°C | 24.8°C |
| September | 27°C | 14°C | 20.6°C |
| October | 20°C | 8°C | 14.2°C |
| November | 13°C | 3°C | 7.7°C |
| December | 7°C | −2°C | 2.3°C |
NOAA publishes no 1991-2020 snowfall normal for this station. The nearest record that keeps one, Du Quoin (15 miles away), gets 12 inches of snow in a normal year; elevation and distance can change that.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00110608; 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 Benton?
Normal highs sit between 65°F and 85°F in April, May, June, September and October.
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 USC00110608.
When is the last frost in Benton?
In Benton, the last spring frost (32°F) comes after April 4 in half of years and after April 21 in one year in ten; the first autumn frost comes before October 28 in half of years and before October 15 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 41 year in 10 after April 21; 9 in 10 after March 19
- First autumn frost, half of years before
- October 281 year in 10 before October 15; 9 in 10 before November 10
NOAA puts the median frost-free season at 206 days, and the season without a hard freeze (28°F) at 229 days.
A hard freeze (28°F) comes after March 25 in half of springs and before November 7 in half of autumns.
The USDA's 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Benton in zone 7a in ZIP code 62812, the nearest ZIP area.
Frost dates for every NOAA station in Illinois · Frost dates by ZIP code
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals (frost probabilities), station USC00110608; 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 Benton?
In a normal year in Benton, 43 days a year reach 90°F (1 of them 100°F or more) and 93 nights fall to 32°F or colder.
- Days at 90°F or more
- 43a normal year
- Days at 100°F or more
- 1a normal year
- Nights at 32°F or colder
- 93a normal year
- Days that stay below freezing
- 16high of 32°F or less
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals, station USC00110608.
How sunny is Benton?
Over a year 75% of the sunlight that would reach the ground under clear skies gets through the clouds in the area around Benton, 4.2 kWh per square metre a day. August is the sunniest month (83%) and December the cloudiest (63%).
| Month | Share of clear-sky sunshine | Sunshine, kWh/m² a day |
|---|---|---|
| January | 65% | 2.0 |
| February | 66% | 2.8 |
| March | 67% | 3.7 |
| April | 73% | 5.0 |
| May | 73% | 5.6 |
| June | 82% | 6.5 |
| July | 83% | 6.3 |
| August | 83% | 5.7 |
| September | 81% | 4.7 |
| October | 76% | 3.4 |
| November | 71% | 2.4 |
| December | 63% | 1.7 |
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 Benton need?
A normal year in Benton brings 4,550 heating degree days, 15% fewer than the median U.S. place (5,373), and 1,401 cooling degree days, 54% more than the median (908). Five months need 300 or more heating degree days, a monthly mean of about 55°F or colder. For gardens and crops, NOAA counts 4,190 growing degree days a year above 50°F.
| Month | Heating | Cooling |
|---|---|---|
| January | 1,004 | 0 |
| February | 805 | 0 |
| March | 591 | 4 |
| April | 275 | 28 |
| May | 83 | 111 |
| June | 6 | 291 |
| July | 0 | 406 |
| August | 2 | 361 |
| September | 46 | 169 |
| October | 263 | 29 |
| November | 577 | 3 |
| December | 897 | 0 |
| Year (annual) | 4,550 | 1,401 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00110608. 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.
How does Benton's climate compare?
Benton is warmer than 132 of the other 143 places with their own NOAA record in Illinois. Across the 7,247 U.S. stations with normals, its annual mean of 56.3°F is warmer than 65%.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 normals for every station PlainClimate covers.
Which places near Benton share this climate record?
8 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.
- West Frankfort, IL7,131 people · 9 mi S
- Johnston City, IL3,309 people · 15 mi S
- Ina, IL1,648 people · 8 mi N
- West City, IL640 people · 3 mi SW
- Thompsonville, IL479 people · 12 mi SE
- Whiteash, IL320 people · 17 mi S
- Hanaford, IL315 people · 7 mi SE
- Ewing, IL296 people · 5 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 Benton's climate
What is the coldest month in Benton?
January, with a normal high of 41°F and a normal low of 25°F. The warmest is July (88°F by day, 68°F at night).
Does it snow in Benton?
Yes. NOAA publishes no 1991-2020 snowfall normal for Benton's NOAA station; the nearest record that keeps one, Du Quoin (15 miles away), records 12 inches of snow in a normal year.
What plant hardiness zone is Benton in?
The USDA's 2023 map puts Benton in zone 7a in ZIP code 62812, the nearest ZIP area.
How late can frost come in Benton?
In half of years the last 32°F night comes after April 4; in one year in ten it comes after April 21. Waiting until April 21 leaves about a one-in-ten chance of a later frost.
Nearby and next
- Illinois climateThe statewide normals and every place in the state
- Rend Lake Dam, IL4 miles from this station, 55.9°F a year
- Du Quoin, IL15 miles from this station, 56.0°F a year
- McLeansboro, IL21 miles from this station, 55.4°F a year
- Mount Vernon, IL22 miles from this station, 54.5°F a year
- Compare two placesMonth by month, side by side
Download these normals (CSV) · JSON · How these figures are made