Burlington, IA Climate: Temperature & Rain by Month
Explore NOAA NCEI's 1991–2020 climate normals → and a clearly labeled PlainClimate comfort calculation
30-year climate normals (1991-2020) from Burlington's primary NOAA station, BURLINGTON 2S.
The climate verdict for Burlington
Burlington, Iowa has a mixed annual climate rather than one dominant extreme. Its NOAA normal shows an annual average of 51°F. Its climate comfort score of 63/100 (good) lands mid-pack nationally, exceeding 46% of station-mapped location scores.
- 51°F
- average temperature, NOAA 1991-2020 normal
- 63/100
- comfort score, above 46% of station-mapped location scores
- 41.0"
- annual precipitation · 22" snow
- 185 days
- frost-free growing season
Burlington: NOAA 1991-2020 normals describe a typical year, not a forecast. Method: /methodology.
Normals record plate
Sheet USC00131060 · Burlington, IA 51°F mean · 41.0" precip
TEMP-COOL · RANK-MID · PHOTO-FINISH · PRCP-MID · SWING-WIDE · COMF-MID · LOAD-HEAT · STN-1 · BOOK-FULL
- TEMP-COOL 51°F
- RANK-MID #3,156
- PHOTO-FINISH ≈ New Boston Dam
- PRCP-MID 41.0"
- SWING-WIDE 52°F
- COMF-MID 63/100
- LOAD-HEAT 6,006 HDD
- STN-1 USC00131060
- BOOK-FULL 6/6 fields
Nearest mean-temperature peer: New Boston Dam, IL (+ 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.
- Burlington (this station) 51°F
- Hot Aurora, NE 51°F
- Near New Boston Dam, IL 51°F
- Near Elsmere, NE 51°F
- Near Minonk, IL 51°F
Climate Living Index · Burlington
Burlington: 56/100 · grade C
Burlington publishes 5 of 6 Living Index dimensions (NOAA annual/seasonal normals · NOAA daily multivariate normals); 1 missing weight rescale to 100.
PlainClimate-derived for Burlington, not an official NOAA rating. Rankings still use Comfort Score 63/100 (separate formula). Breakpoints and limits.
| Dimension | Station value | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Precipitation balance | 41.0 in · 6.0 from 35 in | 79/100 · B |
| Normal heat + freeze calendar | 132 calendar days | 58/100 · C |
| Frost-free season | 185 days/year | 54/100 · D |
| Snowfall burden | 21.8 inches/year | 47/100 · D |
| Annual temperature balance | 51.2°F · 16.3° from 67.5°F | 46/100 · D |
Burlington · 2026-08-04 · NOAA NCEI Climate Normals · method · Comfort Score method.
Burlington is a continental Köppen climate: Dfa
Coldest-month mean 23.5°F and warmest-month mean 75.3°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
- 75.3°F
- Coldest month
- 23.5°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 Burlington sits across the climate record
Three NOAA fields for Burlington's primary station, temperature, precipitation, and seasonal swing, are ranked against every station-mapped normal that carries the same field.
- Annual temperature
- 46th percentile warmth
- Mid-pack annual mean versus 6,861 station normals.
- Annual precipitation
- 60th percentile wetness
- Neither arid nor torrential versus 6,352 station totals.
- Seasonal temperature swing
- Wider than 85%
- Warmest-to-coldest month gap for Burlington is large versus 6,861 complete station-years.
How Burlington compares across U.S. station-mapped locations
Burlington's comfort score vs. all station-mapped locations
PlainClimate composite comfort index (1–100), NOAA 1991–2020 normals
63 46th percentile score exceeds 46% 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
Burlington's measured station temperature trend
MethodologyAcross 41 complete annual observations from 1965 to 2025, BURLINGTON 2S warmed at a fitted rate of 0.38°C per decade. The line shows the fitted change relative to its first year, not raw year-to-year temperatures or a forecast.
- Burlington primary station fitted change +0.38 °C/decade
Monthly Temperatures
Average daily high and low temperatures by month
| Month | Avg High | Avg Low | Mean | Precip | Snow | Freeze Days | 90°F+ Days |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 32°F (0°C) | 15°F (-9°C) | 24°F (-5°C) | 1.7" | 6.3" | 28.6 | 0.0 |
| February | 37°F (3°C) | 19°F (-7°C) | 28°F (-2°C) | 1.9" | 5.8" | 23.9 | 0.0 |
| March | 50°F (10°C) | 30°F (-1°C) | 40°F (4°C) | 2.8" | 2.1" | 18.4 | 0.0 |
| April | 62°F (17°C) | 41°F (5°C) | 51°F (11°C) | 4.2" | 0.9" | 5.4 | 0.0 |
| May | 73°F (23°C) | 52°F (11°C) | 62°F (17°C) | 5.2" | 0.0" | 0.1 | 0.7 |
| June | 82°F (28°C) | 62°F (17°C) | 72°F (22°C) | 5.1" | 0.0" | 0.0 | 4.3 |
| July | 85°F (29°C) | 66°F (19°C) | 75°F (24°C) | 4.3" | 0.0" | 0.0 | 8.2 |
| August | 83°F (29°C) | 64°F (18°C) | 73°F (23°C) | 3.9" | 0.0" | 0.0 | 5.3 |
| September | 77°F (25°C) | 55°F (13°C) | 66°F (19°C) | 3.9" | 0.0" | 0.0 | 2.8 |
| October | 65°F (18°C) | 43°F (6°C) | 54°F (12°C) | 3.3" | 0.1" | 3.1 | 0.1 |
| November | 50°F (10°C) | 31°F (-1°C) | 40°F (5°C) | 2.6" | 1.3" | 16.0 | 0.0 |
| December | 37°F (3°C) | 21°F (-6°C) | 29°F (-2°C) | 2.1" | 5.3" | 26.0 | 0.0 |
The year, day by day
Summer here tops out rather than builds: the warmest normal high is 85°F around July 9, short of 90°F on every date, while 132 dates carry a normal low at or below freezing, the coldest 14°F near January 19.
The freezing stretch
The normal low stays at or below 32°F into March 23, then returns to freezing around November 13, covering 132 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 6, when 41% of years recorded at least a hundredth of an inch. The driest is September 5 at 25%. Summed across the calendar, that is about 114 wet dates a year.
The widest day
September 19 carries the biggest normal gap between afternoon and dawn, 22°F between the normal high and the normal low.
Look up any date
Any date's 1991–2020 normal for Burlington.
Where Burlington Stands Nationally
Days and nights track unusually close together; the widest normal swing, about 22°F, is narrower than most stations record.
Burlington earns one nationally notable standing (outer quintile) against 6,860 NOAA 1991–2020 normals stations, middle-of-the-pack metrics stay silent here.
Monthly Precipitation
Average monthly rainfall and snowfall
Snow: 6.3"
9.0 days with precipitation
Snow: 5.8"
8.6 days with precipitation
Snow: 2.1"
9.5 days with precipitation
Snow: 0.9"
11.4 days with precipitation
12.6 days with precipitation
11.3 days with precipitation
9.6 days with precipitation
8.9 days with precipitation
7.3 days with precipitation
Snow: 0.1"
9.1 days with precipitation
Snow: 1.3"
8.5 days with precipitation
Snow: 5.3"
7.9 days with precipitation
Burlington spreads its precipitation across the year
Neither half of the year dominates here: June through August take 33% of the annual total and December through February 14%, with neither reaching the 35% that would mark a distinct wet season. Burlington has no dry season to plan around, though it does carry a wide 51.8°F gap between its warmest and coldest month.
The gap between the wettest and driest month still matters: May averages 5.2" and January 1.7". The three wettest months together take 36% of the year, against the 25% a perfectly flat distribution would give them.
Shares are computed from this station's own 1991-2020 monthly precipitation normals. "Spread across the year" means neither the June-August nor the December-February share reaches 35%; it describes an average year, not the variability of any single one.
When it rains in Burlington, it arrives in quantity
41.0" of precipitation falls across only about 114 wet days here, averaging 0.36 inches each. Fewer days carry more water: the year's total is delivered in comparatively heavy events rather than persistent damp.
- Days with measurable precipitation
- about 114 a year, 31% of all days
- Average depth per wet day
- 0.36 inches
- Most wet days
- May, about 13
- Fewest wet days
- September, about 7
A wet day is one recording at least 0.01 inches. These are 1991-2020 normals: they describe an average year, and a per-day average is not a forecast of any individual storm.
Winter brings real snow to Burlington
Burlington averages 21.8 inches of snowfall a year, with January the snowiest month on the normals, spread across roughly 14 days that record measurable snow. That is depth accumulating on the ground, which is why it can exceed the annual precipitation figure: precipitation counts the liquid the snow melts down to, and fresh snow is mostly air.
- Annual snowfall: 21.8 inches of depth.
- Days recording measurable snow: about 14 a year.
- At a rough ten-to-one melt ratio, snow accounts for on the order of 5% of the year's precipitation.
NOAA 1991-2020 normals. The ten-to-one ratio is a convention, not a measurement: real ratios vary with temperature, so treat the share as an order of magnitude rather than an exact split.
Frost Dates & Growing Season
First Fall Freeze
October 20
50% probability date
Last Spring Freeze
April 18
50% probability date
Growing Season
185 days
Heating & Cooling Degree Days
Annual totals indicate energy demand for heating and cooling
Heating Degree Days
6,006
Higher = more heating needed
Cooling Degree Days
1,023
Higher = more cooling needed
Warmest Month
July
Coldest Month
January
Nationwide similar cities
Other rankable U.S. places outside IA closest to Burlington 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 (51°F here).
- Bellingham, WA 51°F · 0.0°F off
- Chicago, IL 51°F · 0.0°F off
- Denver, CO 51°F · 0.0°F off
- Eaton, OH 51°F · 0.0°F off
Closest by annual precipitation
Nearest out-of-state peers by annual precipitation (41.0" here), excluding temperature-peer places.
- Coleman, OK 41.0" · 0.0" off
- Byars, OK 41.0" · 0.0" off
- Cleveland, OH 41.0" · 0.0" off
- White Sulphur Springs, WV 41.0" · 0.0" off
Snow and freeze rhythm
When cold and snow define Burlington
heating led · moderate · mid swing
Burlington's energy balance leans toward cold weather: 6,006 annual heating degree days against 1,023 for cooling. Its 51.8°F seasonal range still makes the monthly rows more useful than the annual average alone.
Burlington's frost-free season lasts about 185 days, a middle-length window whose endpoints matter more than the annual average. It describes freeze probability, not year-specific planting conditions.
-
1. Burlington coldest normal
January
Averaging 24°F (-5°C), this month sits below freezing for the month as a whole, not merely overnight.
-
2. Burlington typical freeze period
January through December
The station reports average freezing days from January through December.
-
3. Burlington snow peak
January
Burlington averages 21.8 inches of snow a year, with January the snowiest month on the normals.
Questions about Burlington's climate
How much snow does Burlington get? ▼
How cold does Burlington get in winter? ▼
How much energy does heating and cooling require in Burlington? ▼
Data Sources
Data source: NOAA U.S. Climate Normals v1.0.1 (1991-2020). All figures on this page are from Burlington's primary station: BURLINGTON 2S (USC00131060). 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 1909550). Match rule for Burlington: 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 Burlington 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.