Columbus, Indiana climate: Normal weather by month, frost dates and records
Columbus's normal year runs from 22°F January nights to 86°F July afternoons, with 47.3 inches of precipitation and 16 inches of snow a year. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a yearly mean of 12.3°C, January lows of −6°C, July highs of 30°C, 1,202 mm of precipitation a year.
- NOAA stationColumbus
- Station IDUSC00121747
- Location39.17°N 85.92°W
- Elevation609 ft (186 m)
- Population51,970
On October 22, the normal high in Columbus is 66°F and the normal low 41°F, and the chance of measurable rain or snow is 28%.
Normals describe a typical year at the station, not a forecast. The National Weather Service forecast for Columbus.
- Jan 39° 22°
- Feb 43° 24°
- Mar 54° 32°
- Apr 66° 42°
- May 75° 53°
- Jun 83° 62°
- Jul 86° 65°
- Aug 85° 63°
- Sep 80° 55°
- Oct 68° 44°
- Nov 54° 34°
- Dec 43° 26°
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 Columbus each month?
July is the warmest month, with normal highs of 86°F; January the coldest, with normal lows of 22°F. The most precipitation falls in June (5.31 in), the least in February (2.91 in).
Each month has its own page with the day-by-day normals, the month's records and its recent years:
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Snow | Wet days | 90°F days | Freezing nights | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 39°F | 22°F | 30.0°F | 3.42 | 5.9 | 11 | <1 | 25 | 9 h 40 min |
| February | 43°F | 24°F | 33.3°F | 2.91 | 4.5 | 9 | <1 | 22 | 10 h 40 min |
| March | 54°F | 32°F | 42.7°F | 3.78 | 1.8 | 12 | <1 | 17 | 11 h 50 min |
| April | 66°F | 42°F | 53.9°F | 5.00 | 0.0 | 13 | <1 | 4 | 13 h 10 min |
| May | 75°F | 53°F | 64.0°F | 4.99 | 0.0 | 13 | <1 | <1 | 14 h 20 min |
| June | 83°F | 62°F | 72.7°F | 5.31 | 0.0 | 12 | 4 | <1 | 14 h 50 min |
| July | 86°F | 65°F | 75.7°F | 4.54 | 0.0 | 10 | 8 | <1 | 14 h 40 min |
| August | 85°F | 63°F | 74.4°F | 3.48 | 0.0 | 8 | 6 | <1 | 13 h 40 min |
| September | 80°F | 55°F | 67.6°F | 3.21 | 0.0 | 7 | 3 | <1 | 12 h 30 min |
| October | 68°F | 44°F | 55.8°F | 3.39 | 0.0 | 8 | <1 | 3 | 11 h 10 min |
| November | 54°F | 34°F | 44.1°F | 3.60 | 0.1 | 9 | <1 | 14 | 10 h |
| December | 43°F | 26°F | 34.6°F | 3.71 | 4.0 | 11 | <1 | 23 | 9 h 30 min |
| Year (annual) | 65°F | 44°F | 54.1°F | 47.34 | 16.3 | 123 | 22 | 108 |
The same normals in °C and millimetres
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 4°C | −6°C | −1.1°C | 87 mm | 15 cm |
| February | 6°C | −5°C | 0.7°C | 74 mm | 11 cm |
| March | 12°C | 0°C | 5.9°C | 96 mm | 5 cm |
| April | 19°C | 6°C | 12.2°C | 127 mm | 0 cm |
| May | 24°C | 12°C | 17.8°C | 127 mm | 0 cm |
| June | 28°C | 17°C | 22.6°C | 135 mm | 0 cm |
| July | 30°C | 19°C | 24.3°C | 115 mm | 0 cm |
| August | 30°C | 17°C | 23.6°C | 88 mm | 0 cm |
| September | 27°C | 13°C | 19.8°C | 82 mm | 0 cm |
| October | 20°C | 6°C | 13.2°C | 86 mm | 0 cm |
| November | 12°C | 1°C | 6.7°C | 91 mm | 0 cm |
| December | 6°C | −3°C | 1.4°C | 94 mm | 10 cm |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00121747; 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 Columbus?
Normal highs sit between 65°F and 85°F in April, May, June, September and October. 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 USC00121747.
When is the last frost in Columbus?
In Columbus, the last spring frost (32°F) comes after April 11 in half of years and after April 30 in one year in ten; the first autumn frost comes before October 25 in half of years and before October 12 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 111 year in 10 after April 30; 9 in 10 after March 31
- First autumn frost, half of years before
- October 251 year in 10 before October 12; 9 in 10 before November 7
NOAA puts the median frost-free season at 195 days, and the season without a hard freeze (28°F) at 218 days.
A hard freeze (28°F) comes after April 1 in half of springs and before November 5 in half of autumns.
The USDA's 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Columbus in zone 6b in ZIP code 47203. By the map's own method, the average of each year's coldest night over 1991-2020, Columbus's NOAA station is in zone 6b: the coldest night of a typical year reaches −2°F (30 complete years).
Frost dates for every NOAA station in Indiana · Frost dates by ZIP code
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals (frost probabilities), station USC00121747; USDA 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map, ZIP listings: PRISM Group, Oregon State University, https://prism.oregonstate.edu, accessed October 8, 2026; the station zone: ACIS daily lows, 1991-2020. 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 Columbus?
In a normal year in Columbus, 22 days a year reach 90°F, 108 nights fall to 32°F or colder and 123 days bring measurable precipitation.
- Days at 90°F or more
- 22a normal year
- Days at 100°F or more
- fewer than 1a normal year
- Nights at 32°F or colder
- 108a normal year
- Days that stay below freezing
- 24high of 32°F or less
- Days with 0.01 inch of precipitation
- 123a normal year
- Days with 1 inch of snow or more
- 6a normal year
The highest temperature in this station's record (since 1893) is 111°F, on July 22, 1901; the lowest is −27°F, on January 13, 1912.
The wettest calendar year on that record is 2019, with 59.98 in; the snowiest season is 1995–96, with 43.0 inches.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals, station USC00121747; records: ACIS (NOAA Regional Climate Centers), station USC00121747. Records use complete months only; a month missing more than three days is left out.
How sunny is Columbus?
Over a year 73% of the sunlight that would reach the ground under clear skies gets through the clouds in the area around Columbus, 4.0 kWh per square metre a day. August is the sunniest month (81%) and December the cloudiest (58%). Among the 459 U.S. places of 50,000 or more, that ranks tied 352nd (with 32 others) in sunshine.
| Month | Share of clear-sky sunshine | Sunshine, kWh/m² a day |
|---|---|---|
| January | 60% | 1.8 |
| February | 62% | 2.6 |
| March | 66% | 3.6 |
| April | 71% | 4.9 |
| May | 72% | 5.5 |
| June | 79% | 6.2 |
| July | 80% | 6.1 |
| August | 81% | 5.6 |
| September | 79% | 4.5 |
| October | 73% | 3.2 |
| November | 69% | 2.2 |
| December | 58% | 1.5 |
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 Columbus need?
A normal year in Columbus brings 5,082 heating degree days, 5% fewer than the median U.S. place (5,373), and 1,127 cooling degree days, 24% 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 3,724 growing degree days a year above 50°F.
| Month | Heating | Cooling |
|---|---|---|
| January | 1,083 | 0 |
| February | 888 | 0 |
| March | 693 | 2 |
| April | 347 | 14 |
| May | 122 | 89 |
| June | 12 | 241 |
| July | 1 | 334 |
| August | 2 | 292 |
| September | 58 | 134 |
| October | 306 | 20 |
| November | 628 | 1 |
| December | 944 | 0 |
| Year (annual) | 5,082 | 1,127 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00121747. 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 Columbus been warmer than normal lately?
2024 averaged 56.5°F, 2.4°F above the 1991-2020 normal of 54.1°F.
| Year | Mean | Against normal | Precip. | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 56.5°F | +2.4°F | 43.57 | 7.8 |
Over 117 complete years from 1885 to 2024, the station's annual mean temperature rose at a fitted 2.3°F per century (+0.13°C per decade). A fitted rate summarizes the whole record; single years swing well above and below it.
Source: observed years: ACIS, station USC00121747; trend: NOAA GHCN-Monthly v4. A year counts only with all twelve months complete.
How does Columbus's climate compare?
Columbus is warmer than 73 of the other 98 places with their own NOAA record in Indiana, and wetter than 68. Across the 7,247 U.S. stations with normals, its annual mean of 54.1°F is warmer than 57%.
In the Köppen classification computed from these normals, Columbus 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 Columbus share this climate record?
16 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.
- Hope, IN2,166 people · 12 mi NE
- Nashville, IN1,264 people · 17 mi W
- Taylorsville, IN978 people · 9 mi N
- Mineral Springs, IN768 people · 4 mi SE
- Bethel Village, IN545 people · 1 mi S
- Elizabethtown, IN417 people · 6 mi E
- Grandview Lake, IN319 people · 6 mi W
- Grammer, IN298 people · 11 mi E
- Schaefer Lake, IN245 people · 12 mi NE
- Walesboro, IN233 people · 2 mi S
- Clifford, IN211 people · 9 mi N
- Harrison Lake, IN193 people · 6 mi W
- Newbern, IN164 people · 11 mi NE
- Petersville, IN128 people · 7 mi NE
- Waynesville, IN113 people · 4 mi SE
- Azalia, IN31 people · 7 mi SE
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 Columbus's climate
What is the coldest month in Columbus?
January, with a normal high of 39°F and a normal low of 22°F. The warmest is July (86°F by day, 65°F at night).
Does it snow in Columbus?
Yes: 16 inches in a normal year, falling on 11 days with 0.1 inch or more, the most in January (5.9 inches).
What is the rainiest month in Columbus?
June, with 5.31 in of precipitation in a normal year; the driest is February with 2.91 in.
What plant hardiness zone is Columbus in?
The USDA's 2023 map puts Columbus in zone 6b in ZIP code 47203. By the same method at Columbus's NOAA station, the coldest night of a typical year reaches −2°F (30 years, 1991-2020): zone 6b.
How late can frost come in Columbus?
In half of years the last 32°F night comes after April 11; 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
- Columbus in OctoberThis month day by day, its records and recent years
- Indiana climateThe statewide normals and every place in the state
- Seymour, IN13 miles from this station, 53.1°F a year
- North Vernon, IN21 miles from this station, 54.8°F a year
- Franklin, IN22 miles from this station, 51.6°F a year
- Greensburg, IN26 miles from this station, 53.6°F a year
- Compare two placesMonth by month, side by side
Download these normals (CSV) · JSON · How these figures are made