Columbus Junction, Iowa climate: Normal weather by month, frost dates and records
Columbus Junction's normal year runs from 11°F January nights to 84°F July afternoons, with 38.8 inches of precipitation and 31 inches of snow a year. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a yearly mean of 9.3°C, January lows of −12°C, July highs of 29°C, 986 mm of precipitation a year.
- NOAA stationColumbus Junction
- Station IDUSC00131731
- Location41.28°N 91.36°W
- Elevation590 ft (180 m)
- From the centerunder 1 mile
- Population1,794
On October 23, the normal high in Columbus Junction is 60°F and the normal low 37°F, and the chance of measurable rain or snow is 26%.
Normals describe a typical year at the station, not a forecast. The National Weather Service forecast for Columbus Junction.
- Jan 30° 11°
- Feb 34° 14°
- Mar 48° 26°
- Apr 62° 38°
- May 72° 50°
- Jun 80° 59°
- Jul 84° 63°
- Aug 82° 61°
- Sep 76° 52°
- Oct 63° 40°
- Nov 48° 27°
- Dec 35° 17°
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 Junction each month?
July is the warmest month, with normal highs of 84°F; January the coldest, with normal lows of 11°F. The most precipitation falls in May (5.41 in), the least in January (1.17 in).
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Snow | Wet days | 90°F days | Freezing nights | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 30°F | 11°F | 20.4°F | 1.17 | 9.5 | 8 | <1 | 29 | 9 h 30 min |
| February | 34°F | 14°F | 24.1°F | 1.94 | 7.1 | 7 | <1 | 25 | 10 h 40 min |
| March | 48°F | 26°F | 36.9°F | 2.33 | 5.3 | 9 | <1 | 21 | 11 h 50 min |
| April | 62°F | 38°F | 49.7°F | 3.85 | 1.6 | 11 | <1 | 7 | 13 h 20 min |
| May | 72°F | 50°F | 60.5°F | 5.41 | 0.0 | 12 | <1 | <1 | 14 h 30 min |
| June | 80°F | 59°F | 69.6°F | 4.91 | 0.0 | 10 | 3 | <1 | 15 h 10 min |
| July | 84°F | 63°F | 73.4°F | 4.09 | 0.0 | 9 | 7 | <1 | 14 h 50 min |
| August | 82°F | 61°F | 71.6°F | 4.22 | 0.0 | 9 | 5 | <1 | 13 h 50 min |
| September | 76°F | 52°F | 63.9°F | 3.75 | 0.0 | 8 | 2 | <1 | 12 h 30 min |
| October | 63°F | 40°F | 51.4°F | 3.03 | 0.2 | 8 | <1 | 6 | 11 h 10 min |
| November | 48°F | 27°F | 37.7°F | 2.19 | 1.3 | 8 | <1 | 19 | 9 h 50 min |
| December | 35°F | 17°F | 26.2°F | 1.94 | 6.3 | 7 | <1 | 28 | 9 h 10 min |
| Year (annual) | 60°F | 38°F | 48.8°F | 38.83 | 31.3 | 105 | 17 | 134 |
The same normals in °C and millimetres
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | −1°C | −12°C | −6.4°C | 30 mm | 24 cm |
| February | 1°C | −10°C | −4.4°C | 49 mm | 18 cm |
| March | 9°C | −3°C | 2.7°C | 59 mm | 13 cm |
| April | 16°C | 3°C | 9.8°C | 98 mm | 4 cm |
| May | 22°C | 10°C | 15.8°C | 137 mm | 0 cm |
| June | 27°C | 15°C | 20.9°C | 125 mm | 0 cm |
| July | 29°C | 17°C | 23.0°C | 104 mm | 0 cm |
| August | 28°C | 16°C | 22.0°C | 107 mm | 0 cm |
| September | 25°C | 11°C | 17.7°C | 95 mm | 0 cm |
| October | 17°C | 4°C | 10.8°C | 77 mm | 1 cm |
| November | 9°C | −3°C | 3.2°C | 56 mm | 3 cm |
| December | 2°C | −8°C | −3.2°C | 49 mm | 16 cm |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00131731; 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 Junction?
Normal highs sit between 65°F and 85°F in May, June, July, August and September. Of those, September has the fewest days with rain (8).
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 USC00131731.
When is the last frost in Columbus Junction?
In Columbus Junction, the last spring frost (32°F) comes after April 26 in half of years and after May 11 in one year in ten; the first autumn frost comes before October 10 in half of years and before September 23 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 261 year in 10 after May 11; 9 in 10 after April 11
- First autumn frost, half of years before
- October 101 year in 10 before September 23; 9 in 10 before October 22
NOAA puts the median frost-free season at 167 days, and the season without a hard freeze (28°F) at 188 days.
A hard freeze (28°F) comes after April 15 in half of springs and before October 21 in half of autumns.
The USDA's 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Columbus Junction in zone 5b in ZIP code 52738, 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 USC00131731; 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 Columbus Junction?
In a normal year in Columbus Junction, 17 days a year reach 90°F, 134 nights fall to 32°F or colder and 105 days bring measurable precipitation.
- Days at 90°F or more
- 17a normal year
- Days at 100°F or more
- fewer than 1a normal year
- Nights at 32°F or colder
- 134a normal year
- Days that stay below freezing
- 44high of 32°F or less
- Days with 0.01 inch of precipitation
- 105a normal year
- Days with 1 inch of snow or more
- 11a normal year
The highest temperature in this station's record (since 1900) is 110°F, on July 15, 1936; the lowest is −34°F, on February 2, 1905.
The wettest calendar year on that record is 1993, with 55.01 in; the snowiest season is 1974–75, with 78.6 inches.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals, station USC00131731; records: ACIS (NOAA Regional Climate Centers), station USC00131731. Records use complete months only; a month missing more than three days is left out.
How sunny is Columbus Junction?
Over a year 74% of the sunlight that would reach the ground under clear skies gets through the clouds in the area around Columbus Junction, 4.0 kWh per square metre a day. July is the sunniest month (81%) and December the cloudiest (63%).
| Month | Share of clear-sky sunshine | Sunshine, kWh/m² a day |
|---|---|---|
| January | 65% | 1.9 |
| February | 71% | 2.9 |
| March | 69% | 3.8 |
| April | 70% | 4.8 |
| May | 72% | 5.6 |
| June | 77% | 6.2 |
| July | 81% | 6.3 |
| August | 80% | 5.5 |
| September | 81% | 4.6 |
| October | 72% | 3.0 |
| November | 70% | 2.1 |
| December | 63% | 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 Junction need?
A normal year in Columbus Junction brings 6,661 heating degree days, 24% more than the median U.S. place (5,373), and 790 cooling degree days, 13% fewer 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 3,051 growing degree days a year above 50°F.
| Month | Heating | Cooling |
|---|---|---|
| January | 1,382 | 0 |
| February | 1,144 | 0 |
| March | 871 | 0 |
| April | 466 | 7 |
| May | 187 | 48 |
| June | 30 | 169 |
| July | 3 | 263 |
| August | 9 | 212 |
| September | 115 | 82 |
| October | 431 | 9 |
| November | 821 | 0 |
| December | 1,203 | 0 |
| Year (annual) | 6,661 | 790 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00131731. 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 Junction been warmer than normal lately?
2022 averaged 48.9°F, 0.1°F above the 1991-2020 normal of 48.8°F. 2 of the 2 complete years since 2021 ran warmer than the normal.
| Year | Mean | Against normal | Precip. | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 51.2°F | +2.4°F | 35.32 | 18.8 |
| 2022 | 48.9°F | +0.1°F | – | 16.4 |
Over 90 complete years from 1904 to 2024, the station's annual mean temperature rose at a fitted 1.1°F per century (+0.06°C per decade). A fitted rate summarizes the whole record; single years swing well above and below it.
Source: observed years: ACIS, station USC00131731; trend: NOAA GHCN-Monthly v4. A year counts only with all twelve months complete.
How does Columbus Junction's climate compare?
Columbus Junction is warmer than 83 of the other 131 places with their own NOAA record in Iowa, and wetter than 111. Across the 7,247 U.S. stations with normals, its annual mean of 48.8°F is warmer than 35%.
In the Köppen classification computed from these normals, Columbus Junction 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 Junction share this climate record?
4 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.
- Columbus City, IA385 people · 1 mi SW
- Conesville, IA350 people · 7 mi N
- Fredonia, IA227 people · 1 mi NE
- Cotter, IA40 people · 6 mi W
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 Junction's climate
What is the coldest month in Columbus Junction?
January, with a normal high of 30°F and a normal low of 11°F. The warmest is July (84°F by day, 63°F at night).
Does it snow in Columbus Junction?
Yes: 31 inches in a normal year, falling on 17 days with 0.1 inch or more, the most in January (9.5 inches).
What is the rainiest month in Columbus Junction?
May, with 5.41 in of precipitation in a normal year; the driest is January with 1.17 in.
What plant hardiness zone is Columbus Junction in?
The USDA's 2023 map puts Columbus Junction in zone 5b in ZIP code 52738, the nearest ZIP area.
How late can frost come in Columbus Junction?
In half of years the last 32°F night comes after April 26; in one year in ten it comes after May 11. Waiting until May 11 leaves about a one-in-ten chance of a later frost.
Nearby and next
- Iowa climateThe statewide normals and every place in the state
- New Boston, IL17 miles from this station, 51.2°F a year
- Muscatine, IA17 miles from this station, 50.5°F a year
- Washington, IA18 miles from this station, 49.3°F a year
- Illinois City, IL21 miles from this station, 50.4°F a year
- Compare two placesMonth by month, side by side
Download these normals (CSV) · JSON · How these figures are made