Galena, Illinois climate: Normal weather by month, frost dates and records
Galena's normal year runs from 10°F January nights to 82°F July afternoons, with 39.6 inches of precipitation and 38 inches of snow a year. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a yearly mean of 8.3°C, January lows of −12°C, July highs of 28°C, 1,006 mm of precipitation a year.
- NOAA stationGalena
- Station IDUSC00113312
- Location42.40°N 90.39°W
- Elevation822 ft (251 m)
- Population3,207
On October 23, the normal high in Galena is 57°F and the normal low 37°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 Galena.
- Jan 27° 10°
- Feb 31° 14°
- Mar 45° 24°
- Apr 57° 36°
- May 69° 47°
- Jun 78° 58°
- Jul 82° 62°
- Aug 80° 60°
- Sep 74° 51°
- Oct 61° 39°
- Nov 46° 28°
- Dec 33° 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 Galena each month?
July is the warmest month, with normal highs of 82°F; January the coldest, with normal lows of 10°F. The most precipitation falls in June (6.02 in), the least in January (1.23 in).
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Snow | Wet days | 90°F days | Freezing nights | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 27°F | 10°F | 18.5°F | 1.23 | 10.3 | 9 | <1 | 31 | 9 h 20 min |
| February | 31°F | 14°F | 22.5°F | 1.53 | 9.0 | 8 | <1 | 27 | 10 h 30 min |
| March | 45°F | 24°F | 34.5°F | 2.25 | 5.1 | 9 | <1 | 23 | 11 h 50 min |
| April | 57°F | 36°F | 46.8°F | 3.89 | 1.3 | 11 | <1 | 11 | 13 h 20 min |
| May | 69°F | 47°F | 58.2°F | 4.38 | 0.3 | 13 | <1 | 1 | 14 h 30 min |
| June | 78°F | 58°F | 68.3°F | 6.02 | 0.0 | 12 | 1 | <1 | 15 h 20 min |
| July | 82°F | 62°F | 71.9°F | 4.93 | 0.0 | 9 | 3 | <1 | 15 h |
| August | 80°F | 60°F | 69.9°F | 4.19 | 0.0 | 10 | 1 | <1 | 14 h |
| September | 74°F | 51°F | 62.3°F | 3.86 | 0.0 | 9 | 1 | <1 | 12 h 30 min |
| October | 61°F | 39°F | 50.1°F | 3.02 | 0.4 | 9 | <1 | 8 | 11 h 10 min |
| November | 46°F | 28°F | 36.7°F | 2.48 | 2.0 | 8 | <1 | 21 | 9 h 50 min |
| December | 33°F | 17°F | 24.7°F | 1.82 | 9.5 | 9 | <1 | 28 | 9 h 10 min |
| Year (annual) | 57°F | 37°F | 47.0°F | 39.60 | 37.9 | 116 | 6 | 150 |
The same normals in °C and millimetres
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | −3°C | −12°C | −7.5°C | 31 mm | 26 cm |
| February | 0°C | −10°C | −5.3°C | 39 mm | 23 cm |
| March | 7°C | −4°C | 1.4°C | 57 mm | 13 cm |
| April | 14°C | 2°C | 8.2°C | 99 mm | 3 cm |
| May | 21°C | 9°C | 14.6°C | 111 mm | 1 cm |
| June | 26°C | 15°C | 20.2°C | 153 mm | 0 cm |
| July | 28°C | 17°C | 22.2°C | 125 mm | 0 cm |
| August | 27°C | 15°C | 21.1°C | 106 mm | 0 cm |
| September | 23°C | 10°C | 16.8°C | 98 mm | 0 cm |
| October | 16°C | 4°C | 10.1°C | 77 mm | 1 cm |
| November | 8°C | −2°C | 2.6°C | 63 mm | 5 cm |
| December | 0°C | −8°C | −4.1°C | 46 mm | 24 cm |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00113312; 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 Galena?
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 (9).
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 USC00113312.
When is the last frost in Galena?
In Galena, 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 15 in half of years and before October 1 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 151 year in 10 before October 1; 9 in 10 before October 28
NOAA puts the median frost-free season at 170 days, and the season without a hard freeze (28°F) at 193 days.
A hard freeze (28°F) comes after April 14 in half of springs and before October 25 in half of autumns.
The USDA's 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Galena in zone 5a in ZIP code 61036, 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 USC00113312; 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 Galena?
In a normal year in Galena, 6 days a year reach 90°F, 150 nights fall to 32°F or colder and 116 days bring measurable precipitation.
- Days at 90°F or more
- 6a normal year
- Days at 100°F or more
- fewer than 1a normal year
- Nights at 32°F or colder
- 150a normal year
- Days that stay below freezing
- 59high of 32°F or less
- Days with 0.01 inch of precipitation
- 116a normal year
- Days with 1 inch of snow or more
- 13a normal year
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals, station USC00113312.
How sunny is Galena?
Over a year 73% of the sunlight that would reach the ground under clear skies gets through the clouds in the area around Galena, 3.9 kWh per square metre a day. July is the sunniest month (80%) and December the cloudiest (61%).
| Month | Share of clear-sky sunshine | Sunshine, kWh/m² a day |
|---|---|---|
| January | 65% | 1.8 |
| February | 71% | 2.8 |
| March | 69% | 3.7 |
| April | 69% | 4.7 |
| May | 71% | 5.6 |
| June | 75% | 6.1 |
| July | 80% | 6.3 |
| August | 79% | 5.4 |
| September | 79% | 4.4 |
| October | 70% | 2.9 |
| November | 68% | 2.0 |
| December | 61% | 1.4 |
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 Galena need?
A normal year in Galena brings 7,134 heating degree days, 33% more than the median U.S. place (5,373), and 615 cooling degree days, 32% 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 2,721 growing degree days a year above 50°F.
| Month | Heating | Cooling |
|---|---|---|
| January | 1,443 | 0 |
| February | 1,190 | 0 |
| March | 948 | 1 |
| April | 548 | 2 |
| May | 241 | 29 |
| June | 33 | 130 |
| July | 7 | 219 |
| August | 17 | 168 |
| September | 141 | 60 |
| October | 468 | 6 |
| November | 851 | 0 |
| December | 1,249 | 0 |
| Year (annual) | 7,134 | 615 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00113312. 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 Galena's climate compare?
Galena is warmer than 0 of the other 143 places with their own NOAA record in Illinois, and wetter than 67. Across the 7,247 U.S. stations with normals, its annual mean of 47.0°F is warmer than 28%.
In the Köppen classification computed from these normals, Galena 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 Galena share this climate record?
6 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.
- Cuba City, WI2,088 people · 14 mi N
- Shullsburg, WI1,230 people · 14 mi NE
- Hazel Green, WI1,176 people · 10 mi N
- Benton, WI986 people · 12 mi N
- La Motte, IA235 people · 14 mi SW
- St. Donatus, IA123 people · 8 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 Galena's climate
What is the coldest month in Galena?
January, with a normal high of 27°F and a normal low of 10°F. The warmest is July (82°F by day, 62°F at night).
Does it snow in Galena?
Yes: 38 inches in a normal year, falling on 25 days with 0.1 inch or more, the most in January (10.3 inches).
What is the rainiest month in Galena?
June, with 6.02 in of precipitation in a normal year; the driest is January with 1.23 in.
What plant hardiness zone is Galena in?
The USDA's 2023 map puts Galena in zone 5a in ZIP code 61036, the nearest ZIP area.
How late can frost come in Galena?
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
- Illinois climateThe statewide normals and every place in the state
- Bellevue, IA10 miles from this station, 48.7°F a year
- Elizabeth, IL10 miles from this station, 47.5°F a year
- Dubuque, IA16 miles from this station, 47.2°F a year
- Stockton, IL21 miles from this station, 47.8°F a year
- Compare two placesMonth by month, side by side
Download these normals (CSV) · JSON · How these figures are made