Galesburg, IL Climate: Temperature & Rain by Month
Temperature and precipitation from NOAA NCEI 1991–2020 normals →, plus PlainClimate's derived comfort score
30-year climate normals (1991-2020) from Galesburg's primary NOAA station, GALESBURG.
The climate verdict for Galesburg
Galesburg, Illinois has a mixed annual climate rather than one dominant extreme. Its NOAA normal shows an annual average of 50°F. Its climate comfort score of 63/100 (good) lands mid-pack nationally, exceeding 46% of station-mapped location scores.
- 50°F
- yearly average temperature, NOAA normal
- 63/100
- comfort score, above 46% of station-mapped location scores
- 39.0"
- annual precipitation · 26" snow
- 182 days
- frost-free days per growing season
Galesburg: NOAA 1991-2020 normals describe a typical year, not a forecast. Method: /methodology.
Normals record plate
Sheet USC00113320 · Galesburg, IL 50°F mean · 39.0" precip
TEMP-COOL · RANK-MID · PHOTO-FINISH · PRCP-MID · SWING-WIDE · COMF-MID · LOAD-HEAT · STN-1 · BOOK-FULL
- TEMP-COOL 50°F
- RANK-MID #2,813
- PHOTO-FINISH ≈ Des Moines Wsfo…
- PRCP-MID 39.0"
- SWING-WIDE 53°F
- COMF-MID 63/100
- LOAD-HEAT 6,322 HDD
- STN-1 USC00113320
- BOOK-FULL 6/6 fields
Nearest mean-temperature peer: Des Moines Wsfo-johnston, IA (+ 0.1 °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 IL station list.
- Galesburg (this station) 50°F
- Cold Loup City, NE 50°F
- Hot Des Moines Wsfo…, IA 50°F
- Near Raymond, NE 50°F
- Near Weston, NE 50°F
Climate Living Index · Galesburg
Galesburg: 54/100 · grade D
Galesburg publishes 5 of 6 Living Index dimensions (NOAA annual/seasonal normals · NOAA daily multivariate normals); 1 missing weight rescale to 100.
PlainClimate-derived for Galesburg, not an official NOAA rating. Rankings still use Comfort Score 63/100 (separate formula). Breakpoints and limits.
| Dimension | Station value | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Precipitation balance | 39.0 in · 4.0 from 35 in | 86/100 · A |
| Normal heat + freeze calendar | 138 calendar days | 54/100 · D |
| Frost-free season | 182 days/year | 51/100 · D |
| Snowfall burden | 25.9 inches/year | 43/100 · D |
| Annual temperature balance | 50.2°F · 17.3° from 67.5°F | 41/100 · D |
Galesburg · 2026-08-04 · NOAA NCEI Climate Normals · method · Comfort Score method.
Galesburg is a continental Köppen climate: Dfa
Coldest-month mean 21.9°F and warmest-month mean 74.7°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
- 74.7°F
- Coldest month
- 21.9°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 Galesburg sits across the climate record
Three NOAA fields for Galesburg's primary station, temperature, precipitation, and seasonal swing, are ranked against every station-mapped normal that carries the same field.
- Annual temperature
- 41st percentile warmth
- Mid-pack annual mean versus 6,861 station normals.
- Annual precipitation
- 56th percentile wetness
- Neither arid nor torrential versus 6,352 station totals.
- Seasonal temperature swing
- Wider than 88%
- Warmest-to-coldest month gap for Galesburg is large versus 6,861 complete station-years.
How Galesburg compares across U.S. station-mapped locations
Galesburg'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
Galesburg's measured station temperature trend
MethodologyAcross 80 complete annual observations from 1899 to 2025, GALESBURG warmed at a fitted rate of 0.10°C per decade. The line shows the fitted change relative to its first year, not raw year-to-year temperatures or a forecast.
- Galesburg primary station fitted change +0.10 °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 | 30°F (-1°C) | 14°F (-10°C) | 22°F (-6°C) | 1.7" | 9.0" | 28.8 | 0.0 |
| February | 35°F (2°C) | 17°F (-8°C) | 26°F (-3°C) | 1.9" | 6.6" | 25.0 | 0.0 |
| March | 48°F (9°C) | 28°F (-2°C) | 38°F (3°C) | 2.4" | 2.3" | 20.5 | 0.0 |
| April | 61°F (16°C) | 40°F (4°C) | 51°F (10°C) | 3.8" | 0.4" | 6.1 | 0.0 |
| May | 72°F (22°C) | 52°F (11°C) | 62°F (17°C) | 5.3" | 0.0" | 0.2 | 0.6 |
| June | 81°F (27°C) | 62°F (17°C) | 72°F (22°C) | 4.6" | 0.0" | 0.0 | 3.7 |
| July | 84°F (29°C) | 65°F (19°C) | 75°F (24°C) | 4.0" | 0.0" | 0.0 | 6.3 |
| August | 82°F (28°C) | 63°F (17°C) | 73°F (23°C) | 3.9" | 0.0" | 0.0 | 3.7 |
| September | 76°F (25°C) | 55°F (13°C) | 66°F (19°C) | 3.9" | 0.0" | 0.0 | 1.8 |
| October | 63°F (17°C) | 43°F (6°C) | 53°F (12°C) | 2.8" | 0.0" | 4.2 | 0.1 |
| November | 48°F (9°C) | 30°F (-1°C) | 39°F (4°C) | 2.6" | 1.7" | 17.5 | 0.0 |
| December | 35°F (2°C) | 20°F (-7°C) | 28°F (-2°C) | 2.1" | 5.9" | 26.8 | 0.0 |
The year, day by day
Summer here tops out rather than builds: the warmest normal high is 84°F around July 10, short of 90°F on every date, while 138 dates carry a normal low at or below freezing, the coldest 13°F near January 23.
The freezing stretch
The normal low stays at or below 32°F into March 26, then returns to freezing around November 10, covering 138 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 4, when 39% of years recorded at least a hundredth of an inch. The driest is February 4 at 23%. Summed across the calendar, that is about 104 wet dates a year.
The widest day
September 25 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 Galesburg.
Where Galesburg Stands Nationally
Days and nights track unusually close together; the widest normal swing, about 22°F, is narrower than most stations record.
Galesburg 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: 9.0"
7.9 days with precipitation
Snow: 6.6"
6.9 days with precipitation
Snow: 2.3"
8.7 days with precipitation
Snow: 0.4"
10.6 days with precipitation
11.9 days with precipitation
9.8 days with precipitation
8.1 days with precipitation
8.5 days with precipitation
7.0 days with precipitation
8.8 days with precipitation
Snow: 1.7"
7.7 days with precipitation
Snow: 5.9"
8.1 days with precipitation
Galesburg spreads its precipitation across the year
Neither half of the year dominates here: June through August take 32% of the annual total and December through February 15%, with neither reaching the 35% that would mark a distinct wet season. Galesburg has no dry season to plan around, though it does carry a wide 52.8°F gap between its warmest and coldest month.
The gap between the wettest and driest month still matters: May averages 5.3" 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 Galesburg, it arrives in quantity
39.0" of precipitation falls across only about 104 wet days here, averaging 0.37 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 104 a year, 28% of all days
- Average depth per wet day
- 0.37 inches
- Most wet days
- May, about 12
- Fewest wet days
- February, 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 Galesburg
Galesburg averages 25.9 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: 25.9 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 7% 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 19
50% probability date
Last Spring Freeze
April 20
50% probability date
Growing Season
182 days
Heating & Cooling Degree Days
Annual totals indicate energy demand for heating and cooling
Heating Degree Days
6,322
Higher = more heating needed
Cooling Degree Days
970
Higher = more cooling needed
Warmest Month
July
Coldest Month
January
Nationwide similar cities
Other rankable U.S. places outside IL closest to Galesburg 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 (50°F here).
- Ainsworth, NE 50°F · 0.0°F off
- Blair, NE 50°F · 0.0°F off
- Boone, NC 50°F · 0.0°F off
- Buhl, ID 50°F · 0.0°F off
Closest by annual precipitation
Nearest out-of-state peers by annual precipitation (39.0" here), excluding temperature-peer places.
- Postville, IA 38.9" · 0.0" off
- Baraboo, WI 38.9" · 0.1" off
- Delphi, IN 39.0" · 0.1" off
- Hart, MI 38.9" · 0.1" off
Snow and freeze rhythm
When cold and snow define Galesburg
heating led · moderate · mid swing
Galesburg's energy balance leans toward cold weather: 6,322 annual heating degree days against 970 for cooling. Its 52.8°F seasonal range still makes the monthly rows more useful than the annual average alone.
Galesburg's frost-free season lasts about 182 days, a middle-length window whose endpoints matter more than the annual average. It describes freeze probability, not year-specific planting conditions.
-
1. Galesburg coldest normal
January
Averaging 22°F (-6°C), this month sits below freezing for the month as a whole, not merely overnight.
-
2. Galesburg typical freeze period
January through December
The station reports average freezing days from January through December.
-
3. Galesburg snow peak
January
Galesburg averages 25.9 inches of snow a year, with January the snowiest month on the normals.
Questions about Galesburg's climate
How much snow does Galesburg get? ▼
How cold does Galesburg get in winter? ▼
How much energy does heating and cooling require in Galesburg? ▼
Data Sources
Data source: NOAA U.S. Climate Normals v1.0.1 (1991-2020). All figures on this page are from Galesburg's primary station: GALESBURG (USC00113320). 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 1728326). Match rule for Galesburg: 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 Galesburg 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.