Gladstone, Illinois climate: Normal weather by month, frost dates and records
Gladstone's normal year runs from 16°F January nights to 86°F July afternoons, with 37.2 inches of precipitation and 17 inches of snow a year. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a yearly mean of 11.1°C, January lows of −9°C, July highs of 30°C, 945 mm of precipitation a year.
- NOAA stationGladstone Dam 18
- Station IDUSC00113455
- Location40.88°N 91.02°W
- Elevation538 ft (164 m)
- Population221
On October 14, the normal high in Gladstone is 66°F and the normal low 45°F, and the chance of measurable rain or snow is 25%.
Normals describe a typical year at the station, not a forecast. The National Weather Service forecast for Gladstone.
- Jan 32° 16°
- Feb 37° 20°
- Mar 49° 30°
- Apr 62° 42°
- May 73° 53°
- Jun 82° 63°
- Jul 86° 67°
- Aug 84° 65°
- Sep 78° 56°
- Oct 65° 45°
- Nov 50° 33°
- Dec 37° 22°
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 Gladstone each month?
July is the warmest month, with normal highs of 86°F; January the coldest, with normal lows of 16°F. The most precipitation falls in May (5.02 in), the least in January (1.39 in).
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Snow | Wet days | 90°F days | Freezing nights | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 32°F | 16°F | 24.0°F | 1.39 | 4.9 | 7 | <1 | 29 | 9 h 30 min |
| February | 37°F | 20°F | 28.2°F | 1.69 | 6.3 | 7 | <1 | 25 | 10 h 40 min |
| March | 49°F | 30°F | 39.7°F | 2.35 | 1.8 | 8 | <1 | 19 | 11 h 50 min |
| April | 62°F | 42°F | 52.0°F | 3.77 | 0.3 | 10 | <1 | 4 | 13 h 20 min |
| May | 73°F | 53°F | 62.9°F | 5.02 | 0.0 | 12 | 1 | <1 | 14 h 30 min |
| June | 82°F | 63°F | 72.6°F | 4.66 | 0.0 | 10 | 5 | <1 | 15 h 10 min |
| July | 86°F | 67°F | 76.2°F | 4.03 | 0.0 | 9 | 8 | <1 | 14 h 50 min |
| August | 84°F | 65°F | 74.3°F | 3.60 | 0.0 | 9 | 5 | <1 | 13 h 50 min |
| September | 78°F | 56°F | 66.9°F | 3.62 | 0.0 | 7 | 2 | <1 | 12 h 30 min |
| October | 65°F | 45°F | 54.7°F | 2.80 | 0.1 | 8 | <1 | 2 | 11 h 10 min |
| November | 50°F | 33°F | 41.2°F | 2.45 | 0.3 | 8 | <1 | 15 | 10 h |
| December | 37°F | 22°F | 29.8°F | 1.81 | 3.2 | 7 | <1 | 27 | 9 h 20 min |
| Year (annual) | 61°F | 43°F | 51.9°F | 37.19 | 16.9 | 103 | 21 | 122 |
The same normals in °C and millimetres
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 0°C | −9°C | −4.4°C | 35 mm | 12 cm |
| February | 3°C | −7°C | −2.1°C | 43 mm | 16 cm |
| March | 9°C | −1°C | 4.3°C | 60 mm | 5 cm |
| April | 17°C | 5°C | 11.1°C | 96 mm | 1 cm |
| May | 23°C | 12°C | 17.2°C | 128 mm | 0 cm |
| June | 28°C | 17°C | 22.6°C | 118 mm | 0 cm |
| July | 30°C | 19°C | 24.6°C | 102 mm | 0 cm |
| August | 29°C | 18°C | 23.5°C | 91 mm | 0 cm |
| September | 25°C | 13°C | 19.4°C | 92 mm | 0 cm |
| October | 18°C | 7°C | 12.6°C | 71 mm | 0 cm |
| November | 10°C | 0°C | 5.1°C | 62 mm | 1 cm |
| December | 3°C | −5°C | −1.2°C | 46 mm | 8 cm |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00113455; 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 Gladstone?
Normal highs sit between 65°F and 85°F in May, June, August and September. 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 USC00113455.
When is the last frost in Gladstone?
In Gladstone, the last spring frost (32°F) comes after April 8 in half of years and after April 23 in one year in ten; the first autumn frost comes before October 29 in half of years and before October 17 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 81 year in 10 after April 23; 9 in 10 after March 26
- First autumn frost, half of years before
- October 291 year in 10 before October 17; 9 in 10 before November 10
NOAA puts the median frost-free season at 202 days, and the season without a hard freeze (28°F) at 222 days.
A hard freeze (28°F) comes after March 31 in half of springs and before November 7 in half of autumns.
The USDA's 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Gladstone in zone 6a in ZIP code 61437, the nearest ZIP area. By the map's own method, the average of each year's coldest night over 1991-2020, Gladstone's NOAA station is in zone 6a: the coldest night of a typical year reaches −10°F (29 complete years).
Frost dates for every NOAA station in Illinois · Frost dates by ZIP code
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals (frost probabilities), station USC00113455; 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 Gladstone?
In a normal year in Gladstone, 21 days a year reach 90°F, 122 nights fall to 32°F or colder and 103 days bring measurable precipitation.
- Days at 90°F or more
- 21a normal year
- Days at 100°F or more
- fewer than 1a normal year
- Nights at 32°F or colder
- 122a normal year
- Days that stay below freezing
- 42high of 32°F or less
- Days with 0.01 inch of precipitation
- 103a normal year
- Days with 1 inch of snow or more
- 5a normal year
The highest temperature in this station's record (since 1938) is 105°F, on July 1, 1938; the lowest is −26°F, on January 16, 2009.
The wettest calendar year on that record is 2010, with 49.87 in; the snowiest season is 1959–60, with 54.9 inches.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals, station USC00113455; records: ACIS (NOAA Regional Climate Centers), station USC00113455. Records use complete months only; a month missing more than three days is left out.
How sunny is Gladstone?
Over a year 74% of the sunlight that would reach the ground under clear skies gets through the clouds in the area around Gladstone, 4.1 kWh per square metre a day. September is the sunniest month (82%) and January the cloudiest (64%).
| Month | Share of clear-sky sunshine | Sunshine, kWh/m² a day |
|---|---|---|
| January | 64% | 1.9 |
| February | 68% | 2.8 |
| March | 67% | 3.7 |
| April | 70% | 4.9 |
| May | 72% | 5.6 |
| June | 78% | 6.3 |
| July | 82% | 6.4 |
| August | 81% | 5.6 |
| September | 82% | 4.7 |
| October | 73% | 3.2 |
| November | 71% | 2.2 |
| December | 64% | 1.6 |
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 Gladstone need?
A normal year in Gladstone brings 5,853 heating degree days, 9% more than the median U.S. place (5,373), and 1,108 cooling degree days, 22% 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 3,578 growing degree days a year above 50°F.
| Month | Heating | Cooling |
|---|---|---|
| January | 1,269 | 0 |
| February | 1,029 | 0 |
| March | 788 | 2 |
| April | 397 | 9 |
| May | 138 | 72 |
| June | 15 | 242 |
| July | 1 | 348 |
| August | 3 | 291 |
| September | 70 | 127 |
| October | 338 | 17 |
| November | 714 | 0 |
| December | 1,093 | 0 |
| Year (annual) | 5,853 | 1,108 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00113455. 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 Gladstone been warmer than normal lately?
2022 averaged 50.7°F, 1.2°F below the 1991-2020 normal of 51.9°F. 1 of the 2 complete years since 2021 ran warmer than the normal.
| Year | Mean | Against normal | Precip. | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 53.0°F | +1.1°F | 42.08 | – |
| 2022 | 50.7°F | −1.2°F | 29.50 | 14.8 |
Source: observed years: ACIS, station USC00113455. A year counts only with all twelve months complete.
How does Gladstone's climate compare?
Gladstone is warmer than 72 of the other 143 places with their own NOAA record in Illinois, and wetter than 15. Across the 7,247 U.S. stations with normals, its annual mean of 51.9°F is warmer than 49%.
In the Köppen classification computed from these normals, Gladstone 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 Gladstone share this climate record?
9 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.
- West Burlington, IA3,249 people · 9 mi SW
- Mediapolis, IA1,679 people · 11 mi NW
- Danville, IA910 people · 15 mi W
- Beaverdale, IA905 people · 10 mi W
- Middletown, IA365 people · 13 mi W
- Oak Hills, IA111 people · 11 mi SW
- Sperry, IA93 people · 9 mi NW
- Kingston, IA70 people · 7 mi N
- Augusta, IA47 people · 16 mi SW
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 Gladstone's climate
What is the coldest month in Gladstone?
January, with a normal high of 32°F and a normal low of 16°F. The warmest is July (86°F by day, 67°F at night).
Does it snow in Gladstone?
Yes: 17 inches in a normal year, falling on 7 days with 0.1 inch or more, the most in February (6.3 inches).
What is the rainiest month in Gladstone?
May, with 5.02 in of precipitation in a normal year; the driest is January with 1.39 in.
What plant hardiness zone is Gladstone in?
The USDA's 2023 map puts Gladstone in zone 6a in ZIP code 61437, the nearest ZIP area. By the same method at Gladstone's NOAA station, the coldest night of a typical year reaches −10°F (29 years, 1991-2020): zone 6a.
How late can frost come in Gladstone?
In half of years the last 32°F night comes after April 8; in one year in ten it comes after April 23. Waiting until April 23 leaves about a one-in-ten chance of a later frost.
Nearby and next
- Illinois climateThe statewide normals and every place in the state
- Burlington, IA9 miles from this station, 51.9°F a year
- Monmouth, IL21 miles from this station, 50.6°F a year
- La Harpe, IL21 miles from this station, 50.8°F a year
- New Boston, IL22 miles from this station, 51.2°F a year
- Compare two placesMonth by month, side by side
Download these normals (CSV) · JSON · How these figures are made