Golden, Illinois climate: Normal weather by month, frost dates and records
Golden's normal year runs from 16°F January nights to 87°F July afternoons. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a yearly mean of 11.1°C, January lows of −9°C, July highs of 30°C.
- NOAA stationGolden
- Station IDUSC00113530
- Location40.11°N 91.02°W
- Elevation718 ft (219 m)
- From the centerunder 1 mile
- Population627
On October 23, the normal high in Golden is 63°F and the normal low 40°F.
Normals describe a typical year at the station, not a forecast. The National Weather Service forecast for Golden.
- Jan 34° 16°
- Feb 39° 20°
- Mar 51° 30°
- Apr 64° 40°
- May 74° 52°
- Jun 83° 62°
- Jul 87° 65°
- Aug 85° 63°
- Sep 79° 54°
- Oct 66° 43°
- Nov 51° 32°
- Dec 39° 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 Golden each month?
July is the warmest month, with normal highs of 87°F; January the coldest, with normal lows of 16°F.
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Wet days | 90°F days | Freezing nights | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 34°F | 16°F | 25.0°F | – | <1 | 28 | 9 h 40 min |
| February | 39°F | 20°F | 29.2°F | – | <1 | 24 | 10 h 40 min |
| March | 51°F | 30°F | 40.4°F | – | <1 | 20 | 11 h 50 min |
| April | 64°F | 40°F | 51.6°F | – | <1 | 6 | 13 h 10 min |
| May | 74°F | 52°F | 63.1°F | – | 1 | <1 | 14 h 20 min |
| June | 83°F | 62°F | 72.6°F | – | 5 | <1 | 15 h |
| July | 87°F | 65°F | 75.6°F | – | 8 | <1 | 14 h 50 min |
| August | 85°F | 63°F | 73.7°F | – | 8 | <1 | 13 h 50 min |
| September | 79°F | 54°F | 66.5°F | – | 3 | <1 | 12 h 30 min |
| October | 66°F | 43°F | 54.4°F | – | <1 | 4 | 11 h 10 min |
| November | 51°F | 32°F | 41.4°F | – | <1 | 17 | 10 h |
| December | 39°F | 22°F | 30.3°F | – | <1 | 26 | 9 h 20 min |
| Year (annual) | 63°F | 42°F | 52.0°F | – | 24 | 124 |
The same normals in °C and millimetres
| Month | High | Low | Mean |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 1°C | −9°C | −3.9°C |
| February | 4°C | −7°C | −1.6°C |
| March | 11°C | −1°C | 4.7°C |
| April | 18°C | 4°C | 10.9°C |
| May | 23°C | 11°C | 17.3°C |
| June | 28°C | 17°C | 22.6°C |
| July | 30°C | 18°C | 24.2°C |
| August | 29°C | 17°C | 23.2°C |
| September | 26°C | 12°C | 19.2°C |
| October | 19°C | 6°C | 12.4°C |
| November | 11°C | 0°C | 5.2°C |
| December | 4°C | −6°C | −0.9°C |
NOAA publishes no 1991-2020 snowfall normal for this station. The nearest record that keeps one, Bentley (17 miles away), gets 23 inches of snow in a normal year; elevation and distance can change that.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00113530; 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 Golden?
Normal highs sit between 65°F and 85°F in May, June, August, September and October.
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 USC00113530.
When is the last frost in Golden?
In Golden, the last spring frost (32°F) comes after April 18 in half of years and after May 1 in one year in ten; the first autumn frost comes before October 21 in half of years and before October 6 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 181 year in 10 after May 1; 9 in 10 after April 3
- First autumn frost, half of years before
- October 211 year in 10 before October 6; 9 in 10 before November 1
NOAA puts the median frost-free season at 187 days, and the season without a hard freeze (28°F) at 207 days.
A hard freeze (28°F) comes after April 7 in half of springs and before October 31 in half of autumns.
The USDA's 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Golden in zone 6a in ZIP code 62339, 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 USC00113530; 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 Golden?
In a normal year in Golden, 24 days a year reach 90°F (1 of them 100°F or more) and 124 nights fall to 32°F or colder.
- Days at 90°F or more
- 24a normal year
- Days at 100°F or more
- 1a normal year
- Nights at 32°F or colder
- 124a normal year
- Days that stay below freezing
- 37high of 32°F or less
The highest temperature in this station's record (since 1945) is 105°F, on July 12, 1966; the lowest is −23°F, on January 12, 1974.
The wettest calendar year on that record is 1973, with 52.09 in; the snowiest season is 1925–26, with 55.3 inches.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals, station USC00113530; records: ACIS (NOAA Regional Climate Centers), station USC00113530. Records use complete months only; a month missing more than three days is left out.
How sunny is Golden?
Over a year 74% of the sunlight that would reach the ground under clear skies gets through the clouds in the area around Golden, 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 Golden need?
A normal year in Golden brings 5,781 heating degree days, 8% more than the median U.S. place (5,373), and 1,077 cooling degree days, 19% 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 3,540 growing degree days a year above 50°F.
| Month | Heating | Cooling |
|---|---|---|
| January | 1,240 | 0 |
| February | 1,001 | 0 |
| March | 763 | 0 |
| April | 411 | 9 |
| May | 138 | 78 |
| June | 12 | 242 |
| July | 1 | 329 |
| August | 5 | 275 |
| September | 84 | 127 |
| October | 346 | 17 |
| November | 707 | 0 |
| December | 1,074 | 0 |
| Year (annual) | 5,781 | 1,077 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00113530. 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 Golden's climate compare?
Golden is warmer than 74 of the other 143 places with their own NOAA record in Illinois. Across the 7,247 U.S. stations with normals, its annual mean of 52.0°F is warmer than 49%.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 normals for every station PlainClimate covers.
Which places near Golden share this climate record?
5 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.
- Camp Point, IL1,117 people · 5 mi SW
- Clayton, IL616 people · 6 mi SE
- Augusta, IL539 people · 9 mi NE
- Mound Station, IL119 people · 10 mi SE
- La Prairie, IL40 people · 3 mi N
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 Golden's climate
What is the coldest month in Golden?
January, with a normal high of 34°F and a normal low of 16°F. The warmest is July (87°F by day, 65°F at night).
Does it snow in Golden?
Yes. NOAA publishes no 1991-2020 snowfall normal for Golden's NOAA station; the nearest record that keeps one, Bentley (17 miles away), records 23 inches of snow in a normal year.
What plant hardiness zone is Golden in?
The USDA's 2023 map puts Golden in zone 6a in ZIP code 62339, the nearest ZIP area.
How late can frost come in Golden?
In half of years the last 32°F night comes after April 18; in one year in ten it comes after May 1. Waiting until May 1 leaves about a one-in-ten chance of a later frost.
Nearby and next
- Illinois climateThe statewide normals and every place in the state
- Quincy, IL15 miles from this station, 53.0°F a year
- Bentley, IL17 miles from this station, 52.8°F a year
- Perry, IL23 miles from this station, 53.3°F a year
- Rushville, IL24 miles from this station, 51.7°F a year
- Compare two placesMonth by month, side by side
Download these normals (CSV) · JSON · How these figures are made