Ida Grove, Iowa climate: Normal weather by month, frost dates and records
Ida Grove's normal year runs from 9°F January nights to 84°F July afternoons. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a yearly mean of 8.6°C, January lows of −13°C, July highs of 29°C.
- NOAA stationIda Grove (5 mi NW)
- Station IDUSC00134038
- Location42.39°N 95.52°W
- Elevation1,320 ft (402 m)
- From the center4 miles
- Population1,988
On October 23, the normal high in Ida Grove is 59°F and the normal low 36°F.
Normals describe a typical year at the station, not a forecast. The National Weather Service forecast for Ida Grove.
- Jan 27° 9°
- Feb 32° 13°
- Mar 45° 25°
- Apr 59° 36°
- May 70° 49°
- Jun 81° 60°
- Jul 84° 63°
- Aug 82° 61°
- Sep 75° 52°
- Oct 62° 39°
- Nov 46° 26°
- Dec 32° 15°
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 Ida Grove each month?
July is the warmest month, with normal highs of 84°F; January the coldest, with normal lows of 9°F.
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Wet days | 90°F days | Freezing nights | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 27°F | 9°F | 17.8°F | – | <1 | 31 | 9 h 20 min |
| February | 32°F | 13°F | 22.4°F | – | <1 | 27 | 10 h 30 min |
| March | 45°F | 25°F | 35.1°F | – | <1 | 24 | 11 h 50 min |
| April | 59°F | 36°F | 47.4°F | – | <1 | 10 | 13 h 20 min |
| May | 70°F | 49°F | 59.5°F | – | 1 | 1 | 14 h 30 min |
| June | 81°F | 60°F | 70.4°F | – | 4 | <1 | 15 h 20 min |
| July | 84°F | 63°F | 73.6°F | – | 6 | <1 | 15 h |
| August | 82°F | 61°F | 71.2°F | – | 4 | <1 | 14 h |
| September | 75°F | 52°F | 63.5°F | – | 2 | 1 | 12 h 30 min |
| October | 62°F | 39°F | 50.4°F | – | <1 | 8 | 11 h 10 min |
| November | 46°F | 26°F | 35.9°F | – | <1 | 23 | 9 h 50 min |
| December | 32°F | 15°F | 23.3°F | – | <1 | 30 | 9 h 10 min |
| Year (annual) | 58°F | 37°F | 47.5°F | – | 17 | 155 |
The same normals in °C and millimetres
| Month | High | Low | Mean |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | −3°C | −13°C | −7.9°C |
| February | 0°C | −10°C | −5.3°C |
| March | 7°C | −4°C | 1.7°C |
| April | 15°C | 2°C | 8.6°C |
| May | 21°C | 9°C | 15.3°C |
| June | 27°C | 15°C | 21.3°C |
| July | 29°C | 17°C | 23.1°C |
| August | 28°C | 16°C | 21.8°C |
| September | 24°C | 11°C | 17.5°C |
| October | 17°C | 4°C | 10.2°C |
| November | 8°C | −4°C | 2.2°C |
| December | 0°C | −9°C | −4.8°C |
NOAA publishes no 1991-2020 snowfall normal for this station. The nearest record that keeps one, Holstein (7 miles away), gets 35 inches of snow in a normal year; elevation and distance can change that.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00134038; 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 Ida Grove?
Normal highs sit between 65°F and 85°F in May, June, July, August and September.
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 USC00134038.
When is the last frost in Ida Grove?
In Ida Grove, the last spring frost (32°F) comes after April 27 in half of years and after May 11 in one year in ten; the first autumn frost comes before October 12 in half of years and before September 27 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 271 year in 10 after May 11; 9 in 10 after April 12
- First autumn frost, half of years before
- October 121 year in 10 before September 27; 9 in 10 before October 24
NOAA puts the median frost-free season at 167 days, and the season without a hard freeze (28°F) at 186 days.
A hard freeze (28°F) comes after April 17 in half of springs and before October 21 in half of autumns.
The USDA's 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Ida Grove in zone 5a in ZIP code 51445, 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 USC00134038; 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 Ida Grove?
In a normal year in Ida Grove, 17 days a year reach 90°F and 155 nights fall to 32°F or colder.
- 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
- 155a normal year
- Days that stay below freezing
- 60high of 32°F or less
The highest temperature in this station's record (since 1902) is 105°F, on June 8, 1985; the lowest is −32°F, on January 19, 1970.
The wettest calendar year on that record is 1962, with 43.42 in; the snowiest season is 1978–79, with 66.0 inches.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals, station USC00134038; records: ACIS (NOAA Regional Climate Centers), station USC00134038. Records use complete months only; a month missing more than three days is left out.
How sunny is Ida Grove?
Over a year 76% of the sunlight that would reach the ground under clear skies gets through the clouds in the area around Ida Grove, 4.1 kWh per square metre a day. July is the sunniest month (84%) and December the cloudiest (70%).
| Month | Share of clear-sky sunshine | Sunshine, kWh/m² a day |
|---|---|---|
| January | 72% | 2.0 |
| February | 77% | 3.1 |
| March | 70% | 3.9 |
| April | 70% | 4.9 |
| May | 71% | 5.7 |
| June | 77% | 6.4 |
| July | 84% | 6.6 |
| August | 81% | 5.6 |
| September | 79% | 4.5 |
| October | 74% | 3.1 |
| November | 73% | 2.2 |
| December | 70% | 1.7 |
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 Ida Grove need?
A normal year in Ida Grove brings 7,143 heating degree days, 33% more than the median U.S. place (5,373), and 819 cooling degree days, 10% 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 2,992 growing degree days a year above 50°F.
| Month | Heating | Cooling |
|---|---|---|
| January | 1,461 | 0 |
| February | 1,192 | 0 |
| March | 927 | 0 |
| April | 534 | 6 |
| May | 221 | 49 |
| June | 32 | 192 |
| July | 5 | 272 |
| August | 13 | 205 |
| September | 128 | 85 |
| October | 462 | 9 |
| November | 873 | 0 |
| December | 1,292 | 0 |
| Year (annual) | 7,143 | 819 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00134038. 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 Ida Grove's climate compare?
Ida Grove is warmer than 56 of the other 131 places with their own NOAA record in Iowa. Across the 7,247 U.S. stations with normals, its annual mean of 47.5°F is warmer than 30%.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 normals for every station PlainClimate covers.
Which places near Ida Grove share this climate record?
2 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.
- Odebolt, IA967 people · 14 mi SE
- Arthur, IA218 people · 10 mi SE
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 Ida Grove's climate
What is the coldest month in Ida Grove?
January, with a normal high of 27°F and a normal low of 9°F. The warmest is July (84°F by day, 63°F at night).
Does it snow in Ida Grove?
Yes. NOAA publishes no 1991-2020 snowfall normal for Ida Grove's NOAA station; the nearest record that keeps one, Holstein (7 miles away), records 35 inches of snow in a normal year.
What plant hardiness zone is Ida Grove in?
The USDA's 2023 map puts Ida Grove in zone 5a in ZIP code 51445, the nearest ZIP area.
How late can frost come in Ida Grove?
In half of years the last 32°F night comes after April 27; 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
- Battle Creek, IA4 miles from this station, 46.9°F a year
- Holstein, IA7 miles from this station, 46.8°F a year
- Mapleton, IA21 miles from this station, 47.2°F a year
- Storm Lake, IA24 miles from this station, 47.1°F a year
- Compare two placesMonth by month, side by side
Download these normals (CSV) · JSON · How these figures are made