Independence, Iowa climate: Normal weather by month, frost dates and records
Independence's normal year runs from 8°F January nights to 83°F July afternoons, with 37.4 inches of precipitation and 34 inches of snow a year. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a yearly mean of 8.3°C, January lows of −13°C, July highs of 28°C, 949 mm of precipitation a year.
- NOAA stationIndependence #1
- Station IDUSC00134049
- Location42.53°N 91.88°W
- Elevation1,010 ft (308 m)
- From the center5 miles
- Population6,266
On October 23, the normal high in Independence is 58°F and the normal low 36°F, and the chance of measurable rain or snow is 27%.
Normals describe a typical year at the station, not a forecast. The National Weather Service forecast for Independence.
- Jan 27° 8°
- Feb 31° 12°
- Mar 44° 24°
- Apr 59° 36°
- May 71° 48°
- Jun 81° 59°
- Jul 83° 62°
- Aug 81° 59°
- Sep 75° 51°
- Oct 62° 38°
- 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 Independence each month?
July is the warmest month, with normal highs of 83°F; January the coldest, with normal lows of 8°F. The most precipitation falls in June (5.66 in), the least in January (0.95 in).
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Snow | Wet days | 90°F days | Freezing nights | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 27°F | 8°F | 17.3°F | 0.95 | 10.0 | 8 | <1 | 31 | 9 h 20 min |
| February | 31°F | 12°F | 21.2°F | 1.36 | 7.3 | 7 | <1 | 26 | 10 h 30 min |
| March | 44°F | 24°F | 34.1°F | 2.02 | 3.8 | 8 | <1 | 24 | 11 h 50 min |
| April | 59°F | 36°F | 47.3°F | 3.59 | 1.8 | 10 | <1 | 10 | 13 h 20 min |
| May | 71°F | 48°F | 59.3°F | 4.60 | 0.0 | 12 | <1 | 1 | 14 h 30 min |
| June | 81°F | 59°F | 69.8°F | 5.66 | 0.0 | 11 | 3 | <1 | 15 h 20 min |
| July | 83°F | 62°F | 72.4°F | 4.61 | 0.0 | 9 | 4 | <1 | 15 h |
| August | 81°F | 59°F | 70.4°F | 4.27 | 0.0 | 9 | 3 | <1 | 14 h |
| September | 75°F | 51°F | 62.9°F | 3.53 | 0.0 | 8 | 1 | 1 | 12 h 30 min |
| October | 62°F | 38°F | 50.0°F | 3.03 | 0.4 | 9 | <1 | 8 | 11 h 10 min |
| November | 46°F | 26°F | 35.7°F | 2.09 | 3.0 | 8 | <1 | 22 | 9 h 50 min |
| December | 32°F | 15°F | 23.3°F | 1.66 | 7.6 | 8 | <1 | 30 | 9 h 10 min |
| Year (annual) | 58°F | 36°F | 47.0°F | 37.37 | 33.9 | 105 | 12 | 151 |
The same normals in °C and millimetres
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | −3°C | −13°C | −8.2°C | 24 mm | 25 cm |
| February | −1°C | −11°C | −6.0°C | 35 mm | 19 cm |
| March | 7°C | −5°C | 1.2°C | 51 mm | 10 cm |
| April | 15°C | 2°C | 8.5°C | 91 mm | 5 cm |
| May | 22°C | 9°C | 15.2°C | 117 mm | 0 cm |
| June | 27°C | 15°C | 21.0°C | 144 mm | 0 cm |
| July | 28°C | 17°C | 22.4°C | 117 mm | 0 cm |
| August | 27°C | 15°C | 21.3°C | 108 mm | 0 cm |
| September | 24°C | 11°C | 17.2°C | 90 mm | 0 cm |
| October | 17°C | 3°C | 10.0°C | 77 mm | 1 cm |
| November | 8°C | −4°C | 2.1°C | 53 mm | 8 cm |
| December | 0°C | −10°C | −4.8°C | 42 mm | 19 cm |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00134049; 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 Independence?
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 (8).
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 USC00134049.
When is the last frost in Independence?
In Independence, the last spring frost (32°F) comes after April 30 in half of years and after May 12 in one year in ten; the first autumn frost comes before October 7 in half of years and before September 23 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 301 year in 10 after May 12; 9 in 10 after April 16
- First autumn frost, half of years before
- October 71 year in 10 before September 23; 9 in 10 before October 21
NOAA puts the median frost-free season at 159 days, and the season without a hard freeze (28°F) at 179 days.
A hard freeze (28°F) comes after April 20 in half of springs and before October 17 in half of autumns.
The USDA's 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Independence in zone 5a in ZIP code 50644, 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 USC00134049; 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 Independence?
In a normal year in Independence, 12 days a year reach 90°F, 151 nights fall to 32°F or colder and 105 days bring measurable precipitation.
- Days at 90°F or more
- 12a normal year
- Days at 100°F or more
- fewer than 1a normal year
- Nights at 32°F or colder
- 151a normal year
- Days that stay below freezing
- 60high of 32°F or less
- Days with 0.01 inch of precipitation
- 105a normal year
- Days with 1 inch of snow or more
- 11a normal year
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals, station USC00134049.
How sunny is Independence?
Over a year 73% of the sunlight that would reach the ground under clear skies gets through the clouds in the area around Independence, 4.0 kWh per square metre a day. July is the sunniest month (80%) and December the cloudiest (63%).
| Month | Share of clear-sky sunshine | Sunshine, kWh/m² a day |
|---|---|---|
| January | 67% | 1.8 |
| February | 72% | 2.9 |
| March | 70% | 3.8 |
| April | 68% | 4.7 |
| May | 71% | 5.6 |
| June | 75% | 6.2 |
| July | 80% | 6.3 |
| August | 80% | 5.5 |
| September | 79% | 4.4 |
| October | 70% | 2.9 |
| November | 69% | 2.0 |
| December | 63% | 1.5 |
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 Independence need?
A normal year in Independence brings 7,252 heating degree days, 35% more than the median U.S. place (5,373), and 723 cooling degree days, 20% 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 2,856 growing degree days a year above 50°F.
| Month | Heating | Cooling |
|---|---|---|
| January | 1,480 | 0 |
| February | 1,225 | 0 |
| March | 960 | 0 |
| April | 536 | 4 |
| May | 217 | 40 |
| June | 29 | 174 |
| July | 6 | 236 |
| August | 18 | 185 |
| September | 139 | 76 |
| October | 472 | 7 |
| November | 878 | 0 |
| December | 1,293 | 0 |
| Year (annual) | 7,252 | 723 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00134049. 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 Independence's climate compare?
Independence is warmer than 45 of the other 131 places with their own NOAA record in Iowa, and wetter than 79. 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, Independence 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 Independence share this climate record?
4 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.
- Jesup, IA2,541 people · 10 mi W
- Winthrop, IA814 people · 8 mi SE
- Quasqueton, IA587 people · 11 mi SE
- Rowley, IA264 people · 11 mi S
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 Independence's climate
What is the coldest month in Independence?
January, with a normal high of 27°F and a normal low of 8°F. The warmest is July (83°F by day, 62°F at night).
Does it snow in Independence?
Yes: 34 inches in a normal year, falling on 21 days with 0.1 inch or more, the most in January (10.0 inches).
What is the rainiest month in Independence?
June, with 5.66 in of precipitation in a normal year; the driest is January with 0.95 in.
What plant hardiness zone is Independence in?
The USDA's 2023 map puts Independence in zone 5a in ZIP code 50644, the nearest ZIP area.
How late can frost come in Independence?
In half of years the last 32°F night comes after April 30; in one year in ten it comes after May 12. Waiting until May 12 leaves about a one-in-ten chance of a later frost.
Nearby and next
- Iowa climateThe statewide normals and every place in the state
- Stanley, IA7 miles from this station, 45.4°F a year
- Oelwein, IA9 miles from this station, 46.3°F a year
- Manchester, IA22 miles from this station, 46.3°F a year
- Fayette, IA25 miles from this station, 45.0°F a year
- Compare two placesMonth by month, side by side
Download these normals (CSV) · JSON · How these figures are made