Indiana Dunes NL, IN Climate: Temperature & Rain by Month
Explore NOAA NCEI's 1991–2020 climate normals → and a clearly labeled PlainClimate comfort calculation
30-year climate normals (1991-2020) from Indiana Dunes NL's primary NOAA station, INDIANA DUNES NL.
The climate verdict for Indiana Dunes NL
Indiana Dunes NL, Indiana 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
- annual average temperature (NOAA normal)
- 63/100
- comfort score, above 46% of station-mapped location scores
- 39.2"
- annual precipitation · 40" snow
- 188 days
- frost-free growing season
Indiana Dunes NL: NOAA 1991-2020 normals describe a typical year, not a forecast. Method: /methodology.
Normals record plate
Sheet USC00124244 · Indiana Dunes NL, IN 50°F mean · 39.2" 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 ≈ Rochester
- PRCP-MID 39.2"
- SWING-WIDE 48°F
- COMF-MID 63/100
- LOAD-HEAT 6,171 HDD
- STN-1 USC00124244
- BOOK-FULL 6/6 fields
Nearest mean-temperature peer: Rochester, IN (+ 0 °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 IN station list.
- Indiana Dunes NL (this station) 50°F
- Cold Bluffton, IN 50°F
- Hot Hicksville, OH 50°F
- Near Rochester, IN 50°F
- Near Huntington, IN 50°F
Climate Living Index · Indiana Dunes NL
Indiana Dunes NL: 55/100 · grade C
Indiana Dunes NL publishes 5 of 6 Living Index dimensions (NOAA annual/seasonal normals · NOAA daily multivariate normals); 1 missing weight rescale to 100.
PlainClimate-derived for Indiana Dunes NL, not an official NOAA rating. Rankings still use Comfort Score 63/100 (separate formula). Breakpoints and limits.
| Dimension | Station value | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Precipitation balance | 39.2 in · 4.2 from 35 in | 85/100 · A |
| Normal heat + freeze calendar | 124 calendar days | 62/100 · C |
| Frost-free season | 188 days/year | 56/100 · C |
| Annual temperature balance | 50.2°F · 17.3° from 67.5°F | 41/100 · D |
| Snowfall burden | 40.3 inches/year | 28/100 · F |
Indiana Dunes NL · 2026-08-04 · NOAA NCEI Climate Normals · method · Comfort Score method.
Indiana Dunes NL is a continental Köppen climate: Dfa
Coldest-month mean 24.9°F and warmest-month mean 73.0°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
- 73.0°F
- Coldest month
- 24.9°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 Indiana Dunes NL sits across the climate record
Three NOAA fields for Indiana Dunes NL'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 74%
- Warmest-to-coldest month gap for Indiana Dunes NL is large versus 6,861 complete station-years.
How Indiana Dunes NL compares across U.S. station-mapped locations
Indiana Dunes NL'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
Monthly Temperatures
Average daily high and low temperatures by month
| Month | Avg High | Avg Low | Mean | Precip | Snow | Freeze Days | 90°F+ Days |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 32°F (0°C) | 18°F (-8°C) | 25°F (-4°C) | 2.2" | 16.0" | 27.8 | 0.0 |
| February | 36°F (2°C) | 21°F (-6°C) | 28°F (-2°C) | 2.0" | 9.7" | 24.6 | 0.0 |
| March | 46°F (8°C) | 30°F (-1°C) | 38°F (3°C) | 2.3" | 6.0" | 19.6 | 0.0 |
| April | 57°F (14°C) | 40°F (4°C) | 48°F (9°C) | 3.5" | 0.6" | 5.5 | 0.0 |
| May | 68°F (20°C) | 50°F (10°C) | 59°F (15°C) | 4.3" | 0.0" | 0.2 | 0.5 |
| June | 78°F (25°C) | 60°F (15°C) | 69°F (20°C) | 4.3" | 0.0" | 0.0 | 2.3 |
| July | 82°F (28°C) | 64°F (18°C) | 73°F (23°C) | 4.0" | 0.0" | 0.0 | 3.8 |
| August | 80°F (27°C) | 63°F (17°C) | 72°F (22°C) | 4.1" | 0.0" | 0.0 | 2.3 |
| September | 74°F (24°C) | 56°F (13°C) | 65°F (19°C) | 3.6" | 0.0" | 0.0 | 1.6 |
| October | 62°F (17°C) | 45°F (7°C) | 54°F (12°C) | 3.8" | 0.0" | 1.5 | 0.0 |
| November | 49°F (9°C) | 34°F (1°C) | 42°F (5°C) | 2.8" | 0.7" | 12.7 | 0.0 |
| December | 37°F (3°C) | 24°F (-4°C) | 31°F (-1°C) | 2.3" | 7.3" | 24.9 | 0.0 |
The year, day by day
Summer here tops out rather than builds: the warmest normal high is 82°F around July 11, short of 90°F on every date, while 124 dates carry a normal low at or below freezing, the coldest 17°F near January 20.
The freezing stretch
The normal low stays at or below 32°F into March 24, then returns to freezing around November 22, covering 124 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 9, when 41% of years recorded at least a hundredth of an inch. The driest is September 1 at 31%. Summed across the calendar, that is about 132 wet dates a year.
The widest day
May 14 carries the biggest normal gap between afternoon and dawn, 19°F between the normal high and the normal low.
Look up any date
Any date's 1991–2020 normal for Indiana Dunes NL.
Where Indiana Dunes NL Stands Nationally
Among the steadiest day-night climates ranked: even the widest normal daily swing holds to roughly 19°F.
Indiana Dunes NL 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: 16.0"
12.6 days with precipitation
Snow: 9.7"
9.0 days with precipitation
Snow: 6.0"
10.9 days with precipitation
Snow: 0.6"
11.3 days with precipitation
12.3 days with precipitation
11.7 days with precipitation
9.7 days with precipitation
9.9 days with precipitation
9.6 days with precipitation
11.5 days with precipitation
Snow: 0.7"
10.6 days with precipitation
Snow: 7.3"
11.9 days with precipitation
Indiana Dunes NL 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 17%, with neither reaching the 35% that would mark a distinct wet season. Indiana Dunes NL has no dry season to plan around, though it does carry a wide 48.1°F gap between its warmest and coldest month.
The gap between the wettest and driest month still matters: June averages 4.3" and February 2.0". The three wettest months together take 32% 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.
How Indiana Dunes NL's precipitation splits across the calendar
About 131 days a year record measurable precipitation here, carrying 39.2" between them, or roughly 0.30 inches on a typical wet day. That sits in the middle band: neither the many-light-days pattern of the Pacific Northwest and the Great Lakes, nor the few-heavy-events pattern of the Gulf and the desert Southwest.
A wet day is one recording at least 0.01 inches. These are 1991-2020 normals: they describe an average year and say nothing about the heaviest single storm on record.
Winter brings real snow to Indiana Dunes NL
Indiana Dunes NL averages 40.3 inches of snowfall a year, with January the snowiest month on the normals, spread across roughly 25 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: 40.3 inches of depth.
- Days recording measurable snow: about 25 a year.
- At a rough ten-to-one melt ratio, snow accounts for on the order of 10% 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 27
50% probability date
Last Spring Freeze
April 22
50% probability date
Growing Season
188 days
Heating & Cooling Degree Days
Annual totals indicate energy demand for heating and cooling
Heating Degree Days
6,171
Higher = more heating needed
Cooling Degree Days
808
Higher = more cooling needed
Warmest Month
July
Coldest Month
January
Nationwide similar cities
Other rankable U.S. places outside IN closest to Indiana Dunes NL 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
- Aurora, IL 50°F · 0.0°F off
- Blair, NE 50°F · 0.0°F off
- Bloomington, IL 50°F · 0.0°F off
Closest by annual precipitation
Nearest out-of-state peers by annual precipitation (39.2" here), excluding temperature-peer places.
- Coggon, IA 39.1" · 0.0" off
- Boone, IA 39.1" · 0.0" off
- Bethany, MO 39.1" · 0.0" off
- Waukon, IA 39.2" · 0.0" off
Snow and freeze rhythm
When cold and snow define Indiana Dunes NL
heating led · moderate · mid swing
Indiana Dunes NL's energy balance leans toward cold weather: 6,171 annual heating degree days against 808 for cooling. Its 48.1°F seasonal range still makes the monthly rows more useful than the annual average alone.
Indiana Dunes NL's frost-free season lasts about 188 days, a middle-length window whose endpoints matter more than the annual average. It describes freeze probability, not year-specific planting conditions.
-
1. Indiana Dunes NL coldest normal
January
Averaging 25°F (-4°C), this month sits below freezing for the month as a whole, not merely overnight.
-
2. Indiana Dunes NL typical freeze period
January through December
The station reports average freezing days from January through December.
-
3. Indiana Dunes NL snow peak
January
Indiana Dunes NL averages 40.3 inches of snow a year, with January the snowiest month on the normals.
Questions about Indiana Dunes NL's climate
How much snow does Indiana Dunes NL get? ▼
How cold does Indiana Dunes NL get in winter? ▼
How much energy does heating and cooling require in Indiana Dunes NL? ▼
Data Sources
Data source: NOAA U.S. Climate Normals v1.0.1 (1991-2020). All figures on this page are from Indiana Dunes NL's primary station: INDIANA DUNES NL (USC00124244). For informational purposes only.
Place identity: U.S. Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer places. The conservative exact name-and-state crosswalk finds no Census place match, so PlainClimate treats this as a station-mapped location and does not claim it is a municipality. No exact Gazetteer row for Indiana Dunes NL; facility counts that depend on place identity are therefore an upper bound, not a municipal census.
On this page every temperature, precipitation, and derived score for Indiana Dunes NL 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.