Indianola, Iowa climate: Normal weather by month, frost dates and records
Indianola's normal year runs from 12°F January nights to 86°F July afternoons, with 37.8 inches of precipitation and 31 inches of snow a year. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a yearly mean of 9.9°C, January lows of −11°C, July highs of 30°C, 960 mm of precipitation a year.
- NOAA stationIndianola (2 mi W)
- Station IDUSC00134063
- Location41.37°N 93.65°W
- Elevation924 ft (282 m)
- Population16,297
On October 23, the normal high in Indianola is 61°F and the normal low 37°F, and the chance of measurable rain or snow is 24%.
Normals describe a typical year at the station, not a forecast. The National Weather Service forecast for Indianola.
- Jan 32° 12°
- Feb 36° 15°
- Mar 50° 27°
- Apr 62° 38°
- May 72° 50°
- Jun 81° 60°
- Jul 86° 64°
- Aug 84° 62°
- Sep 78° 52°
- Oct 65° 40°
- Nov 50° 28°
- Dec 37° 17°
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 Indianola each month?
July is the warmest month, with normal highs of 86°F; January the coldest, with normal lows of 12°F. The most precipitation falls in June (5.72 in), the least in January (0.91 in).
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Snow | Wet days | 90°F days | Freezing nights | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 32°F | 12°F | 21.7°F | 0.91 | 8.5 | 5 | <1 | 30 | 9 h 30 min |
| February | 36°F | 15°F | 25.8°F | 1.42 | 8.2 | 7 | <1 | 26 | 10 h 40 min |
| March | 50°F | 27°F | 38.3°F | 1.94 | 3.7 | 7 | <1 | 22 | 11 h 50 min |
| April | 62°F | 38°F | 50.0°F | 3.88 | 1.0 | 10 | <1 | 9 | 13 h 20 min |
| May | 72°F | 50°F | 60.9°F | 5.58 | 0.3 | 12 | 1 | 1 | 14 h 30 min |
| June | 81°F | 60°F | 70.7°F | 5.72 | 0.0 | 11 | 3 | <1 | 15 h 10 min |
| July | 86°F | 64°F | 74.7°F | 4.32 | 0.0 | 8 | 7 | <1 | 14 h 50 min |
| August | 84°F | 62°F | 72.8°F | 3.90 | 0.0 | 9 | 5 | <1 | 13 h 50 min |
| September | 78°F | 52°F | 65.0°F | 3.86 | 0.0 | 8 | 2 | <1 | 12 h 30 min |
| October | 65°F | 40°F | 52.5°F | 3.02 | 0.5 | 8 | <1 | 7 | 11 h 10 min |
| November | 50°F | 28°F | 38.8°F | 1.85 | 1.9 | 6 | <1 | 20 | 9 h 50 min |
| December | 37°F | 17°F | 27.1°F | 1.40 | 6.7 | 6 | <1 | 29 | 9 h 10 min |
| Year (annual) | 61°F | 39°F | 49.9°F | 37.80 | 30.8 | 96 | 18 | 143 |
The same normals in °C and millimetres
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 0°C | −11°C | −5.7°C | 23 mm | 22 cm |
| February | 2°C | −9°C | −3.4°C | 36 mm | 21 cm |
| March | 10°C | −3°C | 3.5°C | 49 mm | 9 cm |
| April | 17°C | 3°C | 10.0°C | 99 mm | 3 cm |
| May | 22°C | 10°C | 16.1°C | 142 mm | 1 cm |
| June | 27°C | 16°C | 21.5°C | 145 mm | 0 cm |
| July | 30°C | 18°C | 23.7°C | 110 mm | 0 cm |
| August | 29°C | 16°C | 22.7°C | 99 mm | 0 cm |
| September | 25°C | 11°C | 18.3°C | 98 mm | 0 cm |
| October | 18°C | 5°C | 11.4°C | 77 mm | 1 cm |
| November | 10°C | −2°C | 3.8°C | 47 mm | 5 cm |
| December | 3°C | −8°C | −2.7°C | 36 mm | 17 cm |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00134063; 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 Indianola?
Normal highs sit between 65°F and 85°F in May, June, 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 USC00134063.
When is the last frost in Indianola?
In Indianola, the last spring frost (32°F) comes after April 24 in half of years and after May 8 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 241 year in 10 after May 8; 9 in 10 after April 11
- First autumn frost, half of years before
- October 121 year in 10 before September 27; 9 in 10 before October 26
NOAA puts the median frost-free season at 168 days, and the season without a hard freeze (28°F) at 188 days.
A hard freeze (28°F) comes after April 14 in half of springs and before October 21 in half of autumns.
The USDA's 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Indianola in zone 5b in ZIP code 50125, the nearest ZIP area. By the map's own method, the average of each year's coldest night over 1991-2020, Indianola's NOAA station is in zone 5b: the coldest night of a typical year reaches −15°F (24 complete years).
Frost dates for every NOAA station in Iowa · Frost dates by ZIP code
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals (frost probabilities), station USC00134063; 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 Indianola?
In a normal year in Indianola, 18 days a year reach 90°F, 143 nights fall to 32°F or colder and 96 days bring measurable precipitation.
- Days at 90°F or more
- 18a normal year
- Days at 100°F or more
- fewer than 1a normal year
- Nights at 32°F or colder
- 143a normal year
- Days that stay below freezing
- 47high of 32°F or less
- Days with 0.01 inch of precipitation
- 96a normal year
- Days with 1 inch of snow or more
- 11a normal year
The highest temperature in this station's record (since 1893) is 113°F, on August 8, 1934; the lowest is −35°F, on February 4, 1996.
The wettest calendar year on that record is 2010, with 56.42 in; the snowiest season is 1961–62, with 60.1 inches.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals, station USC00134063; records: ACIS (NOAA Regional Climate Centers), station USC00134063. Records use complete months only; a month missing more than three days is left out.
How sunny is Indianola?
Over a year 75% of the sunlight that would reach the ground under clear skies gets through the clouds in the area around Indianola, 4.1 kWh per square metre a day. July is the sunniest month (81%) and December the cloudiest (68%).
| Month | Share of clear-sky sunshine | Sunshine, kWh/m² a day |
|---|---|---|
| January | 68% | 2.0 |
| February | 74% | 3.0 |
| March | 70% | 3.8 |
| April | 69% | 4.8 |
| May | 72% | 5.7 |
| June | 77% | 6.3 |
| July | 81% | 6.4 |
| August | 80% | 5.5 |
| September | 80% | 4.6 |
| October | 73% | 3.1 |
| November | 72% | 2.2 |
| December | 68% | 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 Indianola need?
A normal year in Indianola brings 6,417 heating degree days, 19% more than the median U.S. place (5,373), and 934 cooling degree days, 3% 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 3,252 growing degree days a year above 50°F.
| Month | Heating | Cooling |
|---|---|---|
| January | 1,344 | 0 |
| February | 1,099 | 0 |
| March | 830 | 2 |
| April | 458 | 8 |
| May | 183 | 56 |
| June | 24 | 194 |
| July | 3 | 305 |
| August | 7 | 249 |
| September | 106 | 105 |
| October | 404 | 15 |
| November | 788 | 0 |
| December | 1,173 | 0 |
| Year (annual) | 6,417 | 934 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00134063. 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 Indianola been warmer than normal lately?
Over 97 complete years from 1892 to 2020, the station's annual mean temperature rose at a fitted -0.4°F per century (−0.02°C per decade). A fitted rate summarizes the whole record; single years swing well above and below it.
Source: trend: NOAA GHCN-Monthly v4. A year counts only with all twelve months complete.
How does Indianola's climate compare?
Indianola is warmer than 105 of the other 131 places with their own NOAA record in Iowa, and wetter than 87. Across the 7,247 U.S. stations with normals, its annual mean of 49.9°F is warmer than 40%.
In the Köppen classification computed from these normals, Indianola 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 Indianola share this climate record?
8 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.
- Milo, IA762 people · 12 mi SE
- St. Charles, IA648 people · 10 mi SW
- Martensdale, IA413 people · 5 mi W
- Ackworth, IA117 people · 9 mi E
- St. Marys, IA116 people · 6 mi SW
- Spring Hill, IA68 people · 3 mi N
- Bevington, IA62 people · 7 mi W
- Sandyville, IA59 people · 14 mi E
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 Indianola's climate
What is the coldest month in Indianola?
January, with a normal high of 32°F and a normal low of 12°F. The warmest is July (86°F by day, 64°F at night).
Does it snow in Indianola?
Yes: 31 inches in a normal year, falling on 15 days with 0.1 inch or more, the most in January (8.5 inches).
What is the rainiest month in Indianola?
June, with 5.72 in of precipitation in a normal year; the driest is January with 0.91 in.
What plant hardiness zone is Indianola in?
The USDA's 2023 map puts Indianola in zone 5b in ZIP code 50125, the nearest ZIP area. By the same method at Indianola's NOAA station, the coldest night of a typical year reaches −15°F (24 years, 1991-2020): zone 5b.
How late can frost come in Indianola?
In half of years the last 32°F night comes after April 24; in one year in ten it comes after May 8. Waiting until May 8 leaves about a one-in-ten chance of a later frost.
Nearby and next
- Iowa climateThe statewide normals and every place in the state
- Des Moines, IA12 miles from this station, 50.9°F a year
- Winterset, IA19 miles from this station, 48.1°F a year
- Osceola, IA25 miles from this station, 49.8°F a year
- Ankeny, IA25 miles from this station, 49.5°F a year
- Compare two placesMonth by month, side by side
Download these normals (CSV) · JSON · How these figures are made