Lafayette, Indiana climate: Normal weather by month, frost dates and records
Lafayette's normal year runs from 18°F January nights to 84°F July afternoons, with 37.0 inches of precipitation a year. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a yearly mean of 10.7°C, January lows of −8°C, July highs of 29°C, 940 mm of precipitation a year.
- NOAA stationLafayette Purdue University Airport
- Station IDUSW00014835
- Location40.41°N 86.94°W
- Elevation599 ft (183 m)
- Population71,757
On October 22, the normal high in Lafayette is 62°F and the normal low 41°F, and the chance of measurable rain or snow is 32%.
Normals describe a typical year at the station, not a forecast. The National Weather Service forecast for Lafayette.
- Jan 33° 18°
- Feb 38° 21°
- Mar 50° 30°
- Apr 62° 40°
- May 73° 51°
- Jun 81° 60°
- Jul 84° 63°
- Aug 83° 62°
- Sep 77° 54°
- Oct 65° 43°
- Nov 50° 33°
- Dec 38° 24°
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 Lafayette each month?
July is the warmest month, with normal highs of 84°F; January the coldest, with normal lows of 18°F. The most precipitation falls in June (4.56 in), the least in February (1.78 in).
Each month has its own page with the day-by-day normals, the month's records and its recent years:
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Wet days | 90°F days | Freezing nights | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 33°F | 18°F | 25.8°F | 2.19 | 9 | <1 | 27 | 9 h 40 min |
| February | 38°F | 21°F | 29.7°F | 1.78 | 8 | <1 | 24 | 10 h 40 min |
| March | 50°F | 30°F | 40.0°F | 2.73 | 11 | <1 | 18 | 11 h 50 min |
| April | 62°F | 40°F | 51.1°F | 3.84 | 12 | <1 | 6 | 13 h 10 min |
| May | 73°F | 51°F | 61.6°F | 4.04 | 13 | 1 | <1 | 14 h 20 min |
| June | 81°F | 60°F | 70.7°F | 4.56 | 13 | 5 | <1 | 15 h |
| July | 84°F | 63°F | 73.6°F | 4.08 | 12 | 7 | <1 | 14 h 50 min |
| August | 83°F | 62°F | 72.2°F | 3.12 | 10 | 5 | <1 | 13 h 50 min |
| September | 77°F | 54°F | 65.5°F | 2.59 | 9 | 3 | <1 | 12 h 30 min |
| October | 65°F | 43°F | 53.7°F | 2.91 | 10 | <1 | 3 | 11 h 10 min |
| November | 50°F | 33°F | 41.3°F | 2.87 | 10 | <1 | 15 | 10 h |
| December | 38°F | 24°F | 31.0°F | 2.29 | 10 | <1 | 24 | 9 h 20 min |
| Year (annual) | 61°F | 42°F | 51.3°F | 37.00 | 126 | 21 | 116 |
The same normals in °C and millimetres
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 1°C | −8°C | −3.4°C | 56 mm |
| February | 3°C | −6°C | −1.3°C | 45 mm |
| March | 10°C | −1°C | 4.4°C | 69 mm |
| April | 17°C | 5°C | 10.6°C | 98 mm |
| May | 23°C | 10°C | 16.4°C | 103 mm |
| June | 27°C | 16°C | 21.5°C | 116 mm |
| July | 29°C | 17°C | 23.1°C | 104 mm |
| August | 28°C | 17°C | 22.3°C | 79 mm |
| September | 25°C | 12°C | 18.6°C | 66 mm |
| October | 18°C | 6°C | 12.1°C | 74 mm |
| November | 10°C | 0°C | 5.2°C | 73 mm |
| December | 3°C | −5°C | −0.6°C | 58 mm |
NOAA publishes no 1991-2020 snowfall normal for this station. Lafayette's own co-op station Lafayette (8 mi S) does: 21 inches of snow in a normal year (see the other stations below).
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USW00014835; 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 Lafayette?
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 (9).
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 USW00014835.
When is the last frost in Lafayette?
In Lafayette, the last spring frost (32°F) comes after April 26 in half of years and after May 14 in one year in ten; the first autumn frost comes before October 18 in half of years and before October 4 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 261 year in 10 after May 14; 9 in 10 after April 11
- First autumn frost, half of years before
- October 181 year in 10 before October 4; 9 in 10 before October 31
NOAA puts the median frost-free season at 173 days, and the season without a hard freeze (28°F) at 196 days.
A hard freeze (28°F) comes after April 13 in half of springs and before October 28 in half of autumns.
The USDA's 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Lafayette in zone 6a across its 3 ZIP code areas (6a in 47905, the largest). By the map's own method, the average of each year's coldest night over 1991-2020, Lafayette's NOAA station is in zone 6a: the coldest night of a typical year reaches −9°F (28 complete years).
Frost dates for every NOAA station in Indiana · Frost dates by ZIP code
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals (frost probabilities), station USW00014835; 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.
What hardiness zone is each Lafayette ZIP code in?
The USDA's 2023 map gives each ZIP code area one zone. Lafayette's 3 ZIP code areas are all in zone 6a. Each ZIP's frost dates are in the frost tool.
Source: USDA 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map, ZIP listings: PRISM Group, Oregon State University, https://prism.oregonstate.edu, accessed October 8, 2026; ZIP areas in the place: Census Bureau 2020 ZCTA-to-place relationship file. A ZIP area counts when at least a tenth of its land (and 0.5 km²) lies in the place.
How hot and how cold does it get in Lafayette?
In a normal year in Lafayette, 21 days a year reach 90°F, 116 nights fall to 32°F or colder and 126 days bring measurable precipitation.
- Days at 90°F or more
- 21a normal year
- Days at 100°F or more
- fewer than 1a normal year
- Nights at 32°F or colder
- 116a normal year
- Days that stay below freezing
- 34high of 32°F or less
- Days with 0.01 inch of precipitation
- 126a normal year
The highest temperature in this station's record (since 1944) is 105°F, on June 25, 1988; the lowest is −23°F, on January 20, 1985.
The wettest calendar year on that record is 1993, with 46.67 in; the snowiest season is 1981–82, with 49.0 inches.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals, station USW00014835; records: ACIS (NOAA Regional Climate Centers), station USW00014835. Records use complete months only; a month missing more than three days is left out.
How humid and windy is Lafayette, and how clear are its skies?
The summer (June-August) dew point averages 63°F. The muggiest month is July, with an average dew point of 64°F; the driest air comes in January (20°F). March is the windiest month (9.6 mph on average), and July has the most clear or nearly clear hours (72%).
| Month | Dew point | Humidity | Afternoon humidity | Wind | Clear or few clouds | Overcast |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 20°F | 74% | 63% | 9.0 mph | 50% | 40% |
| February | 26°F | 71% | 58% | 9.5 mph | 46% | 42% |
| March | 35°F | 64% | 49% | 9.6 mph | 56% | 29% |
| April | 45°F | 64% | 49% | 8.9 mph | 56% | 27% |
| May | 56°F | 67% | 50% | 7.1 mph | 62% | 18% |
| June | 64°F | 72% | 53% | 6.0 mph | 69% | 11% |
| July | 64°F | 74% | 55% | 5.3 mph | 72% | 10% |
| August | 62°F | 73% | 52% | 5.7 mph | 71% | 12% |
| September | 50°F | 70% | 47% | 6.7 mph | 68% | 19% |
| October | 39°F | 70% | 53% | 8.2 mph | 55% | 33% |
| November | 30°F | 74% | 63% | 8.7 mph | 50% | 40% |
| December | 23°F | 78% | 69% | 8.7 mph | 46% | 46% |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 hourly normals, station USW00014835. Monthly averages of all hours; afternoon humidity at 3 p.m. local standard time; sky as the share of hours NOAA's observations rate clear or few clouds (a dash where NOAA publishes no sky value).
How sunny is Lafayette?
Over a year 73% of the sunlight that would reach the ground under clear skies gets through the clouds in the area around Lafayette, 4.0 kWh per square metre a day. August is the sunniest month (81%) and December the cloudiest (59%). Among the 459 U.S. places of 50,000 or more, that ranks tied 352nd (with 32 others) in sunshine.
| Month | Share of clear-sky sunshine | Sunshine, kWh/m² a day |
|---|---|---|
| January | 61% | 1.8 |
| February | 64% | 2.6 |
| March | 67% | 3.7 |
| April | 70% | 4.8 |
| May | 71% | 5.5 |
| June | 78% | 6.2 |
| July | 81% | 6.2 |
| August | 81% | 5.6 |
| September | 80% | 4.5 |
| October | 72% | 3.1 |
| November | 67% | 2.1 |
| December | 59% | 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 Lafayette need?
A normal year in Lafayette brings 5,824 heating degree days, 8% more than the median U.S. place (5,373), and 883 cooling degree days, 3% 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 3,277 growing degree days a year above 50°F.
| Month | Heating | Cooling |
|---|---|---|
| January | 1,215 | 0 |
| February | 988 | 0 |
| March | 779 | 2 |
| April | 425 | 8 |
| May | 170 | 64 |
| June | 24 | 193 |
| July | 3 | 270 |
| August | 7 | 230 |
| September | 83 | 100 |
| October | 365 | 16 |
| November | 711 | 0 |
| December | 1,054 | 0 |
| Year (annual) | 5,824 | 883 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USW00014835. 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 Lafayette been warmer than normal lately?
2025 averaged 52.7°F, 1.4°F above the 1991-2020 normal of 51.3°F. 5 of the 5 complete years since 2021 ran warmer than the normal.
| Year | Mean | Against normal | Precip. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 54.9°F | +3.6°F | 42.69 |
| 2022 | 51.9°F | +0.6°F | 23.22 |
| 2023 | 54.1°F | +2.8°F | 28.20 |
| 2024 | 54.8°F | +3.5°F | 36.73 |
| 2025 | 52.7°F | +1.4°F | 33.11 |
Over 49 complete years from 1965 to 2025, the station's annual mean temperature rose at a fitted 4.3°F per century (+0.24°C per decade). A fitted rate summarizes the whole record; single years swing well above and below it.
Source: observed years: ACIS, station USW00014835; trend: NOAA GHCN-Monthly v4. A year counts only with all twelve months complete.
How does Lafayette's climate compare?
Lafayette is warmer than 44 of the other 98 places with their own NOAA record in Indiana, and wetter than 2. Across the 7,247 U.S. stations with normals, its annual mean of 51.3°F is warmer than 46%.
In the Köppen classification computed from these normals, Lafayette 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 Lafayette 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.
- Shadeland, IN1,839 people · 5 mi S
- Dayton, IN1,372 people · 9 mi E
- Romney, IN561 people · 11 mi S
- Stockwell, IN364 people · 12 mi SE
- West Point, IN231 people · 7 mi SW
Source: Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer (place centers) and Vintage 2024 population estimates. Distance and direction from the station to each place's center.
What do Lafayette's other NOAA stations record?
One more NOAA station keeps 1991-2020 normals in or near Lafayette. This page uses Lafayette Purdue University Airport; the other differs by site and elevation:
| Station | From this station | Elevation | Year | Jan low | Jul high | Precip. | Snow | Last frost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lafayette (8 mi S) USC00124715 | 8 mi S | 732 ft | 51.6°F | 18°F | 84°F | 39.8 | 21 | April 20 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 normals for each station. Last frost: the median last spring date of 32°F.
Questions about Lafayette's climate
What is the coldest month in Lafayette?
January, with a normal high of 33°F and a normal low of 18°F. The warmest is July (84°F by day, 63°F at night).
Does it snow in Lafayette?
Yes. NOAA publishes no 1991-2020 snowfall normal for Lafayette's NOAA station; Lafayette's own co-op station Lafayette (8 mi S) records 21 inches of snow in a normal year.
What is the rainiest month in Lafayette?
June, with 4.56 in of precipitation in a normal year; the driest is February with 1.78 in.
What plant hardiness zone is Lafayette in?
The USDA's 2023 map puts Lafayette in zone 6a across its 3 ZIP code areas (6a in 47905, the largest). By the same method at Lafayette's NOAA station, the coldest night of a typical year reaches −9°F (28 years, 1991-2020): zone 6a.
How late can frost come in Lafayette?
In half of years the last 32°F night comes after April 26; in one year in ten it comes after May 14. Waiting until May 14 leaves about a one-in-ten chance of a later frost.
Nearby and next
- Lafayette in OctoberThis month day by day, its records and recent years
- Indiana climateThe statewide normals and every place in the state
- West Lafayette, IN5 miles from this station, 50.4°F a year
- Attica, IN16 miles from this station, 50.8°F a year
- Chalmers, IN17 miles from this station, 49.9°F a year
- Delphi, IN20 miles from this station, 52.2°F a year
- Compare two placesMonth by month, side by side
Download these normals (CSV) · JSON · How these figures are made