Moline, Illinois climate: Normal weather by month, frost dates and records
Moline's normal year runs from 15°F January nights to 86°F July afternoons, with 38.3 inches of precipitation and 36 inches of snow a year. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a yearly mean of 10.7°C, January lows of −10°C, July highs of 30°C, 972 mm of precipitation a year.
- NOAA stationMoline Quad City International Airport
- Station IDUSW00014923
- Location41.47°N 90.52°W
- Elevation592 ft (180 m)
- From the center2 miles
- Population42,442
On October 14, the normal high in Moline is 66°F and the normal low 43°F, and the chance of measurable rain or snow is 28%.
Normals describe a typical year at the station, not a forecast. The National Weather Service forecast for Moline.
- Jan 32° 15°
- Feb 37° 19°
- Mar 50° 30°
- Apr 63° 40°
- May 74° 51°
- Jun 83° 61°
- Jul 86° 65°
- Aug 84° 63°
- Sep 78° 54°
- Oct 65° 43°
- Nov 50° 31°
- Dec 37° 21°
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 Moline each month?
July is the warmest month, with normal highs of 86°F; January the coldest, with normal lows of 15°F. The most precipitation falls in June (5.01 in), the least in January (1.66 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. | Snow | Wet days | 90°F days | Freezing nights | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 32°F | 15°F | 23.3°F | 1.66 | 10.8 | 9 | <1 | 29 | 9 h 30 min |
| February | 37°F | 19°F | 27.7°F | 1.83 | 8.6 | 9 | <1 | 25 | 10 h 40 min |
| March | 50°F | 30°F | 39.7°F | 2.62 | 4.4 | 10 | <1 | 20 | 11 h 50 min |
| April | 63°F | 40°F | 51.4°F | 3.81 | 1.1 | 11 | <1 | 6 | 13 h 20 min |
| May | 74°F | 51°F | 62.5°F | 4.67 | 0.0 | 12 | 1 | <1 | 14 h 30 min |
| June | 83°F | 61°F | 72.1°F | 5.01 | 0.0 | 11 | 5 | <1 | 15 h 10 min |
| July | 86°F | 65°F | 75.5°F | 4.23 | 0.0 | 9 | 8 | <1 | 14 h 50 min |
| August | 84°F | 63°F | 73.4°F | 3.97 | 0.0 | 9 | 5 | <1 | 13 h 50 min |
| September | 78°F | 54°F | 66.1°F | 3.32 | 0.0 | 8 | 3 | <1 | 12 h 30 min |
| October | 65°F | 43°F | 53.7°F | 2.81 | 0.3 | 9 | <1 | 5 | 11 h 10 min |
| November | 50°F | 31°F | 40.4°F | 2.30 | 2.1 | 9 | <1 | 17 | 9 h 50 min |
| December | 37°F | 21°F | 28.9°F | 2.04 | 8.8 | 10 | <1 | 27 | 9 h 10 min |
| Year (annual) | 62°F | 41°F | 51.2°F | 38.27 | 36.1 | 117 | 22 | 129 |
The same normals in °C and millimetres
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 0°C | −10°C | −4.8°C | 42 mm | 27 cm |
| February | 3°C | −7°C | −2.4°C | 46 mm | 22 cm |
| March | 10°C | −1°C | 4.3°C | 67 mm | 11 cm |
| April | 17°C | 4°C | 10.8°C | 97 mm | 3 cm |
| May | 23°C | 11°C | 16.9°C | 119 mm | 0 cm |
| June | 28°C | 16°C | 22.3°C | 127 mm | 0 cm |
| July | 30°C | 18°C | 24.2°C | 107 mm | 0 cm |
| August | 29°C | 17°C | 23.0°C | 101 mm | 0 cm |
| September | 26°C | 12°C | 18.9°C | 84 mm | 0 cm |
| October | 18°C | 6°C | 12.1°C | 71 mm | 1 cm |
| November | 10°C | −1°C | 4.7°C | 58 mm | 5 cm |
| December | 3°C | −6°C | −1.7°C | 52 mm | 22 cm |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USW00014923; 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 Moline?
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 USW00014923.
When is the last frost in Moline?
In Moline, the last spring frost (32°F) comes after April 24 in half of years and after May 9 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 241 year in 10 after May 9; 9 in 10 after April 9
- First autumn frost, half of years before
- October 181 year in 10 before October 4; 9 in 10 before October 28
NOAA puts the median frost-free season at 176 days, and the season without a hard freeze (28°F) at 197 days.
A hard freeze (28°F) comes after April 12 in half of springs and before October 27 in half of autumns.
The USDA's 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Moline in zone 5b in ZIP code 61265. By the map's own method, the average of each year's coldest night over 1991-2020, Moline's NOAA station is in zone 5b: the coldest night of a typical year reaches −14°F (30 complete years).
Frost dates for every NOAA station in Illinois · Frost dates by ZIP code
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals (frost probabilities), station USW00014923; 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 Moline?
In a normal year in Moline, 22 days a year reach 90°F, 129 nights fall to 32°F or colder and 117 days bring measurable precipitation.
- Days at 90°F or more
- 22a normal year
- Days at 100°F or more
- fewer than 1a normal year
- Nights at 32°F or colder
- 129a normal year
- Days that stay below freezing
- 42high of 32°F or less
- Days with 0.01 inch of precipitation
- 117a normal year
- Days with 1 inch of snow or more
- 11a normal year
The highest temperature in Moline's official record (kept by the National Weather Service since 1874) is 111°F, on July 14, 1936; the lowest is −33°F, on January 31, 2019.
The wettest calendar year on that record is 1973, with 56.36 in; the snowiest season is 1974–75, with 69.7 inches.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals, station USW00014923; records: ACIS (NOAA Regional Climate Centers), NWS threaded record MLIthr. Records use complete months only; a month missing more than three days is left out.
How humid and windy is Moline, 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 (17°F). March is the windiest month (10.4 mph on average), and July has the most clear or nearly clear hours (73%).
| Month | Dew point | Humidity | Afternoon humidity | Wind | Clear or few clouds | Overcast |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 17°F | 73% | 63% | 8.9 mph | 50% | 39% |
| February | 23°F | 70% | 57% | 9.6 mph | 51% | 38% |
| March | 33°F | 62% | 45% | 10.4 mph | 53% | 32% |
| April | 43°F | 62% | 45% | 9.4 mph | 57% | 28% |
| May | 55°F | 67% | 49% | 7.5 mph | 63% | 20% |
| June | 63°F | 69% | 52% | 6.7 mph | 71% | 12% |
| July | 64°F | 72% | 54% | 5.7 mph | 73% | 10% |
| August | 62°F | 73% | 52% | 6.0 mph | 72% | 12% |
| September | 49°F | 68% | 46% | 7.2 mph | 69% | 19% |
| October | 36°F | 68% | 51% | 8.6 mph | 57% | 33% |
| November | 26°F | 73% | 61% | 8.8 mph | 52% | 39% |
| December | 19°F | 75% | 66% | 9.0 mph | 51% | 41% |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 hourly normals, station USW00014923. 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 Moline?
Over a year 74% of the sunlight that would reach the ground under clear skies gets through the clouds in the area around Moline, 4.0 kWh per square metre a day. July is the sunniest month (81%) and December the cloudiest (63%).
| Month | Share of clear-sky sunshine | Sunshine, kWh/m² a day |
|---|---|---|
| January | 64% | 1.8 |
| February | 70% | 2.8 |
| March | 69% | 3.7 |
| April | 70% | 4.8 |
| May | 72% | 5.5 |
| June | 77% | 6.2 |
| July | 81% | 6.3 |
| August | 80% | 5.5 |
| September | 81% | 4.5 |
| October | 72% | 3.0 |
| November | 69% | 2.1 |
| 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 Moline need?
A normal year in Moline brings 6,024 heating degree days, 12% more than the median U.S. place (5,373), and 1,041 cooling degree days, 15% 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 3,449 growing degree days a year above 50°F.
| Month | Heating | Cooling |
|---|---|---|
| January | 1,292 | 0 |
| February | 1,044 | 0 |
| March | 785 | 2 |
| April | 417 | 11 |
| May | 153 | 76 |
| June | 16 | 228 |
| July | 2 | 327 |
| August | 4 | 265 |
| September | 84 | 116 |
| October | 368 | 17 |
| November | 740 | 1 |
| December | 1,119 | 0 |
| Year (annual) | 6,024 | 1,041 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USW00014923. 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 Moline been warmer than normal lately?
2025 averaged 51.8°F, 0.6°F above the 1991-2020 normal of 51.2°F. 4 of the 5 complete years since 2021 ran warmer than the normal.
| Year | Mean | Against normal | Precip. | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 52.7°F | +1.5°F | 34.82 | 35.7 |
| 2022 | 50.9°F | −0.3°F | 30.89 | 23.3 |
| 2023 | 54.1°F | +2.9°F | 29.22 | 25.1 |
| 2024 | 54.2°F | +3.0°F | 34.67 | 30.6 |
| 2025 | 51.8°F | +0.6°F | 32.44 | 25.7 |
Over 81 complete years from 1944 to 2025, the station's annual mean temperature rose at a fitted 3.1°F per century (+0.17°C per decade). A fitted rate summarizes the whole record; single years swing well above and below it.
Source: observed years: ACIS, station USW00014923; trend: NOAA GHCN-Monthly v4. A year counts only with all twelve months complete.
How does Moline's climate compare?
Moline is warmer than 59 of the other 143 places with their own NOAA record in Illinois, and wetter than 36. Across the 7,247 U.S. stations with normals, its annual mean of 51.2°F is warmer than 46%.
In the Köppen classification computed from these normals, Moline 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 Moline 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.
- Coyne Center, IL906 people · 5 mi SW
- Preemption, IL100 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 Moline's climate
What is the coldest month in Moline?
January, with a normal high of 32°F and a normal low of 15°F. The warmest is July (86°F by day, 65°F at night).
Does it snow in Moline?
Yes: 36 inches in a normal year, falling on 25 days with 0.1 inch or more, the most in January (10.8 inches).
What is the rainiest month in Moline?
June, with 5.01 in of precipitation in a normal year; the driest is January with 1.66 in.
What plant hardiness zone is Moline in?
The USDA's 2023 map puts Moline in zone 5b in ZIP code 61265. By the same method at Moline's NOAA station, the coldest night of a typical year reaches −14°F (30 years, 1991-2020): zone 5b.
How late can frost come in Moline?
In half of years the last 32°F night comes after April 24; in one year in ten it comes after May 9. Waiting until May 9 leaves about a one-in-ten chance of a later frost.
Nearby and next
- Moline in OctoberThis month day by day, its records and recent years
- Illinois climateThe statewide normals and every place in the state
- Rock Island, IL4 miles from this station, 50.3°F a year
- Le Claire, IA10 miles from this station, 50.6°F a year
- Davenport, IA11 miles from this station, 49.9°F a year
- Geneseo, IL19 miles from this station, 50.9°F a year
- Compare two placesMonth by month, side by side
Download these normals (CSV) · JSON · How these figures are made