Newton, Illinois climate: Normal weather by month, frost dates and records
Newton's normal year runs from 22°F January nights to 86°F July afternoons, with 46.0 inches of precipitation and 16 inches of snow a year. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a yearly mean of 12.5°C, January lows of −6°C, July highs of 30°C, 1,169 mm of precipitation a year.
- NOAA stationNewton
- Station IDUSC00116157
- Location38.99°N 88.18°W
- Elevation531 ft (162 m)
- From the center1 miles
- Population2,722
On October 23, the normal high in Newton is 64°F and the normal low 43°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 Newton.
- Jan 37° 22°
- Feb 42° 25°
- Mar 53° 34°
- Apr 65° 44°
- May 75° 55°
- Jun 84° 64°
- Jul 86° 67°
- Aug 85° 65°
- Sep 80° 57°
- Oct 68° 46°
- Nov 53° 35°
- Dec 42° 27°
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 Newton each month?
July is the warmest month, with normal highs of 86°F; January the coldest, with normal lows of 22°F. The most precipitation falls in June (5.28 in), the least in February (2.61 in).
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Snow | Wet days | 90°F days | Freezing nights | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 37°F | 22°F | 29.5°F | 3.22 | 5.3 | 10 | <1 | 26 | 9 h 40 min |
| February | 42°F | 25°F | 33.8°F | 2.61 | 3.9 | 9 | <1 | 22 | 10 h 40 min |
| March | 53°F | 34°F | 43.4°F | 3.73 | 2.1 | 11 | <1 | 15 | 11 h 50 min |
| April | 65°F | 44°F | 54.5°F | 5.01 | 0.2 | 10 | <1 | 4 | 13 h 10 min |
| May | 75°F | 55°F | 64.5°F | 4.79 | 0.0 | 12 | 1 | <1 | 14 h 20 min |
| June | 84°F | 64°F | 73.7°F | 5.28 | 0.0 | 11 | 6 | <1 | 14 h 50 min |
| July | 86°F | 67°F | 76.6°F | 4.23 | 0.0 | 8 | 11 | <1 | 14 h 40 min |
| August | 85°F | 65°F | 75.0°F | 3.06 | 0.0 | 8 | 8 | <1 | 13 h 40 min |
| September | 80°F | 57°F | 68.1°F | 3.26 | 0.0 | 6 | 4 | <1 | 12 h 30 min |
| October | 68°F | 46°F | 56.6°F | 3.84 | 0.0 | 8 | <1 | 3 | 11 h 20 min |
| November | 53°F | 35°F | 43.9°F | 3.86 | 0.7 | 9 | <1 | 13 | 10 h 10 min |
| December | 42°F | 27°F | 34.2°F | 3.14 | 3.8 | 10 | <1 | 23 | 9 h 30 min |
| Year (annual) | 64°F | 45°F | 54.5°F | 46.03 | 16.0 | 111 | 30 | 106 |
The same normals in °C and millimetres
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 3°C | −6°C | −1.4°C | 82 mm | 13 cm |
| February | 6°C | −4°C | 1.0°C | 66 mm | 10 cm |
| March | 12°C | 1°C | 6.3°C | 95 mm | 5 cm |
| April | 18°C | 7°C | 12.5°C | 127 mm | 1 cm |
| May | 24°C | 13°C | 18.1°C | 122 mm | 0 cm |
| June | 29°C | 18°C | 23.2°C | 134 mm | 0 cm |
| July | 30°C | 19°C | 24.8°C | 107 mm | 0 cm |
| August | 30°C | 18°C | 23.9°C | 78 mm | 0 cm |
| September | 26°C | 14°C | 20.1°C | 83 mm | 0 cm |
| October | 20°C | 8°C | 13.7°C | 98 mm | 0 cm |
| November | 12°C | 2°C | 6.6°C | 98 mm | 2 cm |
| December | 5°C | −3°C | 1.2°C | 80 mm | 10 cm |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00116157; 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 Newton?
Normal highs sit between 65°F and 85°F in May, June, September and October. Of those, September has the fewest days with rain (6).
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 USC00116157.
When is the last frost in Newton?
In Newton, the last spring frost (32°F) comes after April 13 in half of years and after April 29 in one year in ten; the first autumn frost comes before October 22 in half of years and before October 9 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 131 year in 10 after April 29; 9 in 10 after April 1
- First autumn frost, half of years before
- October 221 year in 10 before October 9; 9 in 10 before November 3
NOAA puts the median frost-free season at 190 days, and the season without a hard freeze (28°F) at 214 days.
A hard freeze (28°F) comes after April 1 in half of springs and before November 1 in half of autumns.
The USDA's 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Newton in zone 6b in ZIP code 62448, the nearest ZIP area. By the map's own method, the average of each year's coldest night over 1991-2020, Newton's NOAA station is in zone 6b: the coldest night of a typical year reaches −4°F (22 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 USC00116157; 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 Newton?
In a normal year in Newton, 30 days a year reach 90°F (1 of them 100°F or more), 106 nights fall to 32°F or colder and 111 days bring measurable precipitation.
- Days at 90°F or more
- 30a normal year
- Days at 100°F or more
- 1a normal year
- Nights at 32°F or colder
- 106a normal year
- Days that stay below freezing
- 23high of 32°F or less
- Days with 0.01 inch of precipitation
- 111a normal year
- Days with 1 inch of snow or more
- 6a normal year
The highest temperature in this station's record (since 1995) is 107°F, on July 7, 2012; the lowest is −14°F, on January 6, 2014.
The wettest calendar year on that record is 2008, with 61.34 in; the snowiest season is 1995–96, with 37.3 inches.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals, station USC00116157; records: ACIS (NOAA Regional Climate Centers), station USC00116157. Records use complete months only; a month missing more than three days is left out.
How sunny is Newton?
Over a year 75% of the sunlight that would reach the ground under clear skies gets through the clouds in the area around Newton, 4.2 kWh per square metre a day. August is the sunniest month (83%) and December the cloudiest (63%).
| Month | Share of clear-sky sunshine | Sunshine, kWh/m² a day |
|---|---|---|
| January | 65% | 2.0 |
| February | 66% | 2.8 |
| March | 67% | 3.7 |
| April | 73% | 5.0 |
| May | 73% | 5.6 |
| June | 82% | 6.5 |
| July | 83% | 6.3 |
| August | 83% | 5.7 |
| September | 81% | 4.7 |
| October | 76% | 3.4 |
| November | 71% | 2.4 |
| December | 63% | 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 Newton need?
A normal year in Newton brings 5,036 heating degree days, 6% fewer than the median U.S. place (5,373), and 1,234 cooling degree days, 36% more than the median (908). Six months need 300 or more heating degree days, a monthly mean of about 55°F or colder. For gardens and crops, NOAA counts 3,875 growing degree days a year above 50°F.
| Month | Heating | Cooling |
|---|---|---|
| January | 1,100 | 0 |
| February | 875 | 0 |
| March | 671 | 3 |
| April | 331 | 16 |
| May | 113 | 99 |
| June | 9 | 268 |
| July | 1 | 360 |
| August | 2 | 311 |
| September | 53 | 147 |
| October | 291 | 29 |
| November | 634 | 1 |
| December | 956 | 0 |
| Year (annual) | 5,036 | 1,234 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00116157. 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 Newton been warmer than normal lately?
2025 averaged 56.1°F, 1.6°F above the 1991-2020 normal of 54.5°F. 4 of the 5 complete years since 2021 ran warmer than the normal.
| Year | Mean | Against normal | Precip. | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 55.6°F | +1.1°F | 49.22 | 19.3 |
| 2022 | 54.5°F | at normal | 49.55 | 12.6 |
| 2023 | 57.1°F | +2.6°F | 39.00 | 6.2 |
| 2024 | 57.9°F | +3.4°F | 45.87 | 12.4 |
| 2025 | 56.1°F | +1.6°F | 51.13 | 25.2 |
Source: observed years: ACIS, station USC00116157. A year counts only with all twelve months complete.
How does Newton's climate compare?
Newton is warmer than 113 of the other 143 places with their own NOAA record in Illinois, and wetter than 124. Across the 7,247 U.S. stations with normals, its annual mean of 54.5°F is warmer than 59%.
In the Köppen classification computed from these normals, Newton 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 Newton 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.
- Dieterich, IL879 people · 12 mi NW
- Ste. Marie, IL228 people · 9 mi SE
- Jewett, IL194 people · 15 mi N
- Willow Hill, IL168 people · 9 mi E
- Hidalgo, IL108 people · 11 mi N
- Wheeler, IL97 people · 8 mi NW
- Rose Hill, IL83 people · 8 mi N
- Yale, IL66 people · 12 mi NE
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 Newton's other NOAA stations record?
One more NOAA station keeps 1991-2020 normals in or near Newton. This page uses Newton; the other differs by site and elevation:
| Station | From the center | Elevation | Year | Jan low | Jul high | Precip. | Snow | Last frost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Newton (6 mi SSE) USC00116159 | 6 mi SE | 510 ft | 52.7°F | 20°F | 84°F | 43.5 | – | April 13 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 normals for each station. Last frost: the median last spring date of 32°F.
Questions about Newton's climate
What is the coldest month in Newton?
January, with a normal high of 37°F and a normal low of 22°F. The warmest is July (86°F by day, 67°F at night).
Does it snow in Newton?
Yes: 16 inches in a normal year, falling on 12 days with 0.1 inch or more, the most in January (5.3 inches).
What is the rainiest month in Newton?
June, with 5.28 in of precipitation in a normal year; the driest is February with 2.61 in.
What plant hardiness zone is Newton in?
The USDA's 2023 map puts Newton in zone 6b in ZIP code 62448, the nearest ZIP area. By the same method at Newton's NOAA station, the coldest night of a typical year reaches −4°F (22 years, 1991-2020): zone 6b.
How late can frost come in Newton?
In half of years the last 32°F night comes after April 13; in one year in ten it comes after April 29. Waiting until April 29 leaves about a one-in-ten chance of a later frost.
Nearby and next
- Illinois climateThe statewide normals and every place in the state
- Olney, IL21 miles from this station, 54.2°F a year
- Robinson, IL22 miles from this station, 54.1°F a year
- Casey, IL24 miles from this station, 54.1°F a year
- Effingham, IL25 miles from this station, 54.4°F a year
- Compare two placesMonth by month, side by side
Download these normals (CSV) · JSON · How these figures are made