Cost to Own
United States › Iowa › Howard County › Climate Station CRESCO 1 NE, IA US Distance 11.6 mi Normals 1991–2020

30-year climate normals

Howard County Climate and Weather Averages

Hottest month — July

82.8°

average daily high. The coldest month is January, averaging a low of 5.7°F.

Howard County gets 38" of precipitation a year and 40.3" of snow, and 41% of it falls in Jun, Jul, Aug.

Temperature through the year

Each bar spans the average daily low to the average daily high for that month.

20° 40° 60° 80° JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
MonthAvg highAvg low PrecipSnow
January 24.2° 5.7° 1.12" 9.4"
February 28.8° 8.5° 1.17" 10.0"
March 41.9° 21.0° 1.89" 6.0"
April 57.1° 32.9° 3.74" 2.4"
May 69.4° 45.3° 4.47" 0.2"
June 79.3° 56.3° 6.26" 0.0"
July 82.8° 60.0° 4.83" 0.0"
August 80.8° 57.1° 4.59" 0.0"
September 73.9° 48.4° 3.76" 0.0"
October 60.1° 35.7° 2.87" 0.2"
November 43.6° 24.1° 1.88" 2.6"
December 30.1° 13.0° 1.42" 9.5"

Rainfall by month

Precipitation is spread fairly evenly through the year here, with 41% falling in the wettest three months (Jun, Jul, Aug).

January 1.12"
February 1.17"
March 1.89"
April 3.74"
May 4.47"
June 6.26"
July 4.83"
August 4.59"
September 3.76"
October 2.87"
November 1.88"
December 1.42"
Annual total 38"

What this climate costs you

Degree days measure how hard a building has to work to stay comfortable. They are the reason two identical houses have very different power bills, and they are the link between the weather here and what you pay every month.

Cooling degree days How much air conditioning the climate demands 590
Heating degree days How much heating the climate demands 7,839
Approximate annual cooling cost At 14.14¢/kWh, Iowa average $83
Approximate annual electric heating cost Lower where heating is gas rather than electric $388

These are rough planning figures from degree days and the state electricity price, not a bill estimate. House size, insulation and fuel type move them a lot. See the full cost of owning a home in Howard County, where electricity is one line of eight.

Common questions

What is the weather like in Howard County?

Howard County averages a high of 82.8°F in July and a low of 5.7°F in January. Annual precipitation is 38 inches, including 40.3 inches of snow.

When is the rainy season in Howard County?

The wettest stretch is Jun, Jul, Aug, which accounts for 41% of the year's precipitation. Precipitation is relatively evenly distributed across the year.

How hot does it get in Howard County?

The average daily high in July, the hottest month, is 82.8°F. That drives 590 cooling degree days a year, which is what your air conditioning has to work against.

Does it snow in Howard County?

Yes. Howard County averages 40.3 inches of snow a year.

Sources

  • Temperature, precipitation and snowfall normals — NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, 1991–2020 Monthly Climate Normals, station CRESCO 1 NE, IA US (USC00131954), 11.6 miles from the county centroid.
  • Heating and cooling degree days — NOAA, same station and period.
  • Electricity price — US Energy Information Administration, Electric Power Monthly Table 5.6.A, Iowa residential average.
  • Wet-season share is the wettest three consecutive months as a percentage of annual precipitation, calculated from the monthly normals.