Cost to Own
United StatesIowaMadison CountyClimate Station WINTERSET 1S, IA US Distance 1.1 mi Normals 1991–2020

30-year climate normals

Madison County Climate and Weather Averages

Hottest month — July

83.8°

average daily high. The coldest month is January, averaging a low of 9.8°F.

Madison County gets 34.79" of precipitation a year and 30.7" of snow, and 39% of it falls in May, Jun, Jul.

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 29.9° 9.8° 0.78" 7.3"
February 34.8° 13.2° 1.28" 8.3"
March 47.6° 24.8° 2.12" 4.7"
April 60.5° 35.4° 3.59" 0.8"
May 70.8° 48.0° 4.99" 0.1"
June 80.0° 58.3° 4.64" 0.0"
July 83.8° 62.2° 4.10" 0.0"
August 82.3° 59.4° 3.62" 0.0"
September 75.6° 50.6° 3.60" 0.0"
October 63.3° 38.3° 2.88" 0.9"
November 48.1° 26.0° 1.96" 2.7"
December 35.1° 15.9° 1.23" 5.9"

Rainfall by month

Precipitation is spread fairly evenly through the year here, with 39% falling in the wettest three months (May, Jun, Jul).

January 0.78"
February 1.28"
March 2.12"
April 3.59"
May 4.99"
June 4.64"
July 4.10"
August 3.62"
September 3.60"
October 2.88"
November 1.96"
December 1.23"
Annual total 34.79"

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 738
Heating degree days How much heating the climate demands 6,870
Approximate annual cooling cost At 14.14¢/kWh, Iowa average $104
Approximate annual electric heating cost Lower where heating is gas rather than electric $340

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 Madison County, where electricity is one line of eight.

Common questions

What is the weather like in Madison County?

Madison County averages a high of 83.8°F in July and a low of 9.8°F in January. Annual precipitation is 34.79 inches, including 30.7 inches of snow.

When is the rainy season in Madison County?

The wettest stretch is May, Jun, Jul, which accounts for 39% of the year's precipitation. Precipitation is relatively evenly distributed across the year.

How hot does it get in Madison County?

The average daily high in July, the hottest month, is 83.8°F. That drives 738 cooling degree days a year, which is what your air conditioning has to work against.

Does it snow in Madison County?

Yes. Madison County averages 30.7 inches of snow a year.

Sources

  • Temperature, precipitation and snowfall normals — NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, 1991–2020 Monthly Climate Normals, station WINTERSET 1S, IA US (USC00139132), 1.1 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.