Iola, Wisconsin Weather
Fireflies rise from the lawn. Day 76 of spring. Read this microseason across nine climate regions →
Iola weather forecast — hour by hour, 7-day outlook, NOAA radar
- TodayJun 3Overcast——81°45°—
- ThursdayJun 4Light Drizzle28%0.03″86°55°+5°
- FridayJun 5Showers82%0.31″76°64°-10°
- SaturdayJun 6Showers61%—73°61°-3°
- SundayJun 7Overcast——75°56°+2°
- MondayJun 8Overcast21%—74°54°-1°
- TuesdayJun 9Light Drizzle25%—77°61°+3°
Ozone at AQI 83 — peak already passed at 1 PM under clear skies. AQI up 42 in the last 6 hours — air quality is degrading. Levels should ease through evening.
OK No precautions needed for the general population; unusually sensitive individuals may consider limiting prolonged outdoor exertion.
What's driving it
Ozone × UV × Sky
Ozone at AQI 83 — peak already passed at 1 PM under clear skies. Levels should ease through evening.
- Present
- AQI 83
- UV peak
- 0.9 at earlier today
- Sky at peak
- clear
- Projected peak
- AQI 83
PM × Wind × Precip
PM2.5 at 7.6 µg/m³, PM10 at 7.8 µg/m³ — typical background levels with no transport signature.
- PM2.5/PM10
- 0.97
- Wind
- light
- Recent rain
- 0h in last 6h
- Pattern
- background
Trends
Seven days of AQI and PM2.5.
Hourly air-quality data from the Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service, charted across the past and next several days. Dashed lines mark the AQI breakpoints at 50 (Good → Moderate) and 100 (Moderate → Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups).
The higher the clouds, the finer the weather.
- Moonrise
- 4:06 AM
- Moonset
- 12:36 PM
- In sign
- ♑︎ Capricorn
Fireflies rise from the lawn
Iola at a glance
- Today vs. normal: 11°F above the seasonal normal for this latitude
- Last frost: May 13 (climatological average for this latitude)
- Microseason: Jun 1–5
- Planting window: Harvest spring lettuce before it bolts. Sow heat-tolerant greens.
Right now in the garden
Peak growing season
As of June 3, the growing season is at its peak — frost is months away. Continue succession-planting beans and summer squash. Start fall brassicas (broccoli, cabbage, kale) from seed indoors for transplanting in late summer.
SPC Convective Outlook
Storm Prediction Center — Iola
SPC has placed Iola in the Marginal Risk category for severe thunderstorms day after tomorrow.
- TODAYNONENo severe risk
- TOMORROWTSTMGeneral Thunderstorms
- DAY 3MRGLMarginal Risk
Isolated severe storms possible. Limited threat for hail or damaging wind.
Source: NOAA / NWS Storm Prediction Center categorical convective outlook. Outlooks are re-issued multiple times per day; this page reflects the most recent SPC polygons covering the city’s coordinates.
Planting calendar
| Month | Plant | Harvest |
|---|---|---|
| January | — | — |
| February | — | — |
| March | — | — |
| April | — | — |
| May | lettuce, peas, spinach, radishes | lettuce, peas, radishes |
| June | lettuce, peas, spinach, radishes, tomatoes, peppers, beans, squash | lettuce, peas, radishes |
| July | tomatoes, peppers, beans, squash | tomatoes, beans, summer squash |
| August | tomatoes, peppers, beans, squash, fall brassicas, garlic (overwinter), carrots | tomatoes, beans, summer squash |
| September | fall brassicas, garlic (overwinter), carrots | tomatoes, beans, summer squash |
| October | — | winter squash, tomatoes (last) |
| November | — | — |
| December | — | — |
A year in weather
Iola's warmest month is July (~70°F mean) and its coldest is January (~16°F). Rainfall peaks in June (4.5 inches) and bottoms out in February (1.1 inches).
| Month | Mean temp | Precip | Rainy days |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 16° | 1.4″ | 4 |
| February | 20° | 1.1″ | 3 |
| March | 31° | 1.9″ | 5 |
| April | 44° | 3.4″ | 7 |
| May | 57° | 4.1″ | 8 |
| June | 66° | 4.5″ | 8 |
| July | 70° | 3.8″ | 7 |
| August | 68° | 3.9″ | 6 |
| September | 60° | 3.3″ | 6 |
| October | 47° | 2.6″ | 5 |
| November | 34° | 2.1″ | 4 |
| December | 22° | 1.7″ | 5 |
Regional context
Iola's climate, per the NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 normals from the nearest reporting station, runs cold-winter and warm-summer. January means hover near 16°F while July climbs to 70°F — a 54°F seasonal swing typical of northern-tier latitudes. Annual precipitation totals about 33.8 inches spread across roughly 68 days with measurable rain or snow.
Precipitation runs summer-dominant here: June averages 4.5 inches across 8.0 days with measurable rain, driven mostly by warm-season storms and thunderstorm activity, while February drops to just 1.1 inches across 3.4 rainy days under drier cool-season air. That wet-warm-summer pattern groups Iola with places like Scandinavia, WI, Ogdensburg, WI and Amherst, WI — a regional cohort where summer thunderstorm season carries more than half the annual moisture.
The frost-sensitive growing window opens around late-May, when overnight lows reliably clear freezing for cool-season crops like kale, peas, spinach, and parsnips. Warm-season transplants — tomatoes, peppers, and basil — typically wait two weeks past that date to avoid late spring cold snaps. The window closes around early-October, when overnight lows resume dipping below freezing and frost-tender plants need protection or harvest. Those dates are 30-year averages; the actual frost-free window in a given year can vary by 10-14 days at either end. Neighborhood-scale variation in elevation and cold-air pooling means the practical last-frost date inside Iola can lag the regional mean by 5-10 days in low spots, and a bench position with good cold-air drainage can run a week ahead.
Similar climates: Scandinavia, WI, Ogdensburg, WI, Amherst, WI, Nelsonville, WI, Big Falls, WI.
Frequently asked
- When does it freeze in Iola?
- Iola's last spring frost typically falls around mid-May, and the first fall frost arrives around mid-October.
- What is the rainy season in Iola?
- June is the wettest month with about 4.5 inches of rain on average; the city receives roughly 34 inches annually.
- What is the warmest month in Iola?
- July is typically warmest, averaging about 70°F.
- What is the coldest month in Iola?
- January is typically coldest, averaging about 16°F.
- When can I start a vegetable garden in Iola?
- Cool-season crops (peas, lettuce) can be sown around the last spring frost (mid-May); warm-season crops (tomatoes, peppers) wait until 1–2 weeks after.
- How many rainy days does Iola get?
- Iola averages about 68 rainy days per year.
- What hardiness zone is Iola?
- Iola's USDA hardiness zone is determined by its lowest average winter temperature; check the USDA's online lookup with the city ZIP for the current zone designation.
Climate
Iola, Wisconsin sits in a warm-summer humid continental climate zone. January means hover near 16°F while July averages 70°F — a 54°F seasonal swing.
Across the year, Iola receives about 34 inches of precipitation spread over roughly 68 rainy days.
The rhythm of the year is set by latitude (44.5°N), proximity to large water bodies, and elevation — all of which shape what grows here, when frost is likely, and what the weather story looks like day to day.