Climateby Month

Indianapolis, IN climate by month

NOAA 1991-2020 normals · 718 ft elevation

Summers in Indianapolis are warm and often humid; winters are cold and snowy. Highs peak at 85°F in July and fall to 36°F in January. Wet days are spread through the year, from about 8 to 13 a month. Normal snowfall is about 26 in a year. The most comfortable time to visit is April and May.

Warmest month
85°F
July normal high
Coldest month
21°F
January normal low
Wet days a year
128
43.6 in of precipitation
Snow a year
25.5 in
normal snowfall

How warm is Indianapolis?

Normal highs range from 36°F in January to 85°F in July.

20°40°60°80°100° January: normal high 36°F (2°C), low 21°F (-6°C) 36° 21° February: normal high 41°F (5°C), low 24°F (-4°C) March: normal high 52°F (11°C), low 33°F (1°C) April: normal high 64°F (18°C), low 43°F (6°C) May: normal high 73°F (23°C), low 54°F (12°C) June: normal high 82°F (28°C), low 63°F (17°C) July: normal high 85°F (29°C), low 66°F (19°C) 85° 66° August: normal high 84°F (29°C), low 65°F (18°C) September: normal high 78°F (26°C), low 57°F (14°C) October: normal high 66°F (19°C), low 46°F (8°C) November: normal high 52°F (11°C), low 35°F (2°C) December: normal high 40°F (4°C), low 26°F (-3°C) JFMAMJJASOND

Bars run from the normal low to the normal high for each month.

How rainy is Indianapolis?

May has the most wet days (about 13); the year brings about 44 in of precipitation.

January: 12 wet days February: 10 wet days March: 12 wet days April: 12 wet days May: 13 wet days 13 June: 12 wet days July: 10 wet days August: 8 wet days September: 8 wet days 8 October: 9 wet days November: 10 wet days December: 12 wet days JFMAMJJASOND

Wet day: at least 0.01 in of rain or melted snow, counted from daily records 1991-2020.

How much does it snow?

Normal snowfall is 25.5 in a year, most of it in January.

January: 8.8 in of snow 8.8 February: 6.0 in of snow March: 3.2 in of snow April: 0.2 in of snow May: 0.0 in of snow 0.0 June: 0.0 in of snow July: 0.0 in of snow August: 0.0 in of snow September: 0.0 in of snow October: 0.1 in of snow November: 0.8 in of snow December: 6.4 in of snow JFMAMJJASOND

How humid is Indianapolis?

Muggy days peak in July, at about 17 days.

January: 0 muggy days 0 February: 0 muggy days March: 0 muggy days April: 0 muggy days May: 3 muggy days June: 11 muggy days July: 17 muggy days 17 August: 14 muggy days September: 5 muggy days October: 1 muggy days November: 0 muggy days December: 0 muggy days JFMAMJJASOND

Muggy day: daily mean dew point of 65°F or higher, from hourly observations 1991-2020 at Indianapolis International Airport, 8.1 mi WSW of the city center.

How much daylight?

Daylight ranges from about 9.4 hours in December to 14.9 hours in June.

January: 9.7 hours of daylight February: 10.7 hours of daylight March: 12.0 hours of daylight April: 13.3 hours of daylight May: 14.4 hours of daylight June: 14.9 hours of daylight 14.9 July: 14.7 hours of daylight August: 13.7 hours of daylight September: 12.4 hours of daylight October: 11.1 hours of daylight November: 10.0 hours of daylight December: 9.4 hours of daylight 9.4 JFMAMJJASOND
See all numbers
Monthly climate normals and day counts for Indianapolis, 1991-2020
MonthHighLowPrecip.Wet daysSnowMuggy daysDaylight
January 36°F21°F 3.1 in12 8.8 in 0 9.7 h
February 41°F24°F 2.4 in10 6.0 in 0 10.7 h
March 52°F33°F 3.7 in12 3.2 in 0 12.0 h
April 64°F43°F 4.3 in12 0.2 in 0 13.3 h
May 73°F54°F 4.8 in13 0.0 in 3 14.4 h
June 82°F63°F 5.0 in12 0.0 in 11 14.9 h
July 85°F66°F 4.4 in10 0.0 in 17 14.7 h
August 84°F65°F 3.2 in8 0.0 in 14 13.7 h
September 78°F57°F 3.1 in8 0.0 in 5 12.4 h
October 66°F46°F 3.2 in9 0.1 in 1 11.1 h
November 52°F35°F 3.5 in10 0.8 in 0 10.0 h
December 40°F26°F 2.9 in12 6.4 in 0 9.4 h

High and low: NOAA 1991-2020 normal daily high and low. Wet days: at least 0.01 in of rain or melted snow. Muggy days: daily mean dew point 65°F or higher.

Best months to visit Indianapolis

By our comfort score, the best months are April and May.

Comfort score by month (0-100) and its parts, in days per month
MonthScoreComfortableNotable rainHot or cold
Jan 290621
Feb 351515
Mar 50676
Apr 661380
May 691490
Jun 60783
Jul 53377
Aug 54466
Sep 651353
Oct 621360
Nov 45565
Dec 311616

Score = 40 × share of comfortable days + 25 × share of days without notable rain + 20 × share of days neither hot (90°F+) nor cold (high 40°F or below) + 15 × daylight. How the score works.

Frost dates in Indianapolis

The last spring frost typically comes around Apr 15, and the first fall frost around Oct 26, leaving 193 frost-free days in a typical year.

Frost and freeze dates for Indianapolis
Typical date1 year in 10
Last spring frost (32°F)Apr 15after May 2
First fall frost (32°F)Oct 26before Oct 13
Last hard freeze (28°F)Apr 4after Apr 21
First hard freeze (28°F)Nov 5before Oct 24
Frost-free season193 daysunder 171 days

"Typical" is the date with a 50% chance of a later spring frost (or earlier fall frost). Planting after the "1 year in 10" spring date gives a 90% chance of no further frost. The Old Farmer's Almanac publishes 30% dates, which fall between our typical and 1-in-10 dates.

Station: Indianapolis (USW00093819), NOAA 1991-2020 freeze probabilities. Frost dates for every city in Indiana.

Hottest and coldest readings, 1991-2020

The highest reading was 105°F (July 7, 2012, and 1 other day); the lowest was -27°F (January 19, 1994).

From the temperature station's daily records with NOAA quality flags removed. Not an all-time record.

Near Indianapolis

Similar climates elsewhere

Where the numbers come from

  • Temperature, rain, snowfall, snow depth, frost dates and humidity and wind by hour: Indianapolis (USW00093819), 8.6 mi SW of the city center, 790 ft (72 ft higher than the city). NOAA normals and daily records, 1991-2020.
  • Daily humidity and wind: Indianapolis International Airport (724380-93819), 8.1 mi WSW of the city center, 792 ft (74 ft higher than the city). Hourly observations, 1991-2020.
  • Not available for this location: cloud cover (no station close enough or similar enough in elevation).

Distances from the city center (USGS). Methodology · Report an error