Climateby Month

South Bend, IN climate by month

NOAA 1991-2020 normals · 692 ft elevation

Summers in South Bend are warm and often humid; winters are cold and snowy. Highs peak at 83°F in July and fall to 31°F in January. Wet days are spread through the year, from about 10 to 17 a month. Normal snowfall is about 65 in a year. The most comfortable time to visit is May.

Warmest month
83°F
July normal high
Coldest month
17°F
January normal low
Wet days a year
147
39.2 in of precipitation
Snow a year
64.5 in
normal snowfall

How warm is South Bend?

Normal highs range from 31°F in January to 83°F in July.

0°20°40°60°80°100° January: normal high 31°F (-1°C), low 17°F (-8°C) 31° 17° February: normal high 35°F (2°C), low 19°F (-7°C) March: normal high 46°F (8°C), low 27°F (-3°C) April: normal high 59°F (15°C), low 37°F (3°C) May: normal high 70°F (21°C), low 48°F (9°C) June: normal high 79°F (26°C), low 58°F (14°C) July: normal high 83°F (28°C), low 62°F (17°C) 83° 62° August: normal high 81°F (27°C), low 61°F (16°C) September: normal high 74°F (23°C), low 53°F (12°C) October: normal high 62°F (17°C), low 42°F (6°C) November: normal high 48°F (9°C), low 32°F (0°C) December: normal high 36°F (2°C), low 23°F (-5°C) JFMAMJJASOND

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

How rainy is South Bend?

January has the most wet days (about 17); the year brings about 39 in of precipitation.

January: 17 wet days 17 February: 12 wet days March: 12 wet days April: 13 wet days May: 13 wet days June: 11 wet days July: 10 wet days 10 August: 10 wet days September: 10 wet days October: 12 wet days November: 13 wet days December: 15 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 64.5 in a year, most of it in January.

January: 21.6 in of snow 21.6 February: 16.1 in of snow March: 6.8 in of snow April: 1.0 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: 0.2 in of snow November: 5.1 in of snow December: 13.7 in of snow JFMAMJJASOND

How humid is South Bend?

Muggy days peak in July, at about 13 days.

January: 0 muggy days 0 February: 0 muggy days March: 0 muggy days April: 0 muggy days May: 1 muggy days June: 6 muggy days July: 13 muggy days 13 August: 11 muggy days September: 3 muggy days October: 0 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 South Bend Regional Airport, 3.8 mi WNW of the city center.

How much daylight?

Daylight ranges from about 9.2 hours in December to 15.2 hours in June.

January: 9.6 hours of daylight February: 10.6 hours of daylight March: 12.0 hours of daylight April: 13.4 hours of daylight May: 14.6 hours of daylight June: 15.2 hours of daylight 15.2 July: 14.8 hours of daylight August: 13.8 hours of daylight September: 12.5 hours of daylight October: 11.1 hours of daylight November: 9.8 hours of daylight December: 9.2 hours of daylight 9.2 JFMAMJJASOND
See all numbers
Monthly climate normals and day counts for South Bend, 1991-2020
MonthHighLowPrecip.Wet daysSnowMuggy daysDaylight
January 31°F17°F 2.7 in17 21.6 in 0 9.6 h
February 35°F19°F 2.3 in12 16.1 in 0 10.6 h
March 46°F27°F 2.4 in12 6.8 in 0 12.0 h
April 59°F37°F 3.5 in13 1.0 in 0 13.4 h
May 70°F48°F 4.2 in13 0.0 in 1 14.6 h
June 79°F58°F 4.0 in11 0.0 in 6 15.2 h
July 83°F62°F 3.8 in10 0.0 in 13 14.8 h
August 81°F61°F 4.0 in10 0.0 in 11 13.8 h
September 74°F53°F 3.5 in10 0.0 in 3 12.5 h
October 62°F42°F 3.7 in12 0.2 in 0 11.1 h
November 48°F32°F 2.8 in13 5.1 in 0 9.8 h
December 36°F23°F 2.4 in15 13.7 in 0 9.2 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 South Bend

By our comfort score, the best month is May.

Comfort score by month (0-100) and its parts, in days per month
MonthScoreComfortableNotable rainHot or cold
Jan 250725
Feb 300620
Mar 443611
Apr 61971
May 711581
Jun 651074
Jul 59675
Aug 60873
Sep 671562
Oct 581170
Nov 40268
Dec 280620

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 South Bend

The last spring frost typically comes around May 1, and the first fall frost around Oct 19, leaving 170 frost-free days in a typical year.

Frost and freeze dates for South Bend
Typical date1 year in 10
Last spring frost (32°F)May 1after May 17
First fall frost (32°F)Oct 19before Oct 5
Last hard freeze (28°F)Apr 19after May 5
First hard freeze (28°F)Oct 31before Oct 19
Frost-free season170 daysunder 149 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: South Bend Michiana Rgnl Airport (USW00014848), NOAA 1991-2020 freeze probabilities. Frost dates for every city in Indiana.

Hottest and coldest readings, 1991-2020

The highest reading was 102°F (July 6, 2012, and 1 other day); the lowest was -21°F (January 19, 1994).

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

Near South Bend

Similar climates elsewhere

Where the numbers come from

  • Temperature, rain, snowfall, snow depth, frost dates, humidity and wind by hour and cloud cover: South Bend Michiana Rgnl Airport (USW00014848), 3.8 mi WNW of the city center, 773 ft (81 ft higher than the city). NOAA normals and daily records, 1991-2020.
  • Daily humidity and wind: South Bend Regional Airport (725350-14848), 3.8 mi WNW of the city center, 772 ft (80 ft higher than the city). Hourly observations, 1991-2020.

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