Clay County, IA Climate

Clay, IA County has a humid continental climate with warm summers and cold winters. Summers are usually hot and humid with temperatures often reaching into the upper 80s and occasionally even higher. Winters are cold with average temperatures in the mid-20s and low snowfall accumulation throughout the season. Precipitation is generally moderate throughout the year with slightly higher levels during spring months due to increased thunderstorm activity. The county receives around 34 inches of precipitation annually, most of which falls as rain or melted snow.

Clay County, Iowa gets 30 inches of rain, on average, per year. The US average is 38 inches of rain per year.

Clay County averages 34 inches of snow per year. The US average is 28 inches of snow per year.

On average, there are 208 sunny days per year in Clay County. The US average is 205 sunny days.

Clay County gets some kind of precipitation, on average, 94 days per year. Precipitation is rain, snow, sleet, or hail that falls to the ground. In order for precipitation to be counted you have to get at least .01 inches on the ground to measure.

Weather Highlights

Summer High: the July high is around 84 degrees
Winter Low: the January low is 7
Rain: averages 30 inches of rain a year
Snow: averages 34 inches of snow a year

Bestplaces Comfort Index

The annual BestPlaces Comfort Index for Clay County is 6.8 (10=best), which means it is about average compared to other places in Iowa.

9 Summer - 4.2 Winter

June, August and September are the most pleasant months in Clay County, while January and December are the least comfortable months.

Climate	Clay, Iowa	United States
	29.9 in.	38.1 in.
	33.9 in.	27.8 in.
	94.4 days	106.2 days
	208 days	205 days
	83.7°	85.8°
	6.8°	21.7°
	6.8	7
	3.5	4.3
	1391 ft.	2443 ft.

Climate

YOU SHOULD KNOW

Many people confuse weather and climate but they are different. Weather is the conditions of the atmosphere over a short period of time, and climate is how the atmosphere is over long periods of time.

Weather is how the atmosphere is behaving and its effects upon life and human activities. Weather can change from minute-to-minute. Most people think of weather in terms of temperature, humidity, precipitation, cloudiness, brightness, visibility, wind, and atmospheric pressure.

Climate is the description of the long-term pattern of weather in a place. Climate can mean the average weather for a particular region and time period taken over 30 years. Climate is the average of weather over time.

July is the hottest month for Clay County with an average high temperature of 83.7°, which ranks it as cooler than most places in Iowa. In Clay County, there are 5 comfortable months with high temperatures in the range of 70-85°. The most pleasant months of the year for Clay County are June, August and September.

In Clay County, there are 12.6 days annually when the high temperature is over 90°, which is about average compared to other places in Iowa.

January has the coldest nighttime temperatures for Clay County with an average of 6.8°. This is colder than most places in Iowa.

In Clay County, there are 160.4 days annually when the nighttime low temperature falls below freezing, which is one of the coldest places in Iowa.

In Clay County, there are 24.7 days annually when the nighttime low temperature falls below zero°, which is colder than most places in Iowa.

The humidity is usually comfortable in Clay County but some summer months can be sticky or muggy. July is the most humid month, though humidity is low for most of the year. The most humid months are July, August and June.

June is the wettest month in Clay County with 4.6 inches of rain, and the driest month is January with 0.5 inches. The wettest season is Autumn with 41% of yearly precipitation and 6% occurs in Spring, which is the driest season. The annual rainfall of 29.9 inches in Clay County means that it is one of the driest places in Iowa.

May is the rainiest month in Clay County with 11.2 days of rain, and February is the driest month with only 5.0 rainy days. There are 94.4 rainy days annually in Clay County, which is less rainy than most places in Iowa. The rainiest season is Autumn when it rains 30% of the time and the driest is Spring with only a 17% chance of a rainy day.

An annual snowfall of 33.9 inches in Clay County means that it is snowier than most places in Iowa. December is the snowiest month in Clay County with 8.3 inches of snow, and 7 months of the year have significant snowfall.

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