Carlisle, Iowa Weather
Cicadas claim the afternoon. Day 14 of summer. Read this microseason across nine climate regions →
Carlisle weather forecast — hour by hour, 7-day outlook, NOAA radar
- TodayJul 4Light Rain71%0.06″86°68°—
- SundayJul 5Overcast15%—84°68°-2°
- MondayJul 6Light Drizzle——82°66°-2°
- TuesdayJul 7Light Drizzle——85°65°+3°
- WednesdayJul 8Light Showers35%—88°66°+3°
- ThursdayJul 9Drizzle40%—81°68°-7°
- FridayJul 10Drizzle21%—82°67°+1°
AQI 34 (Good), driven by Ozone. AQI flat over the last 6 hours (within ±3 points). Ozone at AQI 43 — peak already passed at 1 PM under partly cloudy skies. 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 43 — peak already passed at 1 PM under partly cloudy skies. Levels should ease through evening.
- Present
- AQI 43
- UV peak
- 1.4 at earlier today
- Sky at peak
- partly cloudy
- Projected peak
- AQI 43
PM × Wind × Precip
PM2.5 at 6.8 µg/m³ (AQI 38) with a 0.81 fine-to-coarse ratio and 5 mph wind — combustion smoke trapped in calm air, not road dust.
- PM2.5/PM10
- 0.81
- Wind
- light
- Recent rain
- 0h in last 6h
- Pattern
- stagnant smoke
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).








































If the first of July be rainy weather, 'twill rain more or less for four weeks together.
- Moonrise
- 11:11 PM
- Moonset
- 10:18 AM
- In sign
- ♓︎ Pisces
Cicadas claim the afternoon
Carlisle at a glance
- Today vs. normal: 16°F above the seasonal normal for this latitude
- Last frost: April 25 (climatological average for this latitude)
- Microseason: Jul 1–5
- Planting window: Harvest early potatoes. Begin drying onions on the surface.
ZIP code: 50047
16-Day Forecast — Carlisle
- Sat86°68°71%
- Sun84°68°15%
- Mon82°66°2%
- Tue85°65°1%
- Wed88°66°35%
- Thu81°68°40%
- Fri82°67°21%
- Sat76°60°8%
- Sun78°59°8%
- Mon80°58°5%
- Tue81°61°5%
- Wed81°57°13%
- Thu86°65°17%
- Fri88°68°26%
- Sat79°62°27%
- Sun74°62°23%
Forecast data from Open-Meteo (CC BY 4.0).
Right now in the garden
Peak growing season
As of July 4, 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 — Carlisle
SPC includes Carlisle in the general thunderstorm area today — no severe risk, but storms are possible.
- TODAYTSTMGeneral Thunderstorms
- TOMORROWTSTMGeneral Thunderstorms
- DAY 3NONENo severe risk
Thunderstorms possible. Not severe, but capable of producing lightning and brief heavy rain.
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.
Microseason · July 1–5
Cicadas claim the afternoon
Millions of periodical and annual cicadas emerge, their droning chorus filling the summer heat; the soundtrack of midsummer settles over prairie and wetland.
Day 185 of 365 · Wedge 37 of 72
Planting calendar
| Month | Plant | Harvest |
|---|---|---|
| January | — | — |
| February | — | — |
| March | — | — |
| April | lettuce, peas, spinach, radishes | — |
| May | lettuce, peas, spinach, radishes, tomatoes, peppers, beans, squash | lettuce, peas, radishes |
| June | tomatoes, peppers, beans, squash | lettuce, peas, radishes |
| July | tomatoes, peppers, beans, squash | tomatoes, beans, summer squash |
| August | — | tomatoes, beans, summer squash |
| September | fall brassicas, garlic (overwinter), carrots | tomatoes, beans, summer squash |
| October | fall brassicas, garlic (overwinter), carrots | winter squash, tomatoes (last) |
| November | — | — |
| December | — | — |
A year in weather
In Carlisle, July runs warmest near 77°F and January coldest around 21°F, while May is the wettest month (5.4 inches) and January the driest (1.1 inches).
| Month | Mean temp | Precip | Rainy days |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 21° | 1.1″ | 12 |
| February | 25° | 1.4″ | 10 |
| March | 37° | 3.1″ | 14 |
| April | 51° | 3.6″ | 17 |
| May | 61° | 5.4″ | 20 |
| June | 71° | 4.6″ | 17 |
| July | 77° | 3.7″ | 15 |
| August | 76° | 3.0″ | 13 |
| September | 68° | 3.9″ | 13 |
| October | 55° | 2.6″ | 11 |
| November | 38° | 2.5″ | 11 |
| December | 25° | 1.7″ | 12 |
Regional context
Drawing on NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 normals, Carlisle's January averages 21°F and July 77°F — 56°F apart — while precipitation totals roughly 36.7 inches over some 164 days.
Precipitation in Carlisle runs summer-dominant: May averages 5.4 inches across 19.8 days of warm-season storms, while January drops to 1.1 inches over 11.7 rainy days of drier cool air. It is a warm-season-wet pattern Carlisle shares with places like Pleasant Hill, IA, Hartford, IA and Runnells, IA.
The cool-season window in Carlisle starts at mid-April, when nights stop freezing — think kale, peas, spinach, and parsnips. In Carlisle, warm-season transplants — tomatoes, peppers, basil — wait two weeks past Carlisle's frost date. Around mid-November, freezing nights resume in Carlisle and tender crops must come in. Within Carlisle, cold-air pooling chills low spots by 5-10°F, shifting Carlisle's local frost dates.
Similar climates: Pleasant Hill, IA, Hartford, IA, Runnells, IA, Des Moines, IA, Altoona, IA.
Frequently asked
- When does it freeze in Carlisle?
- In Carlisle, expect the last spring frost near mid-April; Carlisle's first autumn frost comes around mid-November.
- What is the rainy season in Carlisle?
- May is the wettest month in Carlisle, about 5.4 inches on average; the year totals roughly 37 inches.
- What is the warmest month in Carlisle?
- Carlisle peaks in July, when the mean runs near 77°F.
- What is the coldest month in Carlisle?
- January is Carlisle's coldest month, averaging about 21°F.
- When can I start a vegetable garden in Carlisle?
- Hardy spring crops go in near mid-April in Carlisle; tender peppers and squash wait 10–14 days.
- How many rainy days does Carlisle get?
- Carlisle records around 164 days of measurable precipitation annually.
- What hardiness zone is Carlisle?
- Because Carlisle bottoms near 21°F in January, that winter low sets Carlisle's USDA zone — verify by ZIP.
- What is the 10-day forecast for Carlisle?
- Carlisle's extended outlook — daily high and low temperatures and precipitation chances for each upcoming day — is in the daily forecast above.
- Will it rain this week in Carlisle?
- See this week's day-by-day rain chances for Carlisle in the daily forecast above, and the next 24 hours in the hourly chart.
- What is the weather like right now in Carlisle?
- Current conditions for Carlisle and the next 24 hours — temperature, precipitation chance, and wind by the hour — are in the hourly forecast chart above.
- How often is the Carlisle forecast updated?
- The Carlisle forecast on this page is built from Open-Meteo weather-model data and refreshes regularly through the day.
- When are sunrise and sunset in Carlisle?
- Today's sunrise and sunset times for Carlisle are in the Almanac section above, along with civil dawn, civil dusk, and day length. Day length is longest near the summer solstice and shortest near the winter solstice.
- How accurate is the weather forecast for Carlisle?
- The next few days in Carlisle's forecast are the most reliable; accuracy declines beyond about a week as weather-model uncertainty grows.
Climate
In Carlisle, Iowa, the warm-summer humid continental climate runs from about 21°F in January to 77°F in July, a 56°F seasonal range.
Carlisle sees close to 37 inches of precipitation annually, falling across some 164 wet days.
From 41.5°N, Carlisle sees a 56°F seasonal swing that governs Carlisle's planting and frost windows.
ZIP codes in Carlisle
- 50047