West Lafayette climate — normals and trends
West Lafayette (United States) has a hot-summer humid continental climate (Dfa) under the Köppen-Geiger classification. Its mean annual temperature is 10.9 °C and it receives 981 mm of precipitation per year.
These figures are normals computed over 86 complete calendar years, from 1940 to 2025, using ERA5 reanalysis data from the Copernicus programme.
The warmest month is July (23.4 °C on average) and the coldest is January (-3.5 °C). Rainfall peaks in May.
West Lafayette averages 109 frost days, 29 hot days (≥ 30 °C) and 120 rainy days per year.
West Lafayette has warmed by +2.1 °C between 1940 and 2025, or +0.24 °C per decade. This trend is statistically significant.
The number of frost days there went from about 123 to 95 per year over the period.
The hottest day of the period reached 39.4 °C (on 25 June 1988) and the coldest -32.2 °C (on 16 January 1972).
Data from ERA5 reanalysis (Copernicus Climate Change Service), redistributed under a CC-BY 4.0 licence. Normals are recomputed whenever the archive is updated.
Climate normals · ERA5
West LafayetteIndiana
- coords
- 40.43°, -86.91°
- period
- 1940–2025 · 86 yrs
Mean daily temperature
10.9°C
Average daily high
15.8°C
Average daily low
6.1°C
Annual rainfall
981mm
Sunshine / day
8.8h
Mean relative humidity
70%
Average peak wind
20.6km/h
Seasonal range
26.9°C
Frost days (< 0 °C)
109 d/yr
Hot days (≥ 30 °C)
29 d/yr
Rainy days (≥ 1 mm)
120 d/yr
Annual snowfall
58.2 cm
Average feels-like high
13.9 °C
Average feels-like low
3.3 °C
Average peak gust
39.1 km/h
Tropical nights (≥ 20 °C)
32 d/yr
Solar radiation
15.0 MJ/m²
Has the climate changed?
One stripe per year, 1940 to 2025
+2.1 °C
since 1940
+0.2 °C per decade · r² = 0.40 · p = < 0.001
Trend fitted by linear regression (ordinary least squares) on annual means. A trend is shown only when it is statistically significant (p < 0.05).
A climograph overlays rainfall (bars) and temperature (line): the standard reading in climatology, where you can see at a glance whether the warm season is also the dry one.
Records for the period
Hottest day
39.4 °C
25 June 1988
Coldest day
-32.2 °C
16 January 1972
Wettest day
75 mm
11 January 2020
Windiest day
61.4 km/h
26 January 1978
Strongest gust
109.1 km/h
10 November 1998
Hottest feels-like
45.4 °C
14 July 1995
Coldest feels-like
-38.0 °C
16 January 1972
Snowiest day
28.7 cm
31 January 1982
Sunniest day
14.5 h
11 June 2024
Normals computed over complete calendar years 1940–2025.
A specific year
Pick a year and see how it compares to normal — warmer, drier or more extreme than usual?
Across the whole year
Month by month
| High | vs. normal | Precipitation | vs. normal | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | -1.0 °C | -1.6 °C | 38 mm | -26 mm |
| Feb | 3.3 °C | +0.4 °C | 30 mm | -31 mm |
| Mar | 14.6 °C | +5.3 °C | 81 mm | -8 mm |
| Apr | 17.7 °C | +1.3 °C | 92 mm | -11 mm |
| May | 21.8 °C | -0.3 °C | 93 mm | -14 mm |
| Jun | 28.7 °C | +1.9 °C | 100 mm | -0 mm |
| Jul | 30.1 °C | +1.9 °C | 115 mm | +26 mm |
| Aug | 28.0 °C | +0.4 °C | 32 mm | -48 mm |
| Sep | 27.9 °C | +3.3 °C | 23 mm | -47 mm |
| Oct | 20.8 °C | +2.6 °C | 53 mm | -19 mm |
| Nov | 11.0 °C | +1.0 °C | 53 mm | -26 mm |
| Dec | 3.0 °C | -0.2 °C | 44 mm | -24 mm |
The year's extremes
What was the weather like that day?
Your birthday, a wedding, a memorable trip: discover the actual weather for any date since 1940.
Frequently asked questions
What is the climate of West Lafayette?
West Lafayette has a hot-summer humid continental climate (Köppen Dfa). Over 1940-2025, the average annual temperature is 10.9 °C and it receives 981 mm of precipitation per year.
What is the hottest day ever recorded in West Lafayette?
The hottest day measured in West Lafayette between 1940 and 2025 was 25 June 1988, reaching 39.4 °C.
What is the coldest day in West Lafayette?
The coldest day measured in West Lafayette between 1940 and 2025 was 16 January 1972, at -32.2 °C.
Does it snow in West Lafayette?
Yes. West Lafayette gets on average 58.2 cm of snow per year and has around 109 frost days.
Has the climate of West Lafayette warmed?
Yes: West Lafayette warmed by +2.1 °C between 1940 and 2025, a statistically significant trend.
What is the wettest day in West Lafayette?
The wettest day measured in West Lafayette between 1940 and 2025 was 11 January 2020, with 75 mm of rain in 24 hours.
What was the windiest day in West Lafayette?
The windiest day measured in West Lafayette between 1940 and 2025 was 26 January 1978, with winds reaching 61.4 km/h.
What is the warmest month in West Lafayette?
The warmest month in West Lafayette is July (23.4 °C on average); the coldest is January (-3.5 °C).
How much does it rain in West Lafayette?
West Lafayette receives on average 981 mm of precipitation per year, spread over about 120 rainy days.
Is it sunny in West Lafayette?
West Lafayette gets on average 8.8 hours of sunshine per day, roughly 3,212 hours per year over 1940-2025.
What is the biggest single-day snowfall in West Lafayette?
The heaviest 24-hour snowfall measured in West Lafayette between 1940 and 2025 was 31 January 1982, with 28.7 cm.
Are there tropical nights in West Lafayette?
Yes: West Lafayette has on average 32 tropical nights per year (temperature staying above 20 °C), over 1940-2025.
What was the most extreme apparent temperature in West Lafayette?
In West Lafayette, between 1940 and 2025, the highest apparent temperature reached 45.4 °C on 14 July 1995, and the lowest was -38.0 °C on 16 January 1972.
Compare West Lafayette with another city
Pick a second city: its normals will be set against these, indicator by indicator.
Nearby cities
The climate around West Lafayette