West Lafayette, IN Climate

West Lafayette, IN has a humid continental climate characterized by warm to hot summers, freezing cold winters and highly variable precipitation rates. Summers tend to be humid and warm with temperatures typically ranging from the low 70s to mid 80s Fahrenheit, while winters are dry with temperatures dropping below freezing in December and January. Due to its location near the Great Lakes region of the United States, West Lafayette experiences frequent snowfall during winter months. Preciptation is highly variable throughout the year, but usually averages between 28-33 inches per year.

West Lafayette, Indiana gets 38 inches of rain, on average, per year. The US average is 38 inches of rain per year.

West Lafayette averages 19 inches of snow per year. The US average is 28 inches of snow per year.

On average, there are 185 sunny days per year in West Lafayette. The US average is 205 sunny days.

West Lafayette gets some kind of precipitation, on average, 120 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 86 degrees
Winter Low: the January low is 17
Rain: averages 38 inches of rain a year
Snow: averages 19 inches of snow a year

Bestplaces Comfort Index

The annual BestPlaces Comfort Index for West Lafayette is 7.0 (10=best), which means it is about average compared to other places in Indiana.

8.4 Summer - 5 Winter

September, June and May are the most pleasant months in West Lafayette, while January and December are the least comfortable months.

Climate	West Lafayette, Indiana	United States
	37.9 in.	38.1 in.
	18.9 in.	27.8 in.
	119.7 days	106.2 days
	185 days	205 days
	86.4°	85.8°
	16.9°	21.7°
	7	7
	3.9	4.3
	610 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 West Lafayette with an average high temperature of 86.4°, which ranks it as warmer than most places in Indiana. In West Lafayette, there are 4 comfortable months with high temperatures in the range of 70-85°. The most pleasant months of the year for West Lafayette are September, May and June.

In West Lafayette, there are 26.4 days annually when the high temperature is over 90°, which is hotter than most places in Indiana.

January has the coldest nighttime temperatures for West Lafayette with an average of 16.9°. This is colder than most places in Indiana.

In West Lafayette, there are 123.8 days annually when the nighttime low temperature falls below freezing, which is about average compared to other places in Indiana.

In West Lafayette, there are 6.7 days annually when the nighttime low temperature falls below zero°, which is colder than most places in Indiana.

The humidity is usually comfortable in West Lafayette 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.

May is the wettest month in West Lafayette with 4.5 inches of rain, and the driest month is February with 1.9 inches. The wettest season is Autumn with 32% of yearly precipitation and 17% occurs in Spring, which is the driest season. The annual rainfall of 37.9 inches in West Lafayette means that it is one of the driest places in Indiana.

May is the rainiest month in West Lafayette with 11.9 days of rain, and September is the driest month with only 8.1 rainy days. There are 119.7 rainy days annually in West Lafayette, which is rainier than most places in Indiana. The rainiest season is Summer when it rains 28% of the time and the driest is Winter with only a 23% chance of a rainy day.

An annual snowfall of 18.9 inches in West Lafayette means that it is about average compared to other places in Indiana. January is the snowiest month in West Lafayette with 5.9 inches of snow, and 4 months of the year have significant snowfall.

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Earl · West Lafayette, IN

Community attitudes matter.

Over 9 years ago

I am originally from Greencastle, Indiana, a nice friendly rural town and home to DePauw University. Presently, I live in West Lafayette, Indiana, due to my having been More

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Jen · West Lafayette, IN

West Lafayette, IN

Over 10 years ago

It's a nice small town. It's too bad it's not closer to Indy. I think I would like it here More

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Adriana · West Lafayette, IN

West Lafayette

Over 13 years ago

They have good schools, parks and always have events to More

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