How extreme does Galesburg's weather get?

The hottest, coldest, wettest and snowiest days Galesburg has recorded — the outer limits of what its weather can do, and how far they sit beyond a normal day.

Based on 50+ years of daily weather observations (1971–present), from the Galesburg station 1 km away. Updated through June 2026 — an all-time extreme only changes when a more extreme day actually occurs, so some dates are old. That is normal, not stale data.

The four kinds of extreme

The hottest, coldest, wettest and snowiest single days Galesburg has recorded — each shown against what a normal day that time of year looks like.

🔥 Hottest day

102°F Jul 22, 1983

That is about 18°F hotter than a normal July afternoon in Galesburg (typical high near 84°F).

The three most extreme on record

1 102°F Jul 22, 1983

2 102°F Jul 28, 1983

3 102°F Jul 24, 2012

❄️ Coldest night

-27°F Jan 16, 2009

About 41°F colder than a normal January night in Galesburg (typical low near 14°F).

The three most extreme on record

1 -27°F Jan 16, 2009

2 -25°F Jan 10, 1982

3 -24°F Feb 3, 1996

🌧️ Most rain in one day

6.13 in Jul 24, 1993

More rain in a single day than Galesburg usually gets in the whole month of July (typical July total about 4.0 in).

The three most extreme on record

1 6.13 in Jul 24, 1993

2 5.90 in Jul 7, 1982

3 4.30 in Sep 28, 2019

⛄ Most snow in one day

15.0 in Feb 2, 2011

Close to a whole typical February's snow in one day (Galesburg averages about 7 in across the month).

The three most extreme on record

1 15.0 in Feb 2, 2011

2 11.0 in Apr 11, 1997

3 10.5 in Dec 1, 2006

How hot and cold it gets, month by month

The shaded band is the normal range of daily temperatures for each month. The dots show the most extreme it has ever been — so you can see how far beyond a normal day the records really sit.

normal range of daily temperatureshottest ever recordedcoldest ever recorded

Galesburg's record heat sits well above even a hot day for the season — July's 102°F is about 18°F beyond a normal hot afternoon. Its record cold is just as far below a normal winter night — the dots mark how rare each extreme really is.

In plain terms

In a normal year, Galesburg's warmest days reach the mid-80s°F and its coldest nights drop to the mid-10s°F. But across the record it has gone as high as 102°F and as low as −27°F. A single day has delivered over 6 inches of rain or close to 15 inches of snow. Those are the outer edges worth knowing if you are moving here, planning a trip, or thinking about a house.

Methodology & sources

Temperature & precipitation — the official 1991–2020 climate normals from NOAA's U.S. Climate Normals, measured at Galesburg (NOAA GHCN station USC00113320), about 1 km from the city centre.

How we build these numbers →

← Galesburg city detail