Climate of Missouri facts for kids
Missouri has a mix of climates. It mostly has a humid subtropical climate. This means it has cool winters and long, hot summers. In the southern part of the state, like the Bootheel area, the climate is a bit milder. Up north, it changes to a humid continental climate. This type of climate has colder winters.
Because Missouri is in the middle of the United States, far from big mountains or oceans, its weather can change a lot. It gets cold air from the Arctic and warm, wet air from the Gulf of Mexico. This mix often leads to big temperature changes.
Contents
Understanding Missouri's Climate
Missouri's weather can be quite wild! Even though the average temperatures might seem mild, the actual daily temperatures can jump or drop by 30 to 40 degrees Fahrenheit (17 to 22 degrees Celsius) in just one day.
For example, in June and July, the average temperature is around 73-76°F (23-24°C). But it's common for the temperature to hit 100°F (38°C) for several days in a row during these months. This happened during the World's Fair in St. Louis in 1904, when it reached 103°F (39°C)!
Weather in Major Cities
You can see more detailed weather information for different cities in Missouri below:
| Climate data for Columbia Regional Airport, Missouri (1981–2010 normals, extremes 1889–present) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °F (°C) | 77 (25) |
82 (28) |
92 (33) |
93 (34) |
101 (38) |
107 (42) |
113 (45) |
110 (43) |
104 (40) |
96 (36) |
84 (29) |
76 (24) |
113 (45) |
| Mean maximum °F (°C) | 61.9 (16.6) |
69.0 (20.6) |
79.0 (26.1) |
84.8 (29.3) |
86.9 (30.5) |
92.3 (33.5) |
96.9 (36.1) |
98.4 (36.9) |
91.5 (33.1) |
84.1 (28.9) |
74.4 (23.6) |
63.8 (17.7) |
99.5 (37.5) |
| Mean daily maximum °F (°C) | 38.5 (3.6) |
43.9 (6.6) |
55.2 (12.9) |
66.1 (18.9) |
74.5 (23.6) |
83.0 (28.3) |
87.6 (30.9) |
87.0 (30.6) |
78.8 (26.0) |
67.1 (19.5) |
53.9 (12.2) |
41.1 (5.1) |
64.8 (18.2) |
| Mean daily minimum °F (°C) | 20.9 (−6.2) |
24.9 (−3.9) |
34.0 (1.1) |
44.0 (6.7) |
53.5 (11.9) |
62.8 (17.1) |
67.0 (19.4) |
65.4 (18.6) |
56.4 (13.6) |
45.0 (7.2) |
34.9 (1.6) |
23.7 (−4.6) |
44.5 (6.9) |
| Mean minimum °F (°C) | 0.3 (−17.6) |
3.9 (−15.6) |
15.6 (−9.1) |
28.3 (−2.1) |
39.8 (4.3) |
50.8 (10.4) |
57.1 (13.9) |
54.9 (12.7) |
39.8 (4.3) |
29.4 (−1.4) |
17.9 (−7.8) |
3.5 (−15.8) |
−6.3 (−21.3) |
| Record low °F (°C) | −20 (−29) |
−26 (−32) |
−9 (−23) |
14 (−10) |
28 (−2) |
40 (4) |
45 (7) |
40 (4) |
26 (−3) |
19 (−7) |
−3 (−19) |
−23 (−31) |
−26 (−32) |
| Average precipitation inches (mm) | 1.92 (49) |
2.25 (57) |
2.91 (74) |
4.49 (114) |
4.98 (126) |
4.47 (114) |
4.37 (111) |
4.36 (111) |
3.87 (98) |
3.31 (84) |
3.25 (83) |
2.44 (62) |
42.62 (1,083) |
| Average snowfall inches (cm) | 6.1 (15) |
4.7 (12) |
1.7 (4.3) |
0.2 (0.51) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0.9 (2.3) |
4.4 (11) |
18.0 (46) |
| Average precipitation days (≥ 0.01 in) | 7.7 | 8.0 | 10.6 | 10.8 | 12.5 | 9.7 | 8.8 | 8.6 | 8.1 | 9.5 | 9.7 | 8.4 | 112.4 |
| Average snowy days (≥ 0.1 in) | 3.6 | 3.3 | 1.3 | 0.2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1.0 | 2.5 | 11.9 |
| Average relative humidity (%) | 71.2 | 71.5 | 67.3 | 63.9 | 70.9 | 71.3 | 69.5 | 70.8 | 71.7 | 69.4 | 71.8 | 74.0 | 70.3 |
| Mean monthly sunshine hours | 161.5 | 154.3 | 193.5 | 226.9 | 264.1 | 294.1 | 313.4 | 288.5 | 229.1 | 210.7 | 150.6 | 140.3 | 2,627 |
| Percent possible sunshine | 53 | 51 | 52 | 57 | 60 | 66 | 69 | 68 | 61 | 61 | 50 | 48 | 59 |
| Source: NOAA (relative humidity 1969–1990, sun 1961–1990) | |||||||||||||
| Climate data for Kansas City, Missouri (Downtown Airport), 1981–2010 normals, extremes 1934–present) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °F (°C) | 76 (24) |
83 (28) |
89 (32) |
94 (34) |
103 (39) |
108 (42) |
112 (44) |
113 (45) |
109 (43) |
98 (37) |
83 (28) |
74 (23) |
113 (45) |
| Mean maximum °F (°C) | 61.5 (16.4) |
68.1 (20.1) |
78.1 (25.6) |
84.4 (29.1) |
89.3 (31.8) |
94.8 (34.9) |
100.1 (37.8) |
100.3 (37.9) |
93.3 (34.1) |
84.8 (29.3) |
73.5 (23.1) |
62.8 (17.1) |
102.1 (38.9) |
| Mean daily maximum °F (°C) | 39.5 (4.2) |
44.6 (7.0) |
56.2 (13.4) |
66.7 (19.3) |
75.9 (24.4) |
85.0 (29.4) |
90.1 (32.3) |
88.6 (31.4) |
80.0 (26.7) |
67.8 (19.9) |
54.2 (12.3) |
41.8 (5.4) |
65.9 (18.8) |
| Mean daily minimum °F (°C) | 22.4 (−5.3) |
26.3 (−3.2) |
35.8 (2.1) |
46.6 (8.1) |
57.1 (13.9) |
66.7 (19.3) |
72.0 (22.2) |
70.2 (21.2) |
60.5 (15.8) |
48.9 (9.4) |
36.6 (2.6) |
25.6 (−3.6) |
47.4 (8.6) |
| Mean minimum °F (°C) | 3.7 (−15.7) |
6.5 (−14.2) |
16.9 (−8.4) |
30.6 (−0.8) |
43.2 (6.2) |
54.6 (12.6) |
62.0 (16.7) |
59.4 (15.2) |
44.3 (6.8) |
32.8 (0.4) |
20.0 (−6.7) |
5.3 (−14.8) |
−2.7 (−19.3) |
| Record low °F (°C) | −14 (−26) |
−13 (−25) |
−3 (−19) |
16 (−9) |
32 (0) |
44 (7) |
52 (11) |
48 (9) |
34 (1) |
21 (−6) |
5 (−15) |
−19 (−28) |
−19 (−28) |
| Average precipitation inches (mm) | 1.14 (29) |
1.48 (38) |
2.15 (55) |
3.71 (94) |
5.13 (130) |
5.52 (140) |
3.97 (101) |
4.39 (112) |
4.16 (106) |
3.52 (89) |
2.14 (54) |
1.75 (44) |
39.06 (992) |
| Average snowfall inches (cm) | 4.1 (10) |
3.2 (8.1) |
0.9 (2.3) |
0.2 (0.51) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0.3 (0.76) |
0.3 (0.76) |
4.4 (11) |
13.4 (34) |
| Average precipitation days (≥ 0.01 in) | 4.8 | 5.3 | 7.6 | 9.4 | 11.0 | 10.2 | 7.9 | 7.5 | 8.1 | 7.5 | 6.1 | 5.4 | 90.8 |
| Average snowy days (≥ 0.1 in) | 2.5 | 2.1 | 0.6 | 0.1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 | 0.4 | 2.5 | 8.3 |
| Source: NOAA | |||||||||||||
| Climate data for Kansas City Int'l, Missouri (1981–2010 normals, extremes 1888–present) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °F (°C) | 75 (24) |
83 (28) |
91 (33) |
95 (35) |
103 (39) |
108 (42) |
112 (44) |
113 (45) |
109 (43) |
98 (37) |
83 (28) |
74 (23) |
113 (45) |
| Mean maximum °F (°C) | 60.6 (15.9) |
67.4 (19.7) |
78.4 (25.8) |
84.5 (29.2) |
88.2 (31.2) |
92.9 (33.8) |
98.1 (36.7) |
99.0 (37.2) |
92.6 (33.7) |
84.9 (29.4) |
72.5 (22.5) |
61.9 (16.6) |
100.5 (38.1) |
| Mean daily maximum °F (°C) | 38.0 (3.3) |
43.3 (6.3) |
55.1 (12.8) |
65.7 (18.7) |
74.8 (23.8) |
83.5 (28.6) |
88.3 (31.3) |
87.4 (30.8) |
79.0 (26.1) |
66.9 (19.4) |
53.2 (11.8) |
40.3 (4.6) |
64.6 (18.1) |
| Mean daily minimum °F (°C) | 19.6 (−6.9) |
23.8 (−4.6) |
33.4 (0.8) |
44.0 (6.7) |
54.2 (12.3) |
63.6 (17.6) |
68.4 (20.2) |
66.8 (19.3) |
57.3 (14.1) |
45.9 (7.7) |
34.1 (1.2) |
22.6 (−5.2) |
44.5 (6.9) |
| Mean minimum °F (°C) | −0.1 (−17.8) |
2.6 (−16.3) |
13.8 (−10.1) |
27.0 (−2.8) |
40.0 (4.4) |
50.3 (10.2) |
57.9 (14.4) |
55.1 (12.8) |
40.3 (4.6) |
28.6 (−1.9) |
16.7 (−8.5) |
1.7 (−16.8) |
−7 (−22) |
| Record low °F (°C) | −20 (−29) |
−22 (−30) |
−10 (−23) |
12 (−11) |
27 (−3) |
42 (6) |
51 (11) |
43 (6) |
31 (−1) |
17 (−8) |
1 (−17) |
−23 (−31) |
−23 (−31) |
| Average precipitation inches (mm) | 1.07 (27) |
1.46 (37) |
2.37 (60) |
3.70 (94) |
5.23 (133) |
5.23 (133) |
4.45 (113) |
3.89 (99) |
4.62 (117) |
3.16 (80) |
2.15 (55) |
1.53 (39) |
38.86 (987) |
| Average snowfall inches (cm) | 4.6 (12) |
5.4 (14) |
2.0 (5.1) |
0.6 (1.5) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0.2 (0.51) |
1.2 (3.0) |
4.8 (12) |
18.8 (48) |
| Average precipitation days (≥ 0.01 in) | 6.3 | 7.1 | 9.5 | 11.0 | 11.5 | 10.8 | 9.0 | 8.3 | 8.6 | 8.2 | 7.3 | 7.2 | 104.8 |
| Average snowy days (≥ 0.1 in) | 4.0 | 3.5 | 1.6 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 | 1.2 | 3.7 | 14.6 |
| Average relative humidity (%) | 68.8 | 69.6 | 66.7 | 62.9 | 68.0 | 69.2 | 67.4 | 70.0 | 70.4 | 67.1 | 69.7 | 71.0 | 68.4 |
| Mean monthly sunshine hours | 183.7 | 174.3 | 223.9 | 257.8 | 285.0 | 305.5 | 329.3 | 293.9 | 240.5 | 213.6 | 155.3 | 147.1 | 2,809.9 |
| Percent possible sunshine | 61 | 58 | 60 | 65 | 64 | 68 | 73 | 69 | 64 | 62 | 52 | 50 | 63 |
| Source: NOAA (relative humidity and sun 1961–1990) | |||||||||||||
| Climate data for St. Louis, Missouri (Lambert–St. Louis Int'l), 1981−2010 normals, extremes 1874−present | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °F (°C) | 77 (25) |
85 (29) |
92 (33) |
93 (34) |
98 (37) |
108 (42) |
115 (46) |
110 (43) |
104 (40) |
94 (34) |
86 (30) |
76 (24) |
115 (46) |
| Mean maximum °F (°C) | 64.1 (17.8) |
69.8 (21.0) |
80.2 (26.8) |
86.7 (30.4) |
89.4 (31.9) |
94.8 (34.9) |
98.5 (36.9) |
99.3 (37.4) |
92.7 (33.7) |
85.7 (29.8) |
75.6 (24.2) |
65.0 (18.3) |
100.4 (38.0) |
| Mean daily maximum °F (°C) | 39.9 (4.4) |
45.0 (7.2) |
55.9 (13.3) |
67.4 (19.7) |
76.3 (24.6) |
85.1 (29.5) |
89.1 (31.7) |
87.9 (31.1) |
80.2 (26.8) |
68.5 (20.3) |
55.5 (13.1) |
42.5 (5.8) |
66.2 (19.0) |
| Daily mean °F (°C) | 31.8 (−0.1) |
36.3 (2.4) |
46.3 (7.9) |
57.3 (14.1) |
66.8 (19.3) |
75.9 (24.4) |
80.0 (26.7) |
78.6 (25.9) |
70.4 (21.3) |
58.7 (14.8) |
46.8 (8.2) |
34.7 (1.5) |
57.0 (13.9) |
| Mean daily minimum °F (°C) | 23.7 (−4.6) |
27.6 (−2.4) |
36.6 (2.6) |
47.2 (8.4) |
57.2 (14.0) |
66.8 (19.3) |
71.0 (21.7) |
69.4 (20.8) |
60.6 (15.9) |
49.0 (9.4) |
38.1 (3.4) |
26.9 (−2.8) |
47.9 (8.8) |
| Mean minimum °F (°C) | 4.2 (−15.4) |
8.0 (−13.3) |
18.4 (−7.6) |
31.5 (−0.3) |
43.2 (6.2) |
54.3 (12.4) |
60.3 (15.7) |
59.0 (15.0) |
44.8 (7.1) |
33.5 (0.8) |
22.4 (−5.3) |
7.5 (−13.6) |
−1.8 (−18.8) |
| Record low °F (°C) | −22 (−30) |
−18 (−28) |
−5 (−21) |
20 (−7) |
31 (−1) |
43 (6) |
51 (11) |
47 (8) |
32 (0) |
21 (−6) |
1 (−17) |
−16 (−27) |
−22 (−30) |
| Average precipitation inches (mm) | 2.40 (61) |
2.24 (57) |
3.32 (84) |
3.69 (94) |
4.72 (120) |
4.28 (109) |
4.11 (104) |
2.99 (76) |
3.13 (80) |
3.33 (85) |
3.91 (99) |
2.84 (72) |
40.96 (1,040) |
| Average snowfall inches (cm) | 5.6 (14) |
4.3 (11) |
2.3 (5.8) |
0.4 (1.0) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0.7 (1.8) |
4.4 (11) |
17.7 (45) |
| Average precipitation days (≥ 0.01 in) | 8.9 | 8.0 | 10.3 | 11.3 | 11.9 | 10.0 | 8.9 | 8.2 | 7.4 | 8.7 | 9.6 | 9.4 | 112.6 |
| Average snowy days (≥ 0.1 in) | 4.7 | 3.4 | 1.7 | 0.3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.7 | 3.7 | 14.5 |
| Average relative humidity (%) | 73.0 | 72.0 | 68.3 | 63.5 | 66.5 | 67.1 | 68.0 | 70.0 | 71.6 | 68.7 | 72.2 | 75.8 | 69.7 |
| Mean monthly sunshine hours | 161.2 | 158.3 | 198.3 | 223.5 | 266.5 | 291.9 | 308.9 | 269.8 | 236.1 | 208.4 | 140.9 | 129.9 | 2,593.7 |
| Percent possible sunshine | 53 | 53 | 53 | 56 | 60 | 66 | 68 | 64 | 63 | 60 | 47 | 44 | 58 |
| Source: NOAA (relative humidity and sun 1961−1990) | |||||||||||||
| Climate data for Springfield–Branson National Airport, Missouri (1981−2010 normals, extremes 1888−present ) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °F (°C) | 76 (24) |
84 (29) |
92 (33) |
93 (34) |
95 (35) |
101 (38) |
113 (45) |
108 (42) |
104 (40) |
93 (34) |
83 (28) |
77 (25) |
113 (45) |
| Mean maximum °F (°C) | 65.6 (18.7) |
71.1 (21.7) |
78.8 (26.0) |
83.7 (28.7) |
86.9 (30.5) |
92.4 (33.6) |
96.9 (36.1) |
98.2 (36.8) |
92.3 (33.5) |
84.2 (29.0) |
75.0 (23.9) |
66.3 (19.1) |
99.6 (37.6) |
| Mean daily maximum °F (°C) | 42.9 (6.1) |
48.2 (9.0) |
57.5 (14.2) |
67.2 (19.6) |
75.3 (24.1) |
83.8 (28.8) |
88.8 (31.6) |
89.0 (31.7) |
80.3 (26.8) |
69.0 (20.6) |
56.7 (13.7) |
44.9 (7.2) |
67.1 (19.5) |
| Mean daily minimum °F (°C) | 22.4 (−5.3) |
26.1 (−3.3) |
35.2 (1.8) |
44.3 (6.8) |
54.4 (12.4) |
63.1 (17.3) |
67.6 (19.8) |
66.6 (19.2) |
57.7 (14.3) |
46.5 (8.1) |
35.4 (1.9) |
25.0 (−3.9) |
45.5 (7.5) |
| Mean minimum °F (°C) | 3.0 (−16.1) |
7.2 (−13.8) |
16.3 (−8.7) |
27.8 (−2.3) |
39.3 (4.1) |
50.2 (10.1) |
57.1 (13.9) |
54.6 (12.6) |
40.0 (4.4) |
29.4 (−1.4) |
18.4 (−7.6) |
5.0 (−15.0) |
−3 (−19) |
| Record low °F (°C) | −19 (−28) |
−29 (−34) |
−8 (−22) |
16 (−9) |
29 (−2) |
42 (6) |
44 (7) |
44 (7) |
30 (−1) |
18 (−8) |
4 (−16) |
−16 (−27) |
−29 (−34) |
| Average precipitation inches (mm) | 2.47 (63) |
2.52 (64) |
3.62 (92) |
4.32 (110) |
5.10 (130) |
4.85 (123) |
3.68 (93) |
3.55 (90) |
4.61 (117) |
3.59 (91) |
4.22 (107) |
3.04 (77) |
45.57 (1,157) |
| Average snowfall inches (cm) | 5.4 (14) |
3.6 (9.1) |
2.4 (6.1) |
trace | 0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
trace | 0.7 (1.8) |
4.9 (12) |
17.0 (43) |
| Average precipitation days (≥ 0.01 in) | 8.2 | 7.8 | 10.5 | 10.5 | 12.0 | 10.6 | 8.4 | 7.9 | 7.6 | 9.5 | 9.4 | 8.9 | 111.3 |
| Average snowy days (≥ 0.1 in) | 3.5 | 2.9 | 1.4 | 0.1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 | 0.7 | 2.8 | 11.5 |
| Average relative humidity (%) | 68.3 | 68.5 | 65.2 | 64.5 | 70.7 | 72.3 | 70.4 | 69.5 | 72.9 | 68.2 | 69.6 | 70.9 | 69.3 |
| Mean monthly sunshine hours | 167.6 | 157.4 | 208.7 | 236.4 | 268.0 | 282.7 | 321.6 | 292.1 | 237.6 | 217.3 | 155.1 | 145.9 | 2,690.4 |
| Percent possible sunshine | 54 | 52 | 56 | 60 | 61 | 64 | 72 | 70 | 64 | 62 | 51 | 49 | 60 |
| Source: NOAA (relative humidity and sun 1961−1990) | |||||||||||||
Spring Weather
Spring is usually the wettest time of year in Missouri. From 1895 to 2003, the average spring temperature was about 54°F (12°C). The state also received about 12 inches (300 mm) of rain during this season. April, May, and June are typically the rainiest months.
Spring is also when most tornadoes happen in Missouri. On average, about 35 tornadoes hit the state each year.
Summer Weather
Summer, from June through August, is the hottest season. The average temperature is about 75°F (24°C). The state gets around 12 inches (300 mm) of rain during summer, with June often being wetter than July or August.
The hottest days of the year usually happen in July or August. Sometimes, storms that used to be tropical cyclones can bring a lot of rain to Missouri during the summer.
Autumn Weather
Autumn, from September through November, sees less rain as the season goes on. The average temperature for fall is about 56.5°F (13.6°C). The state typically receives about 10 inches (250 mm) of rain.
Even in October, leftover tropical storms can still bring rain to Missouri.
Winter Weather
Winters in Missouri can be long and cold. Temperatures can range from mildly chilly to extremely freezing. For example, the average daily temperature in January is about 26°F (-3°C) in Kansas City and 29°F (-2°C) in St. Louis.
The coldest temperature ever recorded in Missouri was a very chilly -40°F (-40°C). This happened in Warsaw on February 13, 1905. Winter is usually the driest season, but it still gets a good amount of snow and ice. The northern part of the state gets about 20 inches (51 cm) of snow on average, while the southeast gets about 10 inches (25 cm). During winter, winds usually blow from the northwest.
