Climate of Missouri - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

Missouri generally has a humid continental climate

Humid continental climate

A humid continental climate is a climatic region typified by large seasonal temperature differences, with warm to hot summers and cold winters....

(Köppen climate classification

Köppen climate classification

The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by Crimea German climatologist Wladimir Köppen in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen himself, notably in 1918 and 1936...

Dfa), with cool to cold winters and long, hot summers. In the southern part of the state, particularly in the Bootheel

Bootheel

The Missouri Bootheel is the southeasternmost part of the state of Missouri, extending south of 36°30’ north latitude, so called because its shape in relation to the rest of the state resembles the heel of a boot. Strictly speaking, it is composed of the counties of Dunklin, New Madrid, and Pemiscot...

, the climate borders on a humid subtropical climate

Humid subtropical climate

A humid subtropical climate is a climate zone characterized by hot, humid summers and mild to cool winters...

(Köppen Cfa). Due to its location in the interior United States, Missouri

Missouri

Missouri is a US state located in the Midwestern United States, bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. With a 2010 population of 5,988,927, Missouri is the 18th most populous state in the nation and the fifth most populous in the Midwest. It...

often experiences extremes in temperatures. Not having either large mountains or oceans nearby to moderate its temperature, its climate is alternately influenced by air from the cold Arctic

Arctic

The Arctic is a region located at the northern-most part of the Earth. The Arctic consists of the Arctic Ocean and parts of Canada, Russia, Greenland, the United States, Norway, Sweden, Finland, and Iceland. The Arctic region consists of a vast, ice-covered ocean, surrounded by treeless permafrost...

and the hot and humid Gulf of Mexico

Gulf of Mexico

The Gulf of Mexico is a partially landlocked ocean basin largely surrounded by the North American continent and the island of Cuba. It is bounded on the northeast, north and northwest by the Gulf Coast of the United States, on the southwest and south by Mexico, and on the southeast by Cuba. In...

Overview

mean temperatures and precipitations from 1895–2003
Month	Precipitation	Temp.
Jan	2.1 in	29.8 °F
Feb	2.0 in	33.8 °F
March	3.3 in	43.5 °F
April	4.0 in	54.6 °F
May	4.8 in	64.2 °F
June	4.65 in	73 °F
July	3.8 in	77.6 °F
Aug	3.7 in	76 °F
Sep	4.0 in	68.3 °F
Oct	3.2 in	57.1 °F
Nov	2.9 in	44 °F
Dec	2.4 in	33.3 °F

While the table to the right would suggest a very mild climate one has to consider that a temperature fluctuation of 20 degrees Fahrenheit on average and 30 to 40 degrees Fahrenheit (17 to 22 degrees Celsius) in a twenty four hour period is common. The mean temperature should not be used in discussions regarding the climate of Missouri. Although the mean temperature for June and July is only 73 °F and 76 °F (23 °C and 24 °C) it is not uncommon for the temperature to reach 100 °F (38 °C) at least 3 concurrent days each week in these months, as it did in 1904 during the World Fair

World fair

World Fair can refer to:* Expo , a large public exhibition* This World Fair, an American rock band...

where the temperature in St. Louis, Missouri

St. Louis, Missouri

St. Louis is an independent city on the eastern border of Missouri, United States. With a population of 319,294, it was the 58th-largest U.S. city at the 2010 U.S. Census. The Greater St...

was 103 °F (39 °C).

City	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
Monthly Normal High and Low Temperatures For Various Missouri Cities
Columbia	37/18	44/23	55/33	66/43	75/53	84/62	89/66	87/64	79/55	68/44	53/33	42/22
Kansas City	36/18	43/23	54/33	65/44	75/54	84/63	89/68	87/66	79/57	68/46	52/33	40/22
Springfield	42/22	48/26	58/35	68/44	76/53	85/62	90/67	90/66	81/57	71/46	56/35	46/26
St. Louis	38/21	44/26	55/36	67/46	76/57	85/66	90/71	88/69	80/60	68/48	54/37	42/26
'

Spring

Spring, March through May, is generally the wettest season of the year with the mean temperature from 1895 until 2003 being about 12°C (54°F) and its mean precipitation (in the form of rain

Rain

Rain is liquid precipitation, as opposed to non-liquid kinds of precipitation such as snow, hail and sleet. Rain requires the presence of a thick layer of the atmosphere to have temperatures above the melting point of water near and above the Earth's surface...

) for this period being approximately 300 mm (12 inches). The spring rains often continue through June. The spring also produces the most tornado

Tornado

A tornado is a violent, dangerous, rotating column of air that is in contact with both the surface of the earth and a cumulonimbus cloud or, in rare cases, the base of a cumulus cloud. They are often referred to as a twister or a cyclone, although the word cyclone is used in meteorology in a wider...

es; with an average of 35 tornadoes each year.

Summer

Summer, June through August, is the hottest time of the year with a mean temperature of 24°C (75 °F, 24 °C) and a mean precipitation of 300 mm (12 inches) with June having more precipitation than either July or August. The extreme highs for the year often occur in July or August. Tropical cyclones and their remains can impact the state during this time of the year, contributing to area rainfall.

Fall

Autumn

Autumn is one of the four temperate seasons. Autumn marks the transition from summer into winter usually in September or March when the arrival of night becomes noticeably earlier....

, September through November, has less and less precipitation towards the end of the season. The mean temperatures for this season are 13.6°C (56.5°F) and the mean precipitation is 250mm (10 in). Tropical cyclones and their remains can impact the state into October, contributing to area rainfall.

Winter

Winters in Missouri can be long with temperatures ranging from mildly to bitterly cold. Kansas City's average January low is 26 °F (-3.3 °C) and St. Louis's average January low is 29 °F (-1.7 °C). The coldest temperature ever recorded in Missouri was -40 °F, set at Warsaw on 13 February 1905. Winter also tends to be the driest season, but typically yields significant amounts of winter precipitation. Snowfall averages 20 inches (50.8 cm) in the state's northern region, and 10 inches (25.4 cm) in the southeast. During the winter, northwest winds prevail; the air movement is largely from the south and southeast during the rest of the year.

Overview

Spring

Summer

Fall

Winter

See also