Athens, MO climate
Athens has chilly winters and warm summers. A typical July afternoon reaches 87°, a January night drops to 16°, and about 21 inches of snow falls in a normal winter.
NOAA 1991-2020 climate normals Updated once a decadeRight about normal today. The forecast high is 72°, and a typical Sep 30 in Athens peaks around 72°.Live forecast: National Weather Service · Normal: NOAA 1991–2020
What a year in Athens feels like
Winter
Spring
Summer
Fall
Athens weather by month
Average highs, lows, rain and snow for every month, from NOAA’s 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 34° | 16° | 1.0" | 5.4" | 5 | 11 | 19° – 37° |
| February | 40° | 20° | 1.4" | 5.2" | 6 | 8 | 20° – 41° |
| March | 52° | 31° | 2.3" | 3.3" | 7 | 2 | 34° – 56° |
| April | 64° | 41° | 3.9" | 0.3" | 11 | 0 | 44° – 58° |
| May | 73° | 52° | 5.5" | 0 | 12 | 0 | 57° – 72° |
| June | 83° | 62° | 5.5" | 0 | 10 | 0 | 69° – 76° |
| July | 87° | 66° | 4.6" | 0 | 9 | 0 | 71° – 84° |
| August | 85° | 64° | 4.0" | 0 | 8 | 0 | 68° – 79° |
| September | 78° | 55° | 3.9" | 0 | 7 | 0 | 60° – 72° |
| October | 65° | 43° | 3.0" | 0.1" | 7 | 0 | 47° – 59° |
| November | 51° | 31° | 2.0" | 1.3" | 6 | 1 | 33° – 50° |
| December | 39° | 21° | 1.6" | 5.6" | 5 | 5 | 16° – 37° |
| Year | 62° | 42° | 38.5" | 21.2" | 93 | 27 |
“Wet days” have at least 0.01" of rain or melted snow. “Snow on ground” counts days with 1" or more. The 30-year range is the coldest and warmest that month’s average temperature got between 1991 and 2020.
Rain and snow in Athens
Athens gets 39 inches of rain and melted snow a year. June is the wettest month and January the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 93 days a year. Snow covers the ground about 27 days of the year.
About 185 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 17 and the first one by October 21. That leaves about 185 frost-free days for gardens, longer than 58% of U.S. towns.
Heating and cooling a home in Athens
Engineers use “degree days” to estimate how hard a furnace or air conditioner works. In Athens, 83% of that work is heating and 17% is cooling, so the furnace matters far more than the air conditioner.
Degree days measure how far each day’s average temperature falls below or rises above 65°, added up over a year. Source: NOAA station normals.
Athens and its neighbors
Athens borders 6 towns with climate data. January nights across them vary by 0.8°. Howard has the coldest January nights (16°) and Miller the hottest July afternoons (87°). Athens’s January low is 16° and its July high 87°.
Temperatures and rain come from NOAA’s 5 km grid, so each town gets its own value.
How Athens compares
Compared with every U.S. town and city on TownTapestry, each counted once.
Warmer than it used to be
The last 30 years in Athens averaged 0.9° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in December (+2.3°). The shift is smaller than in 80% of U.S. towns.
Change by month1991–2020 average minus 1901–2000 average, at Athens’s spot on NOAA’s grid
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average, and real years wander around it. March swings the most: between 1991 and 2020 its average temperature ranged from 34° to 56°. June is the most reliable, staying within 8°.
Common questions about Athens’s climate
What is the coldest month in Athens?
January, with a typical high of 34° and a low of 16°.
What is the hottest month in Athens?
July, with a typical high of 87° and a low of 66°. About 39 days a year reach 90°.
How much snow does Athens get?
About 21 inches in a normal winter, most of it in December.
When is the first frost in Athens?
In half of years the first 32° night comes by October 21, and the last spring frost by April 17.
What is the rainiest month in Athens?
June, with 5.5 inches of rain and melted snow. The year totals 39 inches.
Temperatures and rainfall come from NOAA’s gridded climate normals for Athens itself (about a 3-mile square). Snow, frost dates and day counts come from NOAA’s weather station at Bethany, MO (14 mi, snow) and Albany, MO (3 mi, frost, heat and degree days). Normals are 30-year averages, not a forecast. Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020 and 1901–2000.