Climate · Center

Center, MO climate

Center has chilly winters and warm summers. A typical July afternoon reaches 87°, a January night drops to 19°, and about 16 inches of snow falls in a normal winter.

NOAA 1991-2020 climate normals Updated once a decade
July high
87°
159th coolest of 1,353 Missouri towns
January low
19°
397th coldest of 1,353 Missouri towns
Rain + melted snow
40 in
309th driest of 1,353 Missouri towns
Snow a winter
16 in
417th snowiest of 1,335 Missouri towns
A normal year

What a year in Center feels like

Winter

39° / 22°
Typical high / low · 5 days with an inch or more of snow

Spring

64° / 43°
Typical high / low · Last frost around Apr 11

Summer

85° / 65°
Typical high / low · 27 days reach 90° in a normal year

Fall

66° / 45°
Typical high / low · First frost around Oct 23
Best months to be outsideAprMayJunSepOctHighs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more
Month by month

Center weather by month

Average highs, lows, rain and snow for every month, from NOAA’s 1991–2020 normals.

MonthHighLowRain + meltSnowWet days30-yr range
January36°19°1.9" 4.6"6 21° – 39°
February41°23°2.0" 5.0"7 20° – 43°
March53°32°2.8" 1.9"9 35° – 56°
April65°43°4.2" 0.2"10 46° – 60°
May74°53°5.0" 012 58° – 72°
June83°63°4.6" 09 69° – 77°
July87°66°4.3" 08 71° – 83°
August85°64°3.7" 07 69° – 80°
September78°56°3.5" 07 61° – 73°
October66°45°3.1" 08 49° – 61°
November52°34°2.7" 0.8"7 36° – 51°
December40°24°2.0" 3.1"7 18° – 41°
Year63°44°39.8"15.6"95

“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 & snow

Rain and snow in Center

Center gets 40 inches of rain and melted snow a year. May is the wettest month and January the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 95 days a year.

40 in
Rain + melted snow a year
More rain than 50% of U.S. towns
16 in
Snow in a normal winter
Less snow than 64% of U.S. towns
95 days
With rain or snow (0.01"+)

Rain + melted snow by month

Inches of water
5.0"

Snowfall by month

Inches of snow
5.0"
Frost & the growing season

About 192 frost-free days a year

In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 11 and the first one by October 23. That leaves about 192 frost-free days for gardens, longer than 66% of U.S. towns.

119
nights at or below 32° in a normal year
5
nights below 0° in a normal year
27
days that reach 90° in a normal year

Freezing nights by month

Average nights at or below 32°

90° days by month

Average days at 90° or more
Heating & cooling

Heating and cooling a home in Center

Engineers use “degree days” to estimate how hard a furnace or air conditioner works. In Center, 83% of that work is heating and 17% is cooling, so the furnace matters far more than the air conditioner.

83%heating
5,440 heating degree daysLess heating than 57% of U.S. towns
1,151 cooling degree daysMore cooling than 67% of U.S. towns

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.

Compared with other towns

How Center compares

Summer heat87° July high
Hotter than 63% of U.S. towns159th coolest of 1,353 Missouri towns
Winter cold19° January low
Colder than 50% of U.S. towns397th coldest of 1,353 Missouri towns
Precipitation40" a year
Wetter than 50% of U.S. towns309th driest of 1,353 Missouri towns
Snow16" a winter
Less snow than 64% of U.S. towns417th snowiest of 1,335 Missouri towns
Growing season192 frost-free days
Longer than 66% of U.S. towns616th shortest of 1,353 Missouri towns

Compared with every U.S. town and city on TownTapestry, each counted once.

Then and now

Warmer than it used to be

+0.6°1991–2020 average vs. the 20th century (1901–2000)

The last 30 years in Center averaged 0.6° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in December (+2.0°). The shift is smaller than in 92% of U.S. towns.

❄️ Winter+1.7° now 31°, was 29°
🌷 Spring+0.8° now 53°, was 52°
☀️ Summer−0.2° now 75°, was 75°
🍂 Fall+0.3° now 55°, was 55°

Change by month1991–2020 average minus 1901–2000 average, at Center’s spot on NOAA’s grid

Year to year

How much a month can swing

A normal is an average, and real years wander around it. December swings the most: between 1991 and 2020 its average temperature ranged from 18° to 41°. June is the most reliable, staying within 8°.

Coldest to warmest month in 30 yearsNormal
Questions

Common questions about Center’s climate

What is the coldest month in Center?

January, with a typical high of 36° and a low of 19°.

What is the hottest month in Center?

July, with a typical high of 87° and a low of 66°. About 27 days a year reach 90°.

How much snow does Center get?

About 16 inches in a normal winter, most of it in February.

When is the first frost in Center?

In half of years the first 32° night comes by October 23, and the last spring frost by April 11.

What is the rainiest month in Center?

May, with 5.0 inches of rain and melted snow. The year totals 40 inches.

Temperatures and rainfall come from NOAA’s gridded climate normals for Center itself (about a 3-mile square). Snow, frost dates and day counts come from NOAA’s weather station at Bowling Green 1 E, MO (22 mi, snow) and Vandalia, MO (14 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.

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