Climate · Cotton Hill

Cotton Hill, MO climate

Cotton Hill has mild winters and warm summers, with plenty of rain. A typical July afternoon reaches 90°, a January night drops to 28°, and about 3 inches of snow falls in a normal winter.

NOAA 1991-2020 climate normals Updated once a decade
July high
90°
45th hottest of 1,353 Missouri towns
January low
28°
38th mildest of 1,353 Missouri towns
Rain + melted snow
49 in
70th wettest of 1,353 Missouri towns
Snow a winter
3 in
25th least snowy of 1,335 Missouri towns
A normal year

What a year in Cotton Hill feels like

Winter

48° / 30°
Typical high / low · Snow is rare

Spring

70° / 49°
Typical high / low · Last frost around Mar 29

Summer

89° / 69°
Typical high / low · 59 days reach 90° in a normal year

Fall

71° / 49°
Typical high / low · First frost around Nov 3
Best months to be outsideAprMaySepOctHighs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more
Month by month

Cotton Hill weather by month

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

MonthHighLowRain + meltSnowWet daysSnow on ground30-yr range
January45°28°3.6" 1.2"91 30° – 45°
February50°32°3.7" 0.5"91 30° – 49°
March60°39°4.7" 0.9"100 43° – 61°
April71°48°5.2" 0100 53° – 65°
May80°59°5.2" 0110 65° – 76°
June88°67°3.8" 080 72° – 83°
July90°71°4.0" 080 76° – 84°
August89°68°3.1" 070 73° – 85°
September83°60°3.3" 060 68° – 78°
October73°49°3.8" 0.1"80 56° – 66°
November58°38°4.5" 0.1"90 40° – 55°
December48°31°4.5" 0.2"90 28° – 47°
Year69°49°49.2"3.0"1033

“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 Cotton Hill

Cotton Hill gets 49 inches of rain and melted snow a year. May is the wettest month and August the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 103 days a year.

49 in
Rain + melted snow a year
More rain than 86% of U.S. towns
3 in
Snow in a normal winter
Less snow than 81% of U.S. towns
3 days
With 1"+ of snow on the ground
Fewer than 75% of U.S. towns

Rain + melted snow by month

Inches of water
5.2"

Snowfall by month

Inches of snow
1.2"
Frost & the growing season

About 221 frost-free days a year

In half of years the last 32° night comes by March 29 and the first one by November 3. That leaves about 221 frost-free days for gardens, longer than 82% of U.S. towns.

77
nights at or below 32° in a normal year
<1
nights below 0° in a normal year
59
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 Cotton Hill

Engineers use “degree days” to estimate how hard a furnace or air conditioner works. In Cotton Hill, 66% of that work is heating and 34% is cooling.

66%heating
3,761 heating degree daysLess heating than 80% of U.S. towns
1,942 cooling degree daysMore cooling than 87% 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.

Around Cotton Hill

Cotton Hill and its neighbors

Cotton Hill borders 4 towns with climate data. January nights across them vary by 1.2°. Liberty has the coldest January nights (27°) and Freeborn the hottest July afternoons (90°). Cotton Hill’s January low is 28° and its July high 90°.

Holcomb: January low 29°, July high 90°St. Francis: January low 28°, July high 90°Clarkton: January low 29°, July high 90°Independence: January low 29°, July high 90°Castor: January low 27°, July high 89°Elk: January low 28°, July high 90°Duck Creek: January low 26°, July high 90°Richland: January low 27°, July high 90°Union: January low 28°, July high 90°Freeborn: January low 29°, July high 90°Malden: January low 28°, July high 90°Liberty: January low 27°, July high 90°Cotton Hill: January low 28°, July high 90° Cotton HillUnionFreebornMaldenLiberty
ColderMilder26° to 29°
Liberty27.3° −0.8°
Malden27.9° −0.2°
Union28.0° −0.1°
Cotton Hill28.1°
Freeborn28.5° +0.4°

Temperatures and rain come from NOAA’s 5 km grid, so each town gets its own value.

Compared with other towns

How Cotton Hill compares

Summer heat90° July high
Hotter than 80% of U.S. towns45th hottest of 1,353 Missouri towns
Winter cold28° January low
Milder than 79% of U.S. towns38th mildest of 1,353 Missouri towns
Precipitation49" a year
Wetter than 86% of U.S. towns70th wettest of 1,353 Missouri towns
Snow3" a winter
Less snow than 81% of U.S. towns25th least snowy of 1,335 Missouri towns
Growing season221 frost-free days
Longer than 82% of U.S. towns44th longest 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 Cotton Hill averaged 0.6° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in February (+1.6°). The shift is smaller than in 93% of U.S. towns.

❄️ Winter+1.3° now 39°, was 38°
🌷 Spring+0.7° now 59°, was 59°
☀️ Summer+0.3° now 79°, was 79°
🍂 Fall+0.3° now 60°, was 60°

Change by month1991–2020 average minus 1901–2000 average, at Cotton Hill’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 28° to 47°. July is the most reliable, staying within 9°.

Coldest to warmest month in 30 yearsNormal
Questions

Common questions about Cotton Hill’s climate

What is the coldest month in Cotton Hill?

January, with a typical high of 45° and a low of 28°.

What is the hottest month in Cotton Hill?

July, with a typical high of 90° and a low of 71°. About 59 days a year reach 90°.

How much snow does Cotton Hill get?

About 3 inches in a normal winter, most of it in January.

When is the first frost in Cotton Hill?

In half of years the first 32° night comes by November 3, and the last spring frost by March 29.

What is the rainiest month in Cotton Hill?

May, with 5.2 inches of rain and melted snow. The year totals 49 inches.

Temperatures and rainfall come from NOAA’s gridded climate normals for Cotton Hill itself (about a 3-mile square). Snow, frost dates and day counts come from NOAA’s weather station at Saint Francis, AR (11 mi, snow) and Malden Municipal Airport, 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.

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