PlainClimate
NOAA 1991–2020 normals Station-mapped location · no exact Census place match 1 NOAA station · Primary-station record

Columbia U of M, MO Climate: Temperature & Rain by Month

Pulled from NOAA NCEI 1991–2020 normals →: climate measurements used in PlainClimate's documented score

30-year climate normals (1991-2020) from Columbia U of M's primary NOAA station, COLUMBIA U OF M.

The climate verdict for Columbia U of M

Columbia U of M, Missouri has a mixed annual climate rather than one dominant extreme. Its NOAA normal shows an annual average of 56°F. It scores 78/100 for climate comfort (good), putting it in the top third of station-mapped location scores and exceeding 72% of them.

56°F
average temperature, NOAA 1991-2020 normal
78/100
comfort score, above 72% of station-mapped location scores
44.8"
annual precipitation · 17" snow
209 days
growing season, frost-free days

Columbia U of M: NOAA 1991-2020 normals describe a typical year, not a forecast. Method: /methodology.

Normals record plate

Sheet USC00231801 · Columbia U of M, MO 56°F mean · 44.8" precip

TEMP-MILD · RANK-UPPER · PHOTO-FINISH · PRCP-MID · SWING-WIDE · COMF-TOP · LOAD-HEAT · STN-1 · BOOK-FULL

Nearest mean-temperature peer: Humboldt, KS (+ 0 °F mean)

Instrument codes from this station's NOAA 1991–2020 normals, mean temperature, corpus warmth rank, photo-finish peer station, precipitation band, seasonal swing, comfort composite, degree-day load, and field book, not a livability rating.

Mean-temperature neighbourhood

Nationwide NOAA normal poles and nearest peers, not a reprint of every MO station list.

Climate Living Index · Columbia U of M

Columbia U of M: 67/100 · grade C

Columbia U of M publishes 5 of 6 Living Index dimensions (NOAA annual/seasonal normals · NOAA daily multivariate normals); 1 missing weight rescale to 100.

C
67/100Climate Living Index

PlainClimate-derived for Columbia U of M, not an official NOAA rating. Rankings still use Comfort Score 78/100 (separate formula). Breakpoints and limits.

Columbia U of M Living Index dimension scores
DimensionStation valueScore
Normal heat + freeze calendar 97 calendar days 77/100 · B
Frost-free season 209 days/year 71/100 · B
Precipitation balance 44.8 in · 9.8 from 35 in 65/100 · C
Annual temperature balance 56.2°F · 11.3° from 67.5°F 64/100 · C
Snowfall burden 17.4 inches/year 52/100 · D

Columbia U of M · 2026-08-04 · NOAA NCEI Climate Normals · method · Comfort Score method.

Columbia U of M is a continental Köppen climate: Dfa

Coldest-month mean 30.9°F and warmest-month mean 78.8°F place this station in continental, no dry season, hot summer climates (Dfa). Class Dfa is the Peel et al. (2007) label for this station's monthly mean temperature and precipitation normals: continental, specifically continental, no dry season, hot summer.

Köppen code
Dfa
Group
Continental
Warmest month
78.8°F
Coldest month
30.9°F

Source: official public datasets monthly normals (1991–2020) at the city’s primary station. This is a station classification, not a mapped regional consensus.

National standing · heating-led station

Where Columbia U of M sits across the climate record

Three NOAA fields for Columbia U of M's primary station, temperature, precipitation, and seasonal swing, are ranked against every station-mapped normal that carries the same field.

Annual temperature
64th percentile warmth
Mid-pack annual mean versus 6,861 station normals.
Annual precipitation
68th percentile wetness
Neither arid nor torrential versus 6,352 station totals.
Seasonal temperature swing
Wider than 72%
Warmest-to-coldest month gap for Columbia U of M is large versus 6,861 complete station-years.

How Columbia U of M compares across U.S. station-mapped locations

Columbia U of M's comfort score vs. all station-mapped locations

PlainClimate composite comfort index (1–100), NOAA 1991–2020 normals

78 Top 28% score exceeds 72% of 6,189 station-mapped location scores

0–10: 0 station-mapped locations (0%). Below this entry. 10–20: 0 station-mapped locations (0%). Below this entry. 20–30: 96 station-mapped locations (2%). Below this entry. 30–40: 280 station-mapped locations (5%). Below this entry. 40–50: 1,113 station-mapped locations (18%). Below this entry. 50–60: 1,329 station-mapped locations (21%). Below this entry. 60–70: 1,236 station-mapped locations (20%). Below this entry. 70–80: 650 station-mapped locations (11%). This entry sits in this band. 80–90: 921 station-mapped locations (15%). Above this entry. 90–100: 564 station-mapped locations (9%). Above this entry. This location 0 100 every station-mapped location, bucketed by value
  1. 0–10: 0 station-mapped locations (0%). Below this entry.
  2. 10–20: 0 station-mapped locations (0%). Below this entry.
  3. 20–30: 96 station-mapped locations (2%). Below this entry.
  4. 30–40: 280 station-mapped locations (5%). Below this entry.
  5. 40–50: 1,113 station-mapped locations (18%). Below this entry.
  6. 50–60: 1,329 station-mapped locations (21%). Below this entry.
  7. 60–70: 1,236 station-mapped locations (20%). Below this entry.
  8. 70–80: 650 station-mapped locations (11%). This entry sits in this band.
  9. 80–90: 921 station-mapped locations (15%). Above this entry.
  10. 90–100: 564 station-mapped locations (9%). Above this entry.

Source NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, PlainClimate comfort index · 1991–2020

Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more station-mapped locations. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.

Monthly Temperatures

Average daily high and low temperatures by month

Month Avg High Avg Low Mean
January 39°F (4°C) 23°F (-5°C) 31°F (-1°C)
February 45°F (7°C) 27°F (-3°C) 36°F (2°C)
March 56°F (13°C) 36°F (2°C) 46°F (8°C)
April 67°F (19°C) 46°F (8°C) 56°F (14°C)
May 76°F (24°C) 56°F (13°C) 66°F (19°C)
June 85°F (29°C) 65°F (18°C) 75°F (24°C)
July 89°F (31°C) 69°F (21°C) 79°F (26°C)
August 88°F (31°C) 67°F (20°C) 78°F (25°C)
September 80°F (27°C) 59°F (15°C) 69°F (21°C)
October 68°F (20°C) 47°F (8°C) 58°F (14°C)
November 55°F (13°C) 37°F (3°C) 46°F (8°C)
December 44°F (6°C) 27°F (-3°C) 35°F (2°C)

The year, day by day

Summer here tops out rather than builds: the warmest normal high is 89°F around July 25, short of 90°F on every date, while 97 dates carry a normal low at or below freezing, the coldest 22°F near January 14.

Normal daily high and low temperature for Columbia U of M, January through December Peaks 89°F around July 25. Bottoms 22°F around January 14. 15 25 35 45 55 65 75 85 95 freezing JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Normal daily high and low across the calendar year. NOAA 1991–2020 daily normals, COLUMBIA U OF M.

The freezing stretch

The normal low stays at or below 32°F into March 4, then returns to freezing around November 29, covering 97 dates in all.

Derived from the normal daily minimum. This is a different measure from the 50%-probability frost dates shown elsewhere on this page, which come from NOAA’s frost product.

Where the wet dates fall

The likeliest wet date is May 9, when 40% of years recorded at least a hundredth of an inch. The driest is January 18 at 26%. Summed across the calendar, that is about 112 wet dates a year.

The widest day

October 1 carries the biggest normal gap between afternoon and dawn, 22°F between the normal high and the normal low.

Look up any date

Any date's 1991–2020 normal for Columbia U of M.

Where Columbia U of M Stands Nationally

Days and nights track unusually close together; the widest normal swing, about 22°F, is narrower than most stations record.

Columbia U of M earns one nationally notable standing (outer quintile) against 6,860 NOAA 1991–2020 normals stations, middle-of-the-pack metrics stay silent here.

Monthly Precipitation

Average monthly rainfall and snowfall

January 2.4"

Snow: 5.9"

8.0 days with precipitation

February 2.3"

Snow: 4.8"

8.1 days with precipitation

March 3.2"

Snow: 2.0"

11.0 days with precipitation

April 4.8"

Snow: 0.3"

11.1 days with precipitation

May 5.2"

12.6 days with precipitation

June 5.1"

10.4 days with precipitation

July 4.6"

8.4 days with precipitation

August 4.1"

8.5 days with precipitation

September 4.3"

8.0 days with precipitation

October 3.5"

Snow: 0.1"

9.6 days with precipitation

November 3.0"

Snow: 0.8"

7.7 days with precipitation

December 2.2"

Snow: 3.5"

8.1 days with precipitation

Columbia U of M spreads its precipitation across the year

Neither half of the year dominates here: June through August take 31% of the annual total and December through February 15%, with neither reaching the 35% that would mark a distinct wet season. Columbia U of M has no dry season to plan around, though it does carry a wide 47.9°F gap between its warmest and coldest month.

The gap between the wettest and driest month still matters: May averages 5.2" and December 2.2". The three wettest months together take 34% of the year, against the 25% a perfectly flat distribution would give them.

Shares are computed from this station's own 1991-2020 monthly precipitation normals. "Spread across the year" means neither the June-August nor the December-February share reaches 35%; it describes an average year, not the variability of any single one.

When it rains in Columbia U of M, it arrives in quantity

44.8" of precipitation falls across only about 112 wet days here, averaging 0.40 inches each. Fewer days carry more water: the year's total is delivered in comparatively heavy events rather than persistent damp.

Days with measurable precipitation
about 112 a year, 31% of all days
Average depth per wet day
0.40 inches
Most wet days
May, about 13
Fewest wet days
November, about 8

A wet day is one recording at least 0.01 inches. These are 1991-2020 normals: they describe an average year, and a per-day average is not a forecast of any individual storm.

Winter brings real snow to Columbia U of M

Columbia U of M averages 17.4 inches of snowfall a year, with January the snowiest month on the normals, spread across roughly 11 days that record measurable snow. That is depth accumulating on the ground, which is why it can exceed the annual precipitation figure: precipitation counts the liquid the snow melts down to, and fresh snow is mostly air.

NOAA 1991-2020 normals. The ten-to-one ratio is a convention, not a measurement: real ratios vary with temperature, so treat the share as an order of magnitude rather than an exact split.

Frost Dates & Growing Season

First Fall Freeze

October 31

50% probability date

Last Spring Freeze

April 5

50% probability date

Growing Season

209 days

Heating & Cooling Degree Days

Annual totals indicate energy demand for heating and cooling

Heating Degree Days

4,669

Higher = more heating needed

Cooling Degree Days

1,487

Higher = more cooling needed

Warmest Month

July

Coldest Month

January

Nationwide similar cities

Other rankable U.S. places outside MO closest to Columbia U of M on two NOAA annual-normal axes (mean temperature and annual precipitation). Chip rows use distinct link sets.

Closest by average temperature

Nearest out-of-state peers by annual mean temperature (56°F here).

Closest by annual precipitation

Nearest out-of-state peers by annual precipitation (44.8" here), excluding temperature-peer places.

Missouri climate overview →

Snow and freeze rhythm

When cold and snow define Columbia U of M

heating led · moderate · mid swing

Columbia U of M's energy balance leans toward cold weather: 4,669 annual heating degree days against 1,487 for cooling. Its 47.9°F seasonal range still makes the monthly rows more useful than the annual average alone.

Columbia U of M's frost-free season lasts about 209 days, a middle-length window whose endpoints matter more than the annual average. It describes freeze probability, not year-specific planting conditions.

  1. 1. Columbia U of M coldest normal

    January

    The monthly mean of 31°F (-1°C) sits near freezing, so cold nights and above-freezing afternoons share the same month.

  2. 2. Columbia U of M typical freeze period

    January through December

    The station reports average freezing days from January through December.

  3. 3. Columbia U of M snow peak

    January

    Columbia U of M averages 17.4 inches of snow a year, with January the snowiest month on the normals.

Questions about Columbia U of M's climate

How much snow does Columbia U of M get?
Columbia U of M averages 17.4 inches of snow a year, most of it in January, within 44.8 inches of total precipitation. Snowfall is depth on the ground; the precipitation total counts its liquid equivalent, so the two are not additive.
How many days above 90°F does Columbia U of M get?
Columbia U of M averages about 41 days a year at or above 90°F, concentrated in July and the months either side of it. That is a count of days reaching the threshold, not a measure of how far above it they go.
How much energy does heating and cooling require in Columbia U of M?
Columbia U of M has 4,669 heating degree days and 1,487 cooling degree days annually, a heating-dominated climate. Degree-day definitions: reading weather data.

Data Sources

Data source: NOAA U.S. Climate Normals v1.0.1 (1991-2020). All figures on this page are from Columbia U of M's primary station: COLUMBIA U OF M (USC00231801). For informational purposes only.

Place identity: U.S. Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer places. The conservative exact name-and-state crosswalk finds no Census place match, so PlainClimate treats this as a station-mapped location and does not claim it is a municipality. No exact Gazetteer row for Columbia U of M; facility counts that depend on place identity are therefore an upper bound, not a municipal census.

Data sourced from official public datasets. See our methodology for details. Retrieved and formatted by PlainClimate

On this page every temperature, precipitation, and derived score for Columbia U of M comes from its primary NOAA station record. No figure on this page is typed in by an editor - each value is rendered from NOAA 1991-2020 U.S. Climate Normals. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of 1991–2020 normals.