Independence, MO Climate: Temperature & Rain by Month
Annual temperature and rainfall from NOAA NCEI's 1991–2020 normals →; comfort score computed by PlainClimate
30-year climate normals (1991-2020) from Independence's primary NOAA station, INDEPENDENCE.
The climate verdict for Independence
Independence, Missouri has a mixed annual climate rather than one dominant extreme. Its NOAA normal shows an annual average of 54°F. Its climate comfort score of 68/100 (good) lands mid-pack nationally, exceeding 56% of station-mapped location scores.
- 54°F
- annual average temperature (NOAA normal)
- 68/100
- comfort score, above 56% of station-mapped location scores
- 44.7"
- annual precipitation · 13" snow
- 200 days
- frost-free growing season
Independence: NOAA 1991-2020 normals describe a typical year, not a forecast. Method: /methodology.
Normals record plate
Sheet USC00234154 · Independence, MO 54°F mean · 44.7" precip
TEMP-COOL · RANK-MID · PHOTO-FINISH · PRCP-MID · SWING-WIDE · COMF-MID · LOAD-HEAT · STN-1 · BOOK-FULL
- TEMP-COOL 54°F
- RANK-MID #3,911
- PHOTO-FINISH ≈ New Franklin
- PRCP-MID 44.7"
- SWING-WIDE 49°F
- COMF-MID 68/100
- LOAD-HEAT 5,207 HDD
- STN-1 USC00234154
- BOOK-FULL 6/6 fields
Nearest mean-temperature peer: New Franklin, MO (+ 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.
- Independence (this station) 54°F
- Hot Casey, IL 54°F
- Near New Franklin, MO 54°F
- Near Springfield Cap…, IL 54°F
- Near Robinson, IL 54°F
Climate Living Index · Independence
Independence: 62/100 · grade C
Independence publishes 5 of 6 Living Index dimensions (NOAA annual/seasonal normals · NOAA daily multivariate normals); 1 missing weight rescale to 100.
PlainClimate-derived for Independence, not an official NOAA rating. Rankings still use Comfort Score 68/100 (separate formula). Breakpoints and limits.
| Dimension | Station value | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Normal heat + freeze calendar | 116 calendar days | 67/100 · C |
| Precipitation balance | 44.7 in · 9.7 from 35 in | 66/100 · C |
| Frost-free season | 200 days/year | 64/100 · C |
| Snowfall burden | 13.2 inches/year | 58/100 · C |
| Annual temperature balance | 54.0°F · 13.5° from 67.5°F | 56/100 · C |
Independence · 2026-08-04 · NOAA NCEI Climate Normals · method · Comfort Score method.
Independence is a continental Köppen climate: Dfa
Coldest-month mean 28.4°F and warmest-month mean 77.4°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
- 77.4°F
- Coldest month
- 28.4°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 Independence sits across the climate record
Three NOAA fields for Independence's primary station, temperature, precipitation, and seasonal swing, are ranked against every station-mapped normal that carries the same field.
- Annual temperature
- 57th 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 78%
- Warmest-to-coldest month gap for Independence is large versus 6,861 complete station-years.
How Independence compares across U.S. station-mapped locations
Independence's comfort score vs. all station-mapped locations
PlainClimate composite comfort index (1–100), NOAA 1991–2020 normals
68 Top 44% score exceeds 56% 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%). This entry sits in this band.
- 70–80: 650 station-mapped locations (11%). Above this entry.
- 80–90: 921 station-mapped locations (15%). Above this entry.
- 90–100: 564 station-mapped locations (9%). Above this entry.
Source NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, PlainClimate comfort index · 1991–2020
Monthly Temperatures
Average daily high and low temperatures by month
| Month | Avg High | Avg Low | Mean | Precip | Snow | Freeze Days | 90°F+ Days |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 38°F (3°C) | 19°F (-7°C) | 28°F (-2°C) | 1.5" | 3.6" | 28.0 | 0.0 |
| February | 43°F (6°C) | 23°F (-5°C) | 33°F (1°C) | 1.9" | 2.6" | 22.8 | 0.0 |
| March | 55°F (13°C) | 33°F (0°C) | 44°F (6°C) | 2.9" | 1.7" | 16.1 | 0.0 |
| April | 65°F (18°C) | 43°F (6°C) | 54°F (12°C) | 4.4" | 0.2" | 4.2 | 0.1 |
| May | 74°F (23°C) | 54°F (12°C) | 64°F (18°C) | 6.0" | 0.0" | 0.0 | 0.5 |
| June | 83°F (28°C) | 64°F (18°C) | 73°F (23°C) | 5.3" | 0.0" | 0.0 | 5.0 |
| July | 87°F (31°C) | 68°F (20°C) | 77°F (25°C) | 5.1" | 0.0" | 0.0 | 11.9 |
| August | 86°F (30°C) | 66°F (19°C) | 76°F (24°C) | 5.1" | 0.0" | 0.0 | 10.5 |
| September | 78°F (26°C) | 57°F (14°C) | 68°F (20°C) | 4.8" | 0.0" | 0.0 | 2.9 |
| October | 67°F (19°C) | 45°F (7°C) | 56°F (13°C) | 3.5" | 0.4" | 2.6 | 0.1 |
| November | 53°F (12°C) | 34°F (1°C) | 43°F (6°C) | 2.4" | 1.2" | 13.6 | 0.0 |
| December | 42°F (5°C) | 24°F (-5°C) | 33°F (0°C) | 1.8" | 3.5" | 25.2 | 0.0 |
The year, day by day
Summer here tops out rather than builds: the warmest normal high is 88°F around July 27, short of 90°F on every date, while 116 dates carry a normal low at or below freezing, the coldest 19°F near January 14.
The freezing stretch
The normal low stays at or below 32°F into March 14, then returns to freezing around November 20, covering 116 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 6, when 42% of years recorded at least a hundredth of an inch. The driest is January 26 at 21%. Summed across the calendar, that is about 107 wet dates a year.
The widest day
March 27 carries the biggest normal gap between afternoon and dawn, 23°F between the normal high and the normal low.
Look up any date
Any date's 1991–2020 normal for Independence.
Where Independence Stands Nationally
Days and nights track unusually close together; the widest normal swing, about 23°F, is narrower than most stations record.
Independence 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
Snow: 3.6"
6.8 days with precipitation
Snow: 2.6"
6.2 days with precipitation
Snow: 1.7"
9.6 days with precipitation
Snow: 0.2"
10.9 days with precipitation
13.3 days with precipitation
9.9 days with precipitation
10.0 days with precipitation
9.2 days with precipitation
8.6 days with precipitation
Snow: 0.4"
8.7 days with precipitation
Snow: 1.2"
6.8 days with precipitation
Snow: 3.5"
6.9 days with precipitation
Independence spreads its precipitation across the year
Neither half of the year dominates here: June through August take 35% of the annual total and December through February 12%, with neither reaching the 35% that would mark a distinct wet season. Independence has no dry season to plan around, though it does carry a wide 49°F gap between its warmest and coldest month.
The gap between the wettest and driest month still matters: May averages 6.0" and January 1.5". The three wettest months together take 37% 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 Independence, it arrives in quantity
44.7" of precipitation falls across only about 107 wet days here, averaging 0.42 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 107 a year, 29% of all days
- Average depth per wet day
- 0.42 inches
- Most wet days
- May, about 13
- Fewest wet days
- February, about 6
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 Independence
Independence averages 13.2 inches of snowfall a year, with January the snowiest month on the normals, spread across roughly 10 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.
- Annual snowfall: 13.2 inches of depth.
- Days recording measurable snow: about 10 a year.
- At a rough ten-to-one melt ratio, snow accounts for on the order of 3% of the year's precipitation.
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 27
50% probability date
Last Spring Freeze
April 10
50% probability date
Growing Season
200 days
Heating & Cooling Degree Days
Annual totals indicate energy demand for heating and cooling
Heating Degree Days
5,207
Higher = more heating needed
Cooling Degree Days
1,245
Higher = more cooling needed
Warmest Month
July
Coldest Month
January
Nationwide similar cities
Other rankable U.S. places outside MO closest to Independence 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 (54°F here).
- Boardman, OR 54°F · 0.0°F off
- Damascus, MD 54°F · 0.0°F off
- Estacada, OR 54°F · 0.0°F off
- Gassaway, WV 54°F · 0.0°F off
Closest by annual precipitation
Nearest out-of-state peers by annual precipitation (44.7" here), excluding temperature-peer places.
- Chanute, KS 44.6" · 0.0" off
- Iuka, IL 44.7" · 0.0" off
- Wills Point, TX 44.6" · 0.0" off
- Corinna, ME 44.7" · 0.0" off
Snow and freeze rhythm
When cold and snow define Independence
heating led · moderate · mid swing
Independence's energy balance leans toward cold weather: 5,207 annual heating degree days against 1,245 for cooling. Its 49.0°F seasonal range still makes the monthly rows more useful than the annual average alone.
Independence's frost-free season lasts about 200 days, a middle-length window whose endpoints matter more than the annual average. It describes freeze probability, not year-specific planting conditions.
-
1. Independence coldest normal
January
The monthly mean of 28°F (-2°C) sits near freezing, so cold nights and above-freezing afternoons share the same month.
-
2. Independence typical freeze period
January through December
The station reports average freezing days from January through December.
-
3. Independence snow peak
January
Independence averages 13.2 inches of snow a year, with January the snowiest month on the normals.
Questions about Independence's climate
How much snow does Independence get? ▼
How many days above 90°F does Independence get? ▼
How much energy does heating and cooling require in Independence? ▼
Data Sources
Data source: NOAA U.S. Climate Normals v1.0.1 (1991-2020). All figures on this page are from Independence's primary station: INDEPENDENCE (USC00234154). For informational purposes only.
Place identity: U.S. Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer places. The 2024 Census Gazetteer identifies the exact name-and-state match as an incorporated place (GEOID 2935000). Match rule for Independence: exact normalized name + state only, no fuzzy expansion, so nearby differently spelled facilities stay unmatched.
On this page every temperature, precipitation, and derived score for Independence 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.