Meridian, Mississippi climate: Normal weather by month, frost dates and records
Meridian's normal year runs from 36°F January nights to 93°F July afternoons, with 57.0 inches of precipitation and less than an inch of snow (0.6 in) a year. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a yearly mean of 18.8°C, January lows of 2°C, July highs of 34°C, 1,448 mm of precipitation a year.
- NOAA stationMeridian Key Field
- Station IDUSW00013865
- Location32.33°N 88.74°W
- Elevation294 ft (90 m)
- Population33,549
On October 14, the normal high in Meridian is 80°F and the normal low 55°F, and the chance of measurable rain or snow is 23%.
Normals describe a typical year at the station, not a forecast. The National Weather Service forecast for Meridian.
- Jan 59° 36°
- Feb 64° 40°
- Mar 71° 46°
- Apr 78° 53°
- May 85° 61°
- Jun 91° 69°
- Jul 93° 72°
- Aug 93° 71°
- Sep 89° 66°
- Oct 80° 54°
- Nov 69° 43°
- Dec 61° 39°
Each month: normal high (large) and low, °F. Fill: the month's normal mean, colder blue to hotter red.
What is the weather like in Meridian each month?
July is the warmest month, with normal highs of 93°F; January the coldest, with normal lows of 36°F. The most precipitation falls in March (5.66 in), the least in September (3.17 in).
Each month has its own page with the day-by-day normals, the month's records and its recent years:
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Wet days | 90°F days | Freezing nights | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 59°F | 36°F | 47.7°F | 5.61 | 10 | <1 | 14 | 10 h 10 min |
| February | 64°F | 40°F | 51.7°F | 5.35 | 10 | <1 | 10 | 11 h |
| March | 71°F | 46°F | 58.5°F | 5.66 | 10 | <1 | 4 | 12 h |
| April | 78°F | 53°F | 65.4°F | 5.56 | 9 | <1 | <1 | 13 h |
| May | 85°F | 61°F | 73.3°F | 4.20 | 9 | 6 | <1 | 13 h 50 min |
| June | 91°F | 69°F | 80.0°F | 4.64 | 11 | 18 | <1 | 14 h 20 min |
| July | 93°F | 72°F | 82.7°F | 5.11 | 12 | 24 | <1 | 14 h 10 min |
| August | 93°F | 71°F | 82.2°F | 4.36 | 10 | 23 | <1 | 13 h 20 min |
| September | 89°F | 66°F | 77.3°F | 3.17 | 7 | 13 | <1 | 12 h 20 min |
| October | 80°F | 54°F | 66.6°F | 3.86 | 7 | 2 | 1 | 11 h 30 min |
| November | 69°F | 43°F | 55.8°F | 4.21 | 8 | <1 | 7 | 10 h 30 min |
| December | 61°F | 39°F | 49.9°F | 5.27 | 10 | <1 | 13 | 10 h |
| Year (annual) | 78°F | 54°F | 65.9°F | 57.00 | 113 | 86 | 48 |
The same normals in °C and millimetres
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 15°C | 2°C | 8.7°C | 142 mm |
| February | 18°C | 4°C | 10.9°C | 136 mm |
| March | 22°C | 8°C | 14.7°C | 144 mm |
| April | 26°C | 11°C | 18.6°C | 141 mm |
| May | 30°C | 16°C | 22.9°C | 107 mm |
| June | 33°C | 21°C | 26.7°C | 118 mm |
| July | 34°C | 22°C | 28.2°C | 130 mm |
| August | 34°C | 22°C | 27.9°C | 111 mm |
| September | 32°C | 19°C | 25.2°C | 81 mm |
| October | 26°C | 12°C | 19.2°C | 98 mm |
| November | 20°C | 6°C | 13.2°C | 107 mm |
| December | 16°C | 4°C | 9.9°C | 134 mm |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USW00013865; annual normals. Wet days: 0.01 inch or more; 90°F days and freezing nights: NOAA's day counts. Daylight: sunrise to sunset on the 15th, computed from the latitude.
When is the best weather to visit Meridian?
Normal highs sit between 65°F and 85°F in March, April, October and November. Of those, October has the fewest days with rain (7).
That is a measurement, not a recommendation: it counts the months whose normal afternoon high sits between 65°F and 85°F, where a light layer is enough by day.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USW00013865.
When is the last frost in Meridian?
In Meridian, the last spring frost (32°F) comes after March 16 in half of years and after April 3 in one year in ten; the first autumn frost comes before November 12 in half of years and before October 29 in one year in ten.
Frost-free in half of yearsFrost in 1 to 9 years out of 10Frost most years
- Last spring frost, half of years after
- March 161 year in 10 after April 3; 9 in 10 after February 24
- First autumn frost, half of years before
- November 121 year in 10 before October 29; 9 in 10 before December 2
NOAA puts the median frost-free season at 239 days, and the season without a hard freeze (28°F) at 271 days.
A hard freeze (28°F) comes after February 28 in half of springs and before November 27 in half of autumns.
The USDA's 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Meridian in zone 8b across its 2 ZIP code areas (8b in 39305, the largest). By the map's own method, the average of each year's coldest night over 1991-2020, Meridian's NOAA station is in zone 8b: the coldest night of a typical year reaches 16°F (30 complete years).
Frost dates for every NOAA station in Mississippi · Frost dates by ZIP code
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals (frost probabilities), station USW00013865; USDA 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map, ZIP listings: PRISM Group, Oregon State University, https://prism.oregonstate.edu, accessed October 8, 2026; the station zone: ACIS daily lows, 1991-2020. A 10% date means one year in ten has a frost after it in spring or before it in autumn.
What hardiness zone is each Meridian ZIP code in?
The USDA's 2023 map gives each ZIP code area one zone. Meridian's 2 ZIP code areas are all in zone 8b. Each ZIP's frost dates are in the frost tool.
Source: USDA 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map, ZIP listings: PRISM Group, Oregon State University, https://prism.oregonstate.edu, accessed October 8, 2026; ZIP areas in the place: Census Bureau 2020 ZCTA-to-place relationship file. A ZIP area counts when at least a tenth of its land (and 0.5 km²) lies in the place.
How hot and how cold does it get in Meridian?
In a normal year in Meridian, 86 days a year reach 90°F (3 of them 100°F or more), 48 nights fall to 32°F or colder and 113 days bring measurable precipitation.
- Days at 90°F or more
- 86a normal year
- Days at 100°F or more
- 3a normal year
- Nights at 32°F or colder
- 48a normal year
- Days that stay below freezing
- fewer than 1high of 32°F or less
- Days with 0.01 inch of precipitation
- 113a normal year
The highest temperature in Meridian's official record (kept by the National Weather Service since 1889) is 107°F, on July 14, 1980; the lowest is −6°F, on February 13, 1899.
The wettest calendar year on that record is 1973, with 79.03 in; the snowiest season is 1963–64, with 18.6 inches.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals, station USW00013865; records: ACIS (NOAA Regional Climate Centers), NWS threaded record MEIthr. Records use complete months only; a month missing more than three days is left out.
How humid and windy is Meridian, and how clear are its skies?
The summer (June-August) dew point averages 70°F. The muggiest month is July, with an average dew point of 71°F, above the 65°F at which most people call the air sticky; the driest air comes in January (37°F). February is the windiest month (7.5 mph on average), and September has the most clear or nearly clear hours (73%).
| Month | Dew point | Humidity | Afternoon humidity | Wind | Clear or few clouds | Overcast |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 37°F | 71% | 46% | 6.7 mph | 56% | 35% |
| February | 43°F | 69% | 44% | 7.5 mph | 53% | 34% |
| March | 50°F | 69% | 43% | 7.1 mph | 58% | 26% |
| April | 57°F | 72% | 47% | 6.3 mph | 63% | 19% |
| May | 66°F | 74% | 51% | 5.2 mph | 64% | 15% |
| June | 70°F | 75% | 54% | 4.6 mph | 70% | 10% |
| July | 71°F | 76% | 54% | 4.3 mph | 72% | 8% |
| August | 69°F | 75% | 52% | 4.6 mph | 70% | 11% |
| September | 61°F | 74% | 47% | 5.2 mph | 73% | 14% |
| October | 50°F | 75% | 47% | 5.2 mph | 66% | 22% |
| November | 42°F | 75% | 49% | 5.7 mph | 60% | 28% |
| December | 38°F | 75% | 52% | 6.5 mph | 53% | 36% |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 hourly normals, station USW00013865. Monthly averages of all hours; afternoon humidity at 3 p.m. local standard time; sky as the share of hours NOAA's observations rate clear or few clouds (a dash where NOAA publishes no sky value).
How sunny is Meridian?
Over a year 78% of the sunlight that would reach the ground under clear skies gets through the clouds in the area around Meridian, 4.6 kWh per square metre a day. September is the sunniest month (82%) and February the cloudiest (68%).
| Month | Share of clear-sky sunshine | Sunshine, kWh/m² a day |
|---|---|---|
| January | 71% | 2.8 |
| February | 68% | 3.3 |
| March | 72% | 4.4 |
| April | 77% | 5.6 |
| May | 80% | 6.1 |
| June | 81% | 6.4 |
| July | 80% | 6.0 |
| August | 81% | 5.6 |
| September | 82% | 5.1 |
| October | 80% | 4.1 |
| November | 78% | 3.2 |
| December | 69% | 2.4 |
Source: NASA POWER solar climatology, 2001-2020 (CERES SYN1deg). Satellite-based, for the 1-degree cell (about 100 km across) around the station, so it describes the area rather than the airport.
How much heating and cooling does Meridian need?
A normal year in Meridian brings 2,115 heating degree days, 61% fewer than the median U.S. place (5,373), and 2,478 cooling degree days, 2.7 times the median (908). Three months need 300 or more heating degree days, a monthly mean of about 55°F or colder. For gardens and crops, NOAA counts 6,279 growing degree days a year above 50°F.
| Month | Heating | Cooling |
|---|---|---|
| January | 541 | 5 |
| February | 382 | 11 |
| March | 237 | 37 |
| April | 85 | 97 |
| May | 10 | 268 |
| June | 0 | 448 |
| July | 0 | 547 |
| August | 0 | 533 |
| September | 2 | 370 |
| October | 83 | 132 |
| November | 297 | 21 |
| December | 479 | 9 |
| Year (annual) | 2,115 | 2,478 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USW00013865. A degree day is one degree of a day's mean temperature below 65°F (heating) or above it (cooling); utilities use them to estimate energy use.
Has Meridian been warmer than normal lately?
2024 averaged 67.2°F, 1.3°F above the 1991-2020 normal of 65.9°F. 3 of the 4 complete years since 2021 ran warmer than the normal.
| Year | Mean | Against normal | Precip. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 65.2°F | −0.7°F | 67.86 |
| 2022 | 66.0°F | +0.1°F | 53.87 |
| 2023 | 67.4°F | +1.5°F | 54.80 |
| 2024 | 67.2°F | +1.3°F | 57.48 |
Over 125 complete years from 1890 to 2025, the station's annual mean temperature rose at a fitted 0.3°F per century (+0.02°C per decade). A fitted rate summarizes the whole record; single years swing well above and below it.
Source: observed years: ACIS, station USW00013865; trend: NOAA GHCN-Monthly v4. A year counts only with all twelve months complete.
How does Meridian's climate compare?
Meridian is warmer than 61 of the other 80 places with their own NOAA record in Mississippi, and wetter than 15. Across the 7,247 U.S. stations with normals, its annual mean of 65.9°F is warmer than 90%.
In the Köppen classification computed from these normals, Meridian is Cfa: temperate, no dry season, hot summer. What the classes mean.
Places with the most similar year elsewhere
Measured month by month on the normal high, low and precipitation, among places of 20,000 or more people in other states:
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 normals for every station PlainClimate covers. Similarity: the root-mean-square difference of the 36 monthly figures, precipitation weighted so an inch counts like 6°F.
Which places near Meridian share this climate record?
3 places have no NOAA station with 1991-2020 normals of their own, and this station is the nearest full record. A place's own climate can differ from these figures, by several degrees where it sits much higher or lower than the station, nearer the coast, or inside a large city's heat; for the larger places the next nearest records are named with their yearly mean, so the spread around them is visible, and places of 50,000 or more have their own page with NOAA's gridded normals.
- Collinsville, MS1,849 people · 12 mi NW
- Marion, MS1,682 people · 9 mi NE
- Nellieburg, MS1,297 people · 5 mi NW
Source: Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer (place centers) and Vintage 2024 population estimates. Distance and direction from the station to each place's center.
What do Meridian's other NOAA stations record?
One more NOAA station keeps 1991-2020 normals in or near Meridian. This page uses Meridian Key Field; the other differs by site and elevation, and the linked ones have pages of their own:
| Station | From this station | Elevation | Year | Jan low | Jul high | Precip. | Snow | Last frost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Meridian Naas USW00003866 | 18 mi NE | 271 ft | 65.9°F | 37°F | 93°F | 54.8 | – | March 14 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 normals for each station. Last frost: the median last spring date of 32°F.
Questions about Meridian's climate
What is the coldest month in Meridian?
January, with a normal high of 59°F and a normal low of 36°F. The warmest is July (93°F by day, 72°F at night).
Does it snow in Meridian?
Rarely: NOAA's normal is 0.6 inch a year.
What is the rainiest month in Meridian?
March, with 5.66 in of precipitation in a normal year; the driest is September with 3.17 in.
What plant hardiness zone is Meridian in?
The USDA's 2023 map puts Meridian in zone 8b across its 2 ZIP code areas (8b in 39305, the largest). By the same method at Meridian's NOAA station, the coldest night of a typical year reaches 16°F (30 years, 1991-2020): zone 8b.
How late can frost come in Meridian?
In half of years the last 32°F night comes after March 16; in one year in ten it comes after April 3. Waiting until April 3 leaves about a one-in-ten chance of a later frost.
Nearby and next
- Meridian in OctoberThis month day by day, its records and recent years
- Mississippi climateThe statewide normals and every place in the state
- Meridian Naas, MS18 miles from this station, 65.9°F a year
- Quitman, MS18 miles from this station, 64.3°F a year
- Newton, MS19 miles from this station, 63.2°F a year
- P Harrison Archusa, MS21 miles from this station, 65.0°F a year
- Compare two placesMonth by month, side by side
Download these normals (CSV) · JSON · How these figures are made