PlainClimate
NOAA 1991–2020 normals Incorporated place · exact Census match 1 NOAA station · Primary-station record

Moorhead, MS 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 Moorhead's primary NOAA station, MOORHEAD.

The climate verdict for Moorhead

Water is the standout signal in Moorhead, Mississippi: 55.8 inches of precipitation in a normal year. Against that wet profile, NOAA records an annual average of 64°F. It scores 87/100 for climate comfort (excellent), putting it in the top third of station-mapped location scores and exceeding 87% of them.

64°F
annual average temperature (NOAA normal)
87/100
comfort score, above 87% of station-mapped location scores
55.8"
precipitation, annual total
257 days
frost-free days per growing season

Moorhead: NOAA 1991-2020 normals describe a typical year, not a forecast. Method: /methodology.

Normals record plate

Sheet USC00226009 · Moorhead, MS 64°F mean · 55.8" precip

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

Nearest mean-temperature peer: Americus, GA (+ 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 MS station list.

Moorhead sits in Mississippi, the #5 hottest U.S. state at 64.1°F statewide annual average - see all 50 hottest states ranked by NOAA normals

Climate Living Index · Moorhead

Moorhead: 78/100 · grade B

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

B
78/100Climate Living Index

PlainClimate-derived for Moorhead, not an official NOAA rating. Rankings still use Comfort Score 87/100 (separate formula). Breakpoints and limits.

Moorhead Living Index dimension scores
DimensionStation valueScore
Frost-free season 257 days/year 91/100 · A
Annual temperature balance 64.2°F · 3.3° from 67.5°F 90/100 · A
Normal heat + freeze calendar 59 calendar days 89/100 · A
Snowfall burden 0.5 inches/year 86/100 · A
Precipitation balance 55.8 in · 20.8 from 35 in 25/100 · F

Moorhead · 2026-08-04 · NOAA NCEI Climate Normals · method · Comfort Score method.

Moorhead is a temperate Köppen climate: Cfa

Coldest-month mean 43.7°F and warmest-month mean 82.0°F place this station in temperate, no dry season, hot summer climates (Cfa). Class Cfa is the Peel et al. (2007) label for this station's monthly mean temperature and precipitation normals: temperate, specifically temperate, no dry season, hot summer.

Köppen code
Cfa
Group
Temperate
Warmest month
82.0°F
Coldest month
43.7°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 · balanced station

Where Moorhead sits across the climate record

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

Annual temperature
Top 14% warmest
Among 6,861 stations, Moorhead sits in the warmer third of annual means.
Annual precipitation
Top 10% wettest
Moorhead's annual total ranks in the wetter third of 6,352 measured normals.
Seasonal temperature swing
Narrower than 72%
Warmest-to-coldest month gap for Moorhead is compact versus 6,861 complete station-years.

How Moorhead compares across U.S. station-mapped locations

Moorhead's comfort score vs. all station-mapped locations

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

87 Top 13% score exceeds 87% 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%). Below this entry. 80–90: 921 station-mapped locations (15%). This entry sits in this band. 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%). Below this entry.
  9. 80–90: 921 station-mapped locations (15%). This entry sits in this band.
  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.

Moorhead's measured station temperature trend

Methodology

Across 60 complete annual observations from 1918 to 2016, MOORHEAD cooled at a fitted rate of 0.07°C per decade. The line shows the fitted change relative to its first year, not raw year-to-year temperatures or a forecast.

Moorhead fitted annual mean temperature change, 1918-2016 Fitted station-temperature change from 1918 to 2016, relative to the fitted first year. The linear trend cooled at 0.07 °C per decade. -0.8°C -0.6°C -0.4°C -0.2°C +0.0°C 19201940196019802000
  • Moorhead primary station fitted change -0.07 °C/decade
Source: NOAA GHCN-M v4, quality-controlled monthly mean temperature. PlainClimate fits ordinary least squares over complete calendar years; minimum 30 years, record must reach 2015 or later.

Monthly Temperatures

Average daily high and low temperatures by month

Month Avg High Avg Low Mean
January 52°F (11°C) 35°F (2°C) 44°F (7°C)
February 57°F (14°C) 39°F (4°C) 48°F (9°C)
March 65°F (18°C) 46°F (8°C) 56°F (13°C)
April 74°F (23°C) 55°F (13°C) 64°F (18°C)
May 82°F (28°C) 64°F (18°C) 73°F (23°C)
June 88°F (31°C) 71°F (22°C) 79°F (26°C)
July 91°F (33°C) 73°F (23°C) 82°F (28°C)
August 91°F (33°C) 73°F (23°C) 82°F (28°C)
September 87°F (31°C) 66°F (19°C) 77°F (25°C)
October 77°F (25°C) 55°F (13°C) 66°F (19°C)
November 64°F (18°C) 44°F (7°C) 54°F (12°C)
December 55°F (13°C) 38°F (3°C) 47°F (8°C)

The year, day by day

The year in Moorhead runs from a mild 35°F around January 15 to 92°F at the peak near August 8, and the normal low never reaches freezing on any date in the record.

Normal daily high and low temperature for Moorhead, January through December Peaks 92°F around August 8. Bottoms 35°F around January 15. 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 freezing JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Normal daily high and low across the calendar year. NOAA 1991–2020 daily normals, MOORHEAD.

When the heat sits

Normal highs reach 90°F from July 6 through September 2, covering 59 dates. The broader mild season, normal highs of 70°F or more, runs April 2 to October 31.

This counts calendar dates whose 1991–2020 normal high reaches 90°F. It is a smaller number than the 90°F+ day counts in the monthly table above, which measure how often the threshold was actually crossed in a typical year. A date can average 88°F and still exceed 90°F in half of all years.

No freezing date

Not one calendar date in the 1991–2020 record carries a normal low at or below 32°F. The coldest normal low of the year is 35°F around January 15.

Where the wet dates fall

The likeliest wet date is February 25, when 37% of years recorded at least a hundredth of an inch. The driest is September 29 at 20%. Summed across the calendar, that is about 111 wet dates a year.

The widest day

October 4 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 Moorhead.

Where Moorhead Stands Nationally

This is one of the wettest normals climates ranked: about 56 inches of precipitation in a normal year, a total fewer than one station in ten surpasses.

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

Moorhead earns 2 nationally notable standings (outer quintiles) against 6,860 NOAA 1991–2020 normals stations; only those extremes render.

Monthly Precipitation

Average monthly rainfall and snowfall

January 5.1"

Snow: 0.4"

10.4 days with precipitation

February 5.4"

Snow: 0.1"

10.0 days with precipitation

March 5.5"

11.0 days with precipitation

April 6.2"

9.5 days with precipitation

May 4.7"

9.2 days with precipitation

June 3.9"

8.7 days with precipitation

July 4.2"

9.4 days with precipitation

August 3.1"

7.9 days with precipitation

September 3.5"

6.3 days with precipitation

October 3.9"

7.1 days with precipitation

November 4.7"

9.3 days with precipitation

December 5.7"

11.5 days with precipitation

Moorhead spreads its precipitation across the year

Neither half of the year dominates here: June through August take 20% of the annual total and December through February 29%, with neither reaching the 35% that would mark a distinct wet season. Moorhead has no dry season to plan around, though it does carry a 38.3°F seasonal spread.

The gap between the wettest and driest month still matters: April averages 6.2" and August 3.1". The three wettest months together take 31% 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 Moorhead, it arrives in quantity

55.8" of precipitation falls across only about 110 wet days here, averaging 0.51 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 110 a year, 30% of all days
Average depth per wet day
0.51 inches
Most wet days
December, about 12
Fewest wet days
September, 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.

Snow reaches Moorhead, but rarely amounts to much

The normals record 0.5 inches of snow a year here, most likely in January. That is a real but marginal amount: enough that snow is part of the local record, not enough to define the winter.

A figure in this range usually reflects a handful of events that melt quickly rather than a season of accumulation; about 0 days a year record any measurable snow at all.

NOAA 1991-2020 normals. An average across thirty years can smooth away a single heavy winter, so a small annual figure does not mean a significant snowfall is impossible.

Frost Dates & Growing Season

First Fall Freeze

November 20

50% probability date

Last Spring Freeze

March 8

50% probability date

Growing Season

257 days

Heating & Cooling Degree Days

Annual totals indicate energy demand for heating and cooling

Heating Degree Days

2,601

Higher = more heating needed

Cooling Degree Days

2,354

Higher = more cooling needed

Warmest Month

July

Coldest Month

January

Nationwide similar cities

Other rankable U.S. places outside MS closest to Moorhead 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 (64°F here).

Closest by annual precipitation

Nearest out-of-state peers by annual precipitation (55.8" here), excluding temperature-peer places.

Mississippi climate overview →

Data-derived climate profile

How Moorhead's climate pattern fits together

mixed demand · wet · mid swing

Water is prominent even though neither heating nor cooling wholly defines the record. Moorhead averages 55.8 inches of precipitation a year. Recorded annual snowfall is negligible. The monthly table supplies the seasonal distribution hidden by that annual total.

July and January mark the typical warm and cold ends of the calendar in Moorhead's middle-range seasonal profile. The measured spread is 38.3°F. The annual average is 64°F. Neither the annual mean nor one extreme month represents the full calendar on its own.

Heating and cooling both register in Moorhead's normal, at 2,601 and 2,354 degree days respectively. Neither total exceeds the other by more than two to one, so the record is better read as a mixed-demand calendar than as heating-led or cooling-led.

The frost-free window extends for about 257 days. That is a long calendar measure, but it is not a forecast and does not combine heat, rainfall, soil, or local elevation into a planting recommendation.

These labels group NOAA 1991-2020 normals from Moorhead's primary station, where heating and cooling demand are close enough that neither season sets the character on its own. On a balanced station like Moorhead, the bands are descriptive ranges rather than an official NOAA classification or a forecast.

Questions about Moorhead's climate

How much rain does Moorhead get?
Moorhead receives 55.8 inches of precipitation, including 0.5 inches of snow. Based on NOAA 30-year climate normals (1991-2020).
How many days above 90°F does Moorhead get?
Moorhead averages about 73 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 Moorhead?
Moorhead has 2,601 heating degree days and 2,354 cooling degree days annually, a fairly balanced heating/cooling split. 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 Moorhead's primary station: MOORHEAD (USC00226009). 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 2848760). Match rule for Moorhead: exact normalized name + state only, no fuzzy expansion, so nearby differently spelled facilities stay unmatched.

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 Moorhead 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.