Potosi, 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 Potosi's primary NOAA station, POTOSI 4 SW.
The climate verdict for Potosi
Water is the standout signal in Potosi, Missouri: 45.5 inches of precipitation in a normal year. Against that wet profile, NOAA records an annual average of 55°F. Its climate comfort score of 68/100 (good) lands mid-pack nationally, exceeding 56% of station-mapped location scores.
- 55°F
- average temperature, NOAA 1991-2020 normal
- 68/100
- comfort score, above 56% of station-mapped location scores
- 45.5"
- annual precipitation · 12" snow
- 200 days
- frost-free growing season
Potosi: NOAA 1991-2020 normals describe a typical year, not a forecast. Method: /methodology.
Normals record plate
Sheet USC00236826 · Potosi, MO 55°F mean · 45.5" precip
TEMP-COOL · RANK-MID · PHOTO-FINISH · PRCP-MID · SWING-WIDE · COMF-MID · LOAD-HEAT · STN-1 · BOOK-FULL
- TEMP-COOL 55°F
- RANK-MID #4,048
- PHOTO-FINISH ≈ Harrison
- PRCP-MID 45.5"
- SWING-WIDE 46°F
- COMF-MID 68/100
- LOAD-HEAT 4,900 HDD
- STN-1 USC00236826
- BOOK-FULL 6/6 fields
Nearest mean-temperature peer: Harrison, NJ (+ 0.1 °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.
- Potosi (this station) 55°F
- Cold Safe Harbor Dam, PA 55°F
- Hot Scottsburg, IN 55°F
- Near Harrison, NJ 55°F
- Near Glenns Ferry, ID 55°F
Climate Living Index · Potosi
Potosi: 64/100 · grade C
Potosi publishes 5 of 6 Living Index dimensions (NOAA annual/seasonal normals · NOAA daily multivariate normals); 1 missing weight rescale to 100.
PlainClimate-derived for Potosi, 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 | 107 calendar days | 72/100 · B |
| Frost-free season | 200 days/year | 64/100 · C |
| Precipitation balance | 45.5 in · 10.5 from 35 in | 63/100 · C |
| Snowfall burden | 11.5 inches/year | 61/100 · C |
| Annual temperature balance | 54.7°F · 12.8° from 67.5°F | 58/100 · C |
Potosi · 2026-08-04 · NOAA NCEI Climate Normals · method · Comfort Score method.
Potosi is a continental Köppen climate: Dfa
Coldest-month mean 30.5°F and warmest-month mean 76.3°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
- 76.3°F
- Coldest month
- 30.5°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 Potosi sits across the climate record
Three NOAA fields for Potosi's primary station, temperature, precipitation, and seasonal swing, are ranked against every station-mapped normal that carries the same field.
- Annual temperature
- 59th percentile warmth
- Mid-pack annual mean versus 6,861 station normals.
- Annual precipitation
- 69th percentile wetness
- Neither arid nor torrential versus 6,352 station totals.
- Seasonal temperature swing
- 63rd percentile swing
- Typical seasonal amplitude versus 6,861 complete station-years.
How Potosi compares across U.S. station-mapped locations
Potosi'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 | 40°F (4°C) | 21°F (-6°C) | 31°F (-1°C) | 2.8" | 3.6" | 25.9 | 0.0 |
| February | 45°F (7°C) | 25°F (-4°C) | 35°F (2°C) | 2.7" | 2.9" | 21.2 | 0.0 |
| March | 55°F (13°C) | 34°F (1°C) | 44°F (7°C) | 4.1" | 1.9" | 14.6 | 0.0 |
| April | 66°F (19°C) | 44°F (7°C) | 55°F (13°C) | 5.1" | 0.0" | 4.1 | 0.1 |
| May | 74°F (23°C) | 54°F (12°C) | 64°F (18°C) | 5.3" | 0.0" | 0.1 | 0.5 |
| June | 82°F (28°C) | 63°F (17°C) | 72°F (22°C) | 4.2" | 0.0" | 0.0 | 3.2 |
| July | 86°F (30°C) | 67°F (19°C) | 76°F (25°C) | 3.6" | 0.0" | 0.0 | 9.4 |
| August | 85°F (30°C) | 65°F (18°C) | 75°F (24°C) | 4.0" | 0.0" | 0.0 | 8.1 |
| September | 78°F (25°C) | 57°F (14°C) | 67°F (20°C) | 3.9" | 0.0" | 0.3 | 1.9 |
| October | 68°F (20°C) | 46°F (8°C) | 57°F (14°C) | 3.1" | 0.0" | 2.3 | 0.0 |
| November | 54°F (12°C) | 35°F (2°C) | 45°F (7°C) | 3.7" | 0.7" | 12.3 | 0.0 |
| December | 43°F (6°C) | 26°F (-3°C) | 35°F (2°C) | 3.0" | 2.4" | 22.5 | 0.0 |
The year, day by day
Summer here tops out rather than builds: the warmest normal high is 87°F around July 29, short of 90°F on every date, while 107 dates carry a normal low at or below freezing, the coldest 21°F near January 15.
The freezing stretch
The normal low stays at or below 32°F into March 11, then returns to freezing around November 26, covering 107 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 4, when 41% of years recorded at least a hundredth of an inch. The driest is January 10 at 24%. Summed across the calendar, that is about 109 wet dates a year.
The widest day
April 6 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 Potosi.
Where Potosi Stands Nationally
Days and nights track unusually close together; the widest normal swing, about 22°F, is narrower than most stations record.
Potosi 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"
7.2 days with precipitation
Snow: 2.9"
7.9 days with precipitation
Snow: 1.9"
10.7 days with precipitation
10.7 days with precipitation
12.6 days with precipitation
10.0 days with precipitation
8.5 days with precipitation
8.5 days with precipitation
7.4 days with precipitation
8.4 days with precipitation
Snow: 0.7"
7.9 days with precipitation
Snow: 2.4"
8.8 days with precipitation
Potosi spreads its precipitation across the year
Neither half of the year dominates here: June through August take 26% of the annual total and December through February 19%, with neither reaching the 35% that would mark a distinct wet season. Potosi has no dry season to plan around, though it does carry a wide 45.8°F gap between its warmest and coldest month.
The gap between the wettest and driest month still matters: May averages 5.3" and February 2.7". The three wettest months together take 32% 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 Potosi, it arrives in quantity
45.5" of precipitation falls across only about 109 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 109 a year, 30% of all days
- Average depth per wet day
- 0.42 inches
- Most wet days
- May, about 13
- Fewest wet days
- January, about 7
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 Potosi, but rarely amounts to much
The normals record 11.5 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 9 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
October 28
50% probability date
Last Spring Freeze
April 11
50% probability date
Growing Season
200 days
Heating & Cooling Degree Days
Annual totals indicate energy demand for heating and cooling
Heating Degree Days
4,900
Higher = more heating needed
Cooling Degree Days
1,196
Higher = more cooling needed
Warmest Month
July
Coldest Month
January
Nationwide similar cities
Other rankable U.S. places outside MO closest to Potosi 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 (55°F here).
- Abingdon, VA 55°F · 0.0°F off
- Cottonwood Falls, KS 55°F · 0.0°F off
- Cranford, NJ 55°F · 0.0°F off
- Ellsworth, KS 55°F · 0.0°F off
Closest by annual precipitation
Nearest out-of-state peers by annual precipitation (45.5" here), excluding temperature-peer places.
- Randleman, NC 45.5" · 0.0" off
- Lexington, NC 45.5" · 0.0" off
- Robinson, IL 45.5" · 0.0" off
- Bluefield, WV 45.4" · 0.0" off
Data-derived climate profile
How Potosi's climate pattern fits together
heating led · wet · mid swing
Potosi's energy balance leans toward cold weather: 4,900 annual heating degree days against 1,196 for cooling. Its 45.8°F seasonal range still makes the monthly rows more useful than the annual average alone.
Potosi'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.
July and January mark the typical warm and cold ends of the calendar in Potosi's middle-range seasonal profile. The measured spread is 45.8°F. The annual average is 55°F. Neither the annual mean nor one extreme month represents the full calendar on its own.
Alongside its heating load, Potosi carries 45.5 inches of precipitation in a normal year, inside PlainClimate's wet range. Annual snowfall totals 11.5 inches. That distinction matters because a wet annual total can arrive as rain, snow, or a mixture at different times.
These labels group NOAA 1991-2020 normals from Potosi's primary station, so the winter figures are a thirty-year average and not a floor: a single hard season can run well below them. Treat each band as a descriptive range for Potosi, not an official NOAA class or a year-ahead forecast.
Questions about Potosi's climate
How much rain does Potosi get? ▼
How cold does Potosi get in winter? ▼
How much energy does heating and cooling require in Potosi? ▼
Data Sources
Data source: NOAA U.S. Climate Normals v1.0.1 (1991-2020). All figures on this page are from Potosi's primary station: POTOSI 4 SW (USC00236826). 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 2959330). Match rule for Potosi: 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 Potosi 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.