W Plains, MO Climate: Temperature & Rain by Month
Temperature and precipitation from NOAA NCEI 1991–2020 normals →, plus PlainClimate's derived comfort score
30-year climate normals (1991-2020) from W Plains's primary NOAA station, W PLAINS.
The climate verdict for W Plains
Water is the standout signal in W Plains, Missouri: 49.4 inches of precipitation in a normal year. Against that wet profile, NOAA records 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
- annual average temperature (NOAA normal)
- 78/100
- comfort score, above 72% of station-mapped location scores
- 49.4"
- annual precipitation · 9" snow
- 188 days
- growing season, frost-free days
W Plains: NOAA 1991-2020 normals describe a typical year, not a forecast. Method: /methodology.
Normals record plate
Sheet USC00238880 · W Plains, MO 56°F mean · 49.4" precip
TEMP-MILD · RANK-UPPER · PHOTO-FINISH · PRCP-MID · SWING-MID · COMF-TOP · LOAD-HEAT · STN-1 · BOOK-FULL
- TEMP-MILD 56°F
- RANK-UPPER #4,254
- PHOTO-FINISH ≈ S Point
- PRCP-MID 49.4"
- SWING-MID 44°F
- COMF-TOP 78/100
- LOAD-HEAT 4,617 HDD
- STN-1 USC00238880
- BOOK-FULL 6/6 fields
Nearest mean-temperature peer: S Point, OH (+ 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.
- W Plains (this station) 56°F
- Cold NY Ave V Brookl…, NY 56°F
- Hot Washington DC D…, VA 56°F
- Near S Point, OH 56°F
- Near Wilmington New…, DE 56°F
Climate Living Index · W Plains
W Plains: 61/100 · grade C
W Plains publishes 5 of 6 Living Index dimensions (NOAA annual/seasonal normals · NOAA daily multivariate normals); 1 missing weight rescale to 100.
PlainClimate-derived for W Plains, not an official NOAA rating. Rankings still use Comfort Score 78/100 (separate formula). Breakpoints and limits.
| Dimension | Station value | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Normal heat + freeze calendar | 113 calendar days | 69/100 · C |
| Snowfall burden | 8.7 inches/year | 65/100 · C |
| Annual temperature balance | 55.6°F · 11.9° from 67.5°F | 61/100 · C |
| Frost-free season | 188 days/year | 56/100 · C |
| Precipitation balance | 49.4 in · 14.4 from 35 in | 50/100 · D |
W Plains · 2026-08-04 · NOAA NCEI Climate Normals · method · Comfort Score method.
W Plains is a temperate Köppen climate: Cfa
Coldest-month mean 33.1°F and warmest-month mean 77.3°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
- 77.3°F
- Coldest month
- 33.1°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 W Plains sits across the climate record
Three NOAA fields for W Plains's primary station, temperature, precipitation, and seasonal swing, are ranked against every station-mapped normal that carries the same field.
- Annual temperature
- 62nd percentile warmth
- Mid-pack annual mean versus 6,861 station normals.
- Annual precipitation
- Top 21% wettest
- W Plains's annual total ranks in the wetter third of 6,352 measured normals.
- Seasonal temperature swing
- 54th percentile swing
- Typical seasonal amplitude versus 6,861 complete station-years.
How W Plains compares across U.S. station-mapped locations
W Plains'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.
Source NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, PlainClimate comfort index · 1991–2020
W Plains's measured station temperature trend
MethodologyAcross 45 complete annual observations from 1949 to 2023, W PLAINS warmed at a fitted rate of 0.12°C per decade. The line shows the fitted change relative to its first year, not raw year-to-year temperatures or a forecast.
- W Plains primary station fitted change +0.12 °C/decade
Monthly Temperatures
Average daily high and low temperatures by month
| Month | Avg High | Avg Low | Mean | Precip | Snow | Freeze Days | 90°F+ Days |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 44°F (7°C) | 22°F (-5°C) | 33°F (1°C) | 3.3" | 2.3" | 25.8 | 0.0 |
| February | 49°F (10°C) | 26°F (-3°C) | 38°F (3°C) | 3.0" | 2.9" | 21.7 | 0.0 |
| March | 58°F (15°C) | 33°F (0°C) | 46°F (8°C) | 4.8" | 2.4" | 15.2 | 0.0 |
| April | 69°F (20°C) | 43°F (6°C) | 56°F (13°C) | 5.7" | 0.0" | 4.1 | 0.1 |
| May | 76°F (24°C) | 53°F (11°C) | 64°F (18°C) | 5.6" | 0.0" | 0.1 | 0.7 |
| June | 84°F (29°C) | 61°F (16°C) | 73°F (23°C) | 3.5" | 0.0" | 0.0 | 7.2 |
| July | 89°F (32°C) | 66°F (19°C) | 77°F (25°C) | 3.7" | 0.0" | 0.0 | 16.8 |
| August | 87°F (31°C) | 64°F (18°C) | 76°F (24°C) | 4.1" | 0.0" | 0.0 | 15.2 |
| September | 80°F (27°C) | 56°F (13°C) | 68°F (20°C) | 4.0" | 0.0" | 0.0 | 4.4 |
| October | 69°F (21°C) | 44°F (7°C) | 56°F (14°C) | 3.8" | 0.1" | 3.5 | 0.2 |
| November | 57°F (14°C) | 34°F (1°C) | 45°F (7°C) | 4.5" | 0.0" | 13.5 | 0.0 |
| December | 46°F (8°C) | 26°F (-3°C) | 36°F (2°C) | 3.5" | 1.0" | 23.9 | 0.0 |
The year, day by day
Summer here tops out rather than builds: the warmest normal high is 89°F around July 18, short of 90°F on every date, while 113 dates carry a normal low at or below freezing, the coldest 22°F near January 12.
The freezing stretch
The normal low stays at or below 32°F into March 13, then returns to freezing around November 22, covering 113 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 8, when 37% of years recorded at least a hundredth of an inch. The driest is September 7 at 24%. Summed across the calendar, that is about 104 wet dates a year.
The widest day
March 31 carries the biggest normal gap between afternoon and dawn, 26°F between the normal high and the normal low.
Look up any date
Any date's 1991–2020 normal for W Plains.
Monthly Precipitation
Average monthly rainfall and snowfall
Snow: 2.3"
7.8 days with precipitation
Snow: 2.9"
7.5 days with precipitation
Snow: 2.4"
9.9 days with precipitation
9.3 days with precipitation
11.4 days with precipitation
8.1 days with precipitation
8.3 days with precipitation
8.3 days with precipitation
7.3 days with precipitation
Snow: 0.1"
8.3 days with precipitation
8.5 days with precipitation
Snow: 1.0"
8.2 days with precipitation
W Plains spreads its precipitation across the year
Neither half of the year dominates here: June through August take 23% of the annual total and December through February 20%, with neither reaching the 35% that would mark a distinct wet season. W Plains has no dry season to plan around, though it does carry a 44.2°F seasonal spread.
The gap between the wettest and driest month still matters: April averages 5.7" and February 3.0". The three wettest months together take 33% 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 W Plains, it arrives in quantity
49.4" of precipitation falls across only about 103 wet days here, averaging 0.48 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 103 a year, 28% of all days
- Average depth per wet day
- 0.48 inches
- Most wet days
- May, about 11
- Fewest wet days
- September, 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 W Plains, but rarely amounts to much
The normals record 8.7 inches of snow a year here, most likely in February. 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 3 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 21
50% probability date
Last Spring Freeze
April 16
50% probability date
Growing Season
188 days
Heating & Cooling Degree Days
Annual totals indicate energy demand for heating and cooling
Heating Degree Days
4,617
Higher = more heating needed
Cooling Degree Days
1,213
Higher = more cooling needed
Warmest Month
July
Coldest Month
January
Nationwide similar cities
Other rankable U.S. places outside MO closest to W Plains 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).
- Bradfordsville, KY 56°F · 0.0°F off
- Chatham, VA 56°F · 0.0°F off
- Cliff, NM 56°F · 0.0°F off
- Grants Pass, OR 56°F · 0.0°F off
Closest by annual precipitation
Nearest out-of-state peers by annual precipitation (49.4" here), excluding temperature-peer places.
- Smithfield, NC 49.4" · 0.0" off
- Greenfield, MA 49.4" · 0.0" off
- Tiverton, RI 49.4" · 0.0" off
- Atlanta, GA 49.3" · 0.1" off
Data-derived climate profile
How W Plains's climate pattern fits together
heating led · wet · mid swing
W Plains's energy balance leans toward cold weather: 4,617 annual heating degree days against 1,213 for cooling. Its 44.2°F seasonal range still makes the monthly rows more useful than the annual average alone.
W Plains's frost-free season lasts about 188 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 W Plains's middle-range seasonal profile. The measured spread is 44.2°F. The annual average is 56°F. Neither the annual mean nor one extreme month represents the full calendar on its own.
Alongside its heating load, W Plains carries 49.4 inches of precipitation in a normal year, inside PlainClimate's wet range. Annual snowfall totals 8.7 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 W Plains'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 W Plains, not an official NOAA class or a year-ahead forecast.
Questions about W Plains's climate
How much rain does W Plains get? ▼
How many days above 90°F does W Plains get? ▼
How much energy does heating and cooling require in W Plains? ▼
Data Sources
Data source: NOAA U.S. Climate Normals v1.0.1 (1991-2020). All figures on this page are from W Plains's primary station: W PLAINS (USC00238880). 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 W Plains; facility counts that depend on place identity are therefore an upper bound, not a municipal census.
On this page every temperature, precipitation, and derived score for W Plains 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.