Climateby Month

Columbia, MO climate by month

NOAA 1991-2020 normals · 707 ft elevation

Summers in Columbia are hot and oppressively humid; winters are cold. Highs peak at 89°F in July and fall to 40°F in January. Wet days are spread through the year, from about 7 to 13 a month. Normal snowfall is about 17 in a year. The most comfortable time to visit is April and May.

Warmest month
89°F
July normal high
Coldest month
23°F
January normal low
Wet days a year
110
41.4 in of precipitation
Snow a year
16.5 in
normal snowfall

How warm is Columbia?

Normal highs range from 40°F in January to 89°F in July.

20°40°60°80°100° January: normal high 40°F (4°C), low 23°F (-5°C) 40° 23° February: normal high 45°F (7°C), low 26°F (-3°C) March: normal high 56°F (13°C), low 36°F (2°C) April: normal high 67°F (19°C), low 46°F (8°C) May: normal high 76°F (24°C), low 56°F (13°C) June: normal high 85°F (29°C), low 65°F (18°C) July: normal high 89°F (32°C), low 69°F (21°C) 89° 69° August: normal high 88°F (31°C), low 67°F (19°C) September: normal high 80°F (27°C), low 58°F (14°C) October: normal high 68°F (20°C), low 47°F (8°C) November: normal high 55°F (13°C), low 36°F (2°C) December: normal high 44°F (7°C), low 27°F (-3°C) JFMAMJJASOND

Bars run from the normal low to the normal high for each month.

How rainy is Columbia?

May has the most wet days (about 13); the year brings about 41 in of precipitation.

January: 8 wet days February: 8 wet days March: 11 wet days April: 11 wet days May: 13 wet days 13 June: 9 wet days July: 9 wet days August: 9 wet days September: 7 wet days 7 October: 9 wet days November: 8 wet days December: 8 wet days JFMAMJJASOND

Wet day: at least 0.01 in of rain or melted snow, counted from daily records 1991-2020.

How much does it snow?

Normal snowfall is 16.5 in a year, most of it in January.

January: 6.0 in of snow 6.0 February: 4.6 in of snow March: 1.5 in of snow April: 0.2 in of snow May: 0.0 in of snow 0.0 June: 0.0 in of snow July: 0.0 in of snow August: 0.0 in of snow September: 0.0 in of snow October: 0.0 in of snow November: 0.8 in of snow December: 3.4 in of snow JFMAMJJASOND

How humid is Columbia?

Muggy days peak in July, at about 22 days.

January: 0 muggy days 0 February: 0 muggy days March: 0 muggy days April: 0 muggy days May: 4 muggy days June: 15 muggy days July: 22 muggy days 22 August: 19 muggy days September: 7 muggy days October: 1 muggy days November: 0 muggy days December: 0 muggy days JFMAMJJASOND

Muggy day: daily mean dew point of 65°F or higher, from hourly observations 1991-2020 at Columbia Regional Airport, 11 mi SE of the city center.

How much daylight?

Daylight ranges from about 9.5 hours in December to 14.9 hours in June.

January: 9.8 hours of daylight February: 10.8 hours of daylight March: 12.0 hours of daylight April: 13.2 hours of daylight May: 14.3 hours of daylight June: 14.8 hours of daylight 14.8 July: 14.6 hours of daylight August: 13.7 hours of daylight September: 12.4 hours of daylight October: 11.2 hours of daylight November: 10.1 hours of daylight December: 9.5 hours of daylight 9.5 JFMAMJJASOND
See all numbers
Monthly climate normals and day counts for Columbia, 1991-2020
MonthHighLowPrecip.Wet daysSnowMuggy daysDaylight
January 40°F23°F 2.1 in8 6.0 in 0 9.8 h
February 45°F26°F 2.1 in8 4.6 in 0 10.8 h
March 56°F36°F 3.0 in11 1.5 in 0 12.0 h
April 67°F46°F 4.9 in11 0.2 in 0 13.2 h
May 76°F56°F 4.8 in13 0.0 in 4 14.3 h
June 85°F65°F 4.2 in9 0.0 in 15 14.8 h
July 89°F69°F 4.1 in9 0.0 in 22 14.6 h
August 88°F67°F 4.1 in9 0.0 in 19 13.7 h
September 80°F58°F 3.8 in7 0.0 in 7 12.4 h
October 68°F47°F 3.5 in9 0.0 in 1 11.2 h
November 55°F36°F 2.7 in8 0.8 in 0 10.1 h
December 44°F27°F 2.1 in8 3.4 in 0 9.5 h

High and low: NOAA 1991-2020 normal daily high and low. Wet days: at least 0.01 in of rain or melted snow. Muggy days: daily mean dew point 65°F or higher.

Best months to visit Columbia

By our comfort score, the best months are April and May.

Comfort score by month (0-100) and its parts, in days per month
MonthScoreComfortableNotable rainHot or cold
Jan 331418
Feb 413412
Mar 55864
Apr 671380
May 691381
Jun 56566
Jul 481613
Aug 493511
Sep 621153
Oct 631461
Nov 49654
Dec 361413

Score = 40 × share of comfortable days + 25 × share of days without notable rain + 20 × share of days neither hot (90°F+) nor cold (high 40°F or below) + 15 × daylight. How the score works.

Frost dates in Columbia

The last spring frost typically comes around Apr 5, and the first fall frost around Oct 31, leaving 207 frost-free days in a typical year.

Frost and freeze dates for Columbia
Typical date1 year in 10
Last spring frost (32°F)Apr 5after Apr 21
First fall frost (32°F)Oct 31before Oct 17
Last hard freeze (28°F)Mar 26after Apr 11
First hard freeze (28°F)Nov 9before Oct 27
Frost-free season207 daysunder 187 days

"Typical" is the date with a 50% chance of a later spring frost (or earlier fall frost). Planting after the "1 year in 10" spring date gives a 90% chance of no further frost. The Old Farmer's Almanac publishes 30% dates, which fall between our typical and 1-in-10 dates.

Station: Columbia U Of M (USC00231801), NOAA 1991-2020 freeze probabilities. Frost dates for every city in Missouri.

Hottest and coldest readings, 1991-2020

The highest reading was 108°F (August 2, 2011); the lowest was -13°F (February 3, 1996).

From the temperature station's daily records with NOAA quality flags removed. Not an all-time record.

Near Columbia

Similar climates elsewhere

Where the numbers come from

  • Temperature, rain, snowfall, snow depth, humidity and wind by hour and cloud cover: Columbia Rgnl Airport (USW00003945), 11 mi SE of the city center, 893 ft (186 ft higher than the city). NOAA normals and daily records, 1991-2020.
  • Frost dates: Columbia U Of M (USC00231801), 1.0 mi SE of the city center, 770 ft (63 ft higher than the city). NOAA normals and daily records, 1991-2020.
  • Daily humidity and wind: Columbia Regional Airport (724450-03945), 11 mi SE of the city center, 893 ft (186 ft higher than the city). Hourly observations, 1991-2020.

Distances from the city center (USGS). Methodology · Report an error