Climateby Month

Independence, MO climate by month

NOAA 1991-2020 normals · 1,035 ft elevation

Summers in Independence are warm and humid; winters are cold. Highs peak at 87°F in July and fall to 38°F in January. The wettest month is May (about 13 wet days) and the driest is February (about 6). Normal snowfall is about 13 in a year. The most comfortable time to visit is April and May.

Warmest month
87°F
July normal high
Coldest month
19°F
January normal low
Wet days a year
107
44.7 in of precipitation
Snow a year
13.2 in
normal snowfall

How warm is Independence?

Normal highs range from 38°F in January to 87°F in July.

0°20°40°60°80°100° January: normal high 38°F (3°C), low 19°F (-7°C) 38° 19° February: normal high 43°F (6°C), low 23°F (-5°C) March: normal high 55°F (13°C), low 33°F (1°C) April: normal high 65°F (18°C), low 43°F (6°C) May: normal high 74°F (23°C), low 54°F (12°C) June: normal high 83°F (28°C), low 64°F (18°C) July: normal high 87°F (31°C), low 68°F (20°C) 87° 68° August: normal high 86°F (30°C), low 66°F (19°C) September: normal high 78°F (26°C), low 57°F (14°C) October: normal high 67°F (19°C), low 45°F (7°C) November: normal high 53°F (12°C), low 34°F (1°C) December: normal high 42°F (6°C), low 24°F (-4°C) JFMAMJJASOND

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

How rainy is Independence?

May has the most wet days (about 13); the year brings about 45 in of precipitation.

January: 7 wet days February: 6 wet days 6 March: 10 wet days April: 11 wet days May: 13 wet days 13 June: 10 wet days July: 10 wet days August: 9 wet days September: 9 wet days October: 9 wet days November: 7 wet days December: 7 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 13.2 in a year, most of it in January.

January: 3.6 in of snow 3.6 February: 2.6 in of snow March: 1.7 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: 0.4 in of snow November: 1.2 in of snow December: 3.5 in of snow JFMAMJJASOND

How humid is Independence?

Muggy days peak in July, at about 20 days.

January: 0 muggy days 0 February: 0 muggy days March: 0 muggy days April: 0 muggy days May: 3 muggy days June: 14 muggy days July: 20 muggy days 20 August: 19 muggy days September: 8 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 C.r. Wheeler Downtown Arpt, 9.6 mi WNW 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: 14.9 hours of daylight 14.9 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 Independence, 1991-2020
MonthHighLowPrecip.Wet daysSnowMuggy daysDaylight
January 38°F19°F 1.5 in7 3.6 in 0 9.8 h
February 43°F23°F 1.9 in6 2.6 in 0 10.8 h
March 55°F33°F 2.9 in10 1.7 in 0 12.0 h
April 65°F43°F 4.4 in11 0.2 in 0 13.2 h
May 74°F54°F 6.0 in13 0.0 in 3 14.3 h
June 83°F64°F 5.3 in10 0.0 in 14 14.9 h
July 87°F68°F 5.1 in10 0.0 in 20 14.6 h
August 86°F66°F 5.1 in9 0.0 in 19 13.7 h
September 78°F57°F 4.8 in9 0.0 in 8 12.4 h
October 67°F45°F 3.5 in9 0.4 in 1 11.2 h
November 53°F34°F 2.4 in7 1.2 in 0 10.1 h
December 42°F24°F 1.8 in7 3.5 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 Independence

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 402412
Mar 55865
Apr 671471
May 681381
Jun 54376
Jul 482712
Aug 493610
Sep 601063
Oct 641460
Nov 49645
Dec 351414

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 Independence

The last spring frost typically comes around Apr 10, and the first fall frost around Oct 27, leaving 198 frost-free days in a typical year.

Frost and freeze dates for Independence
Typical date1 year in 10
Last spring frost (32°F)Apr 10after Apr 26
First fall frost (32°F)Oct 27before Oct 14
Last hard freeze (28°F)Mar 31after Apr 15
First hard freeze (28°F)Nov 5before Oct 24
Frost-free season198 daysunder 178 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: Independence (USC00234154), NOAA 1991-2020 freeze probabilities. Frost dates for every city in Missouri.

Hottest and coldest readings, 1991-2020

The highest reading was 107°F (August 3, 2011, and 1 other day); the lowest was -14°F (January 30, 2019).

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

Near Independence

Similar climates elsewhere

Where the numbers come from

  • Temperature, rain, snowfall, snow depth and frost dates: Independence (USC00234154), 2.4 mi SE of the city center, 985 ft (50 ft lower than the city). NOAA normals and daily records, 1991-2020.
  • Humidity and wind by hour and cloud cover: Kansas City Downtown Airport (USW00013988), 9.9 mi WNW of the city center, 742 ft (293 ft lower than the city). NOAA normals and daily records, 1991-2020.
  • Daily humidity and wind: C.r. Wheeler Downtown Arpt (724463-13988), 9.6 mi WNW of the city center, 742 ft (293 ft lower than the city). Hourly observations, 1991-2020.

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