View source for Climate of Missouri

{{Short description|none}} <!-- "none" is preferred when the title is sufficiently descriptive; see [[WP:SDNONE]] -->
{{more citations needed|date=June 2007}}
[[File:Köppen Climate Types Missouri.png|thumb|351x351px|[[Köppen climate classification|Köppen climate types]] of Missouri, using 1991-2020 [[Climatological normal|climate normals]].]]

'''Missouri''' generally has a variety of seasonal [[humid subtropical climate]] ([[Köppen climate classification]] ''Cfa''), with cool winters and long, hot summers. In the southern part of the state, particularly in the [[Missouri Bootheel|Bootheel]], the climate borders on a more mild-type [[humid subtropical climate]] (Köppen ''Cfa''), and in the northern third, the state transitions into a [[humid continental climate]] (Köppen ''Dfa''). Because of its location in the interior United States, [[Missouri]] often experiences extremes in temperatures. Lacking either large mountains or oceans nearby to moderate its temperature, its climate is alternately influenced by air from the cold [[Arctic]] and the hot and humid [[Gulf of Mexico]].

== Overview ==
{| class="wikitable" align=right
|+ mean temperatures and precipitations from 1895 to 2003
|-
!Month!!Precipitation!!Temp
|-
|Jan|| 2.1 in || 29.8&nbsp;°F
|-
|Feb|| 2.0 in || 33.8&nbsp;°F
|-
|March|| 3.3 in || 43.5&nbsp;°F
|-
|April|| 4.0 in || 54.6&nbsp;°F
|-
|May|| 4.8 in || 64.2&nbsp;°F
|-
|June|| 4.65 in || 73&nbsp;°F
|-
|July|| 3.8 in || 77.6&nbsp;°F
|-
|Aug|| 3.7 in || 76&nbsp;°F
|-
|Sep|| 4.0 in || 68.3&nbsp;°F
|-
|Oct|| 3.2 in || 57.1&nbsp;°F
|-
|Nov|| 2.9 in || 44&nbsp;°F
|-
|Dec|| 2.4 in || 33.3&nbsp;°F
|}

While the adjacent table would suggest a very mild climate, a temperature fluctuation of 20 degrees Fahrenheit on average and 30 to 40 degrees Fahrenheit (17 to 22 degrees Celsius) in a twenty-four-hour period is common. Although the mean temperature for June and July is only {{convert|73|and|76|F|C}} it is not uncommon for the temperature to reach {{convert|100|°F|°C|abbr=on}} at least three concurrent days each week in these months, as it did in 1904 during the [[World Fair]] where the temperature in [[St. Louis, Missouri]] was {{convert|103|°F|°C|abbr=on}}.

===Statistics for selected cities===
{{Columbia, Missouri weatherbox}}
{{Kansas City weatherbox}}
{{St. Louis weatherbox}}
{{Springfield, Missouri weatherbox}}

==Spring==

Spring is generally the wettest season of the year, with the mean temperature from 1895 until 2003 being about {{convert|12|°C|°F|abbr=on}} and its mean precipitation (in the form of rain) for this period being approximately {{convert|300|mm|in|abbr=on}}. April through June is generally the wettest period. The spring also produces the most [[tornado]]es, with an average of 35 tornadoes each year.

== Summer ==
Summer, June through August, is the hottest time of the year with a mean temperature of {{convert|24|°C|°F|abbr=on}} and a mean precipitation of {{convert|300|mm|in|abbr=on}} with June having more precipitation than either July or August. The extreme highs for the year often occur in July or August. Tropical cyclones and their remains can impact the state during this time of the year, contributing to area rainfall.

== Autumn ==
[[Autumn|Fall]], September through November, has less and less precipitation towards the end of the season. The mean temperatures for this season are {{convert|13.6|°C|°F|abbr=on}} and the mean precipitation is {{convert|250|mm|in|abbr=on}}. Tropical cyclones and their remains can impact the state into October, contributing to area rainfall.

== Winter ==
[[File:Blizzard in Kansas City 297.JPG|right|thumb|Blizzard in Kansas City.]]
Winters in Missouri can be long with temperatures ranging from mildly to bitterly cold. Kansas City's January daily mean temperature is {{convert|26|°F|°C}} and St. Louis's is {{convert|29|°F|°C}}. The coldest temperature ever recorded in Missouri was {{convert|-40|°F|°C}}, set at Warsaw on 13 February 1905. Winter also tends to be the driest season, but typically yields significant amounts of winter precipitation. Snowfall averages {{convert|20|in|cm}} in the state's northern region, and {{convert|10|in|cm}} in the southeast. During the winter, northwest winds prevail; the air movement is largely from the south and southeast during the rest of the year.<ref>[http://www.city-data.com/states/Missouri-Climate.html Missouri-Climate<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>

== See also ==
* [[Climate]]
* [[Climate change in Missouri]]
* [[Climatology]]
* [[List of wettest tropical cyclones in the United States#Missouri|List of wettest known tropical cyclones, and their remnants, across Missouri]]
* [[St. Louis tornado history]]

==Notes==
{{notelist}}

== References ==
{{reflist}}

{{ClimateUS}}

[[Category:Climate of Missouri| ]]
[[Category:Climate of the United States by state|Missouri]]