Photo: Paul Sableman · CC BY 2.0Columbia has warmer summer afternoons than 72% of U.S. towns
Nights in January average 24°. Seasons differ by 65°, from the coldest nights to the warmest afternoons. Seedlings are safe outdoors from about April 6, with the first autumn frost due around October 27.
A year in Columbia at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Columbia’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Columbia’s place in Illinois beside it.
What a year in Columbia feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 203 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 6 and the first by October 27. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Cahokia, IL, 8 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Columbia’s center in zone 7a: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about 1°. Plant labels use the zone; frost dates tell you when to plant.
Freezing nights by month
Average nights at or below 32°
90° days by month
Average days at 90° or more
About 9 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Waterloo, IL, is heaviest from January through February, about 3 inches a month. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 42 inches a year; May is the wettest month and February the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 99 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Columbia
76% of the work is heating. Months averaging under 55° run from November through March.
Degree days add up how far each day’s average falls below (heating) or rises above (cooling) 65° over a year. NOAA normals at Cahokia, IL.
Living with Columbia’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
203 frost-free days in zone 7a. The last frost comes by Apr 6 in half of years, so many gardeners wait a week or two past that to set out tomatoes. The first fall frost comes by Oct 27.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: April, May, September and October. 9.0 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Columbia from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (25%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 33%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Columbia and its neighbors
Every town next door is within a degree of Columbia in January and July, closer than the 5 km grid can tell apart. Tap a town to see its climate.
Climates most like Columbia’s, farther away
TownRatings’ own comparison of NOAA 1991–2020 normals, not a NOAA product: places of 5,000+ at least 150 miles away, one per state, closest on January low, July high, precipitation and snow.
| Town | Jan. low | July high | Precip. | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Columbia, IL | 24° | 89° | 42" | 8.8" |
| Fort Scott, KS | 24° | 90° | 43" | 8.4" |
| Fredericksburg, VA | 25° | 89° | 43" | 11" |
| Bolivar, MO | 23° | 89° | 45" | 6.9" |
| Washington, DC | 27° | 89° | 44" | 5.8" |
Temperatures and rain come from NOAA’s 5 km grid, so each town gets its own value. Snow and frost-free days come from the nearest weather station, so neighbors often share them.
Warmer than it used to be
The last 30 years in Columbia averaged 1.1° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in December (+2.1°).
A smaller shift than in 70% of U.S. towns.
Change by month
The two periods overlap (1991–2000 is in both), which makes the gap a little smaller than it would be between separate periods.
How Columbia compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Columbia’s place among Illinois’.
Columbia weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Columbia’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Waterloo, IL. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 41° | 24° | 2.5" | 2.8" | 8 | 26° – 42° |
| February | 46° | 27° | 2.2" | 3.1" | 6 | 27° – 47° |
| March | 57° | 36° | 3.5" | 0.7" | 9 | 39° – 60° |
| April | 68° | 45° | 4.8" | 0.3" | 11 | 50° – 62° |
| May | 77° | 56° | 5.0" | 0.0" | 12 | 61° – 74° |
| June | 86° | 65° | 4.3" | 0.0" | 9 | 70° – 80° |
| July | 89° | 69° | 3.8" | 0.0" | 8 | 74° – 86° |
| August | 88° | 67° | 3.3" | 0.0" | 7 | 72° – 83° |
| September | 81° | 59° | 3.5" | 0.0" | 6 | 65° – 76° |
| October | 70° | 47° | 3.1" | 0.0" | 8 | 53° – 64° |
| November | 56° | 37° | 3.4" | 0.4" | 9 | 38° – 53° |
| December | 45° | 28° | 2.8" | 1.5" | 8 | 22° – 45° |
| Year | 67° | 47° | 42.2" | 8.8" | 99 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. December swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 22° to 45°. June is the most reliable, staying within 9°.
Where Columbia’s numbers come from
Normals are 30-year averages, not a forecast. How TownRatings reads climate data →
- Temperatures and precipitation: NOAA’s gridded 1991–2020 normals for the 5 km cell at Columbia’s center.
- Snow: Waterloo, IL.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Cahokia, IL, 8 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height; the nearest station that passes our checks for distance, height and agreement with the grid.
- Growing zone: USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map, 2023. USDA Agricultural Research Service and PRISM Group, Oregon State University, prism.oregonstate.edu/phzm, accessed 8 Oct 2026.
- Then and now: NOAA’s gridded normals for 1901–2000 at the same cell.
- Storms and extremes: FEMA National Risk Index (expected annual losses to buildings).
Common questions about Columbia’s climate
What is the weather like in Columbia?
A typical July afternoon reaches 89°, a January night drops to 24°, and about 9 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Milder January nights than 58% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 72% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Columbia in winter?
January nights average 24°. About 97 nights a year reach 32° or below and 1 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 26°.
How much snow does Columbia get?
About 8.8 inches in a normal winter at Waterloo, IL, heaviest from January through February, about 3 inches a month.
How hot does it get in Columbia?
July, with a typical high of 89° and a low of 69°. About 39 days a year reach 90° and 2 reach 100° (Cahokia, IL).
When is the first and last frost in Columbia?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 6 and the first fall frost by October 27, about 203 frost-free days, at Cahokia, IL.
What growing zone is Columbia in?
Zone 7a on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about 1°.
What is the best time of year to visit Columbia?
By one simple rule (highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more), April, May, September and October. The rule is ours, not NOAA’s; the month table has the numbers to judge by.
Is Columbia getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.1° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 70% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Columbia.
Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020 and 1901–2000; USDA/PRISM 2023 hardiness zones; FEMA National Risk Index. Today’s forecast: National Weather Service.