Weather without surprises: Alma keeps close to the norm for U.S. towns
January mornings start at about 20°. From frosty January to warm July, readings climb 68°. By July afternoons alone, it runs hotter than 66% of U.S. towns. Garden planting can start around April 10; autumn frost returns near October 24.
A year in Alma at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Alma’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Alma’s place in Missouri beside it.
What a year in Alma feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 195 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 10 and the first by October 24. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Higginsville, MO, 9 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Alma’s center in zone 6b: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −5°. 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 14 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Higginsville, MO, falls mostly in January. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 41 inches a year; May is the wettest month and January the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 108 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Alma
81% of the work is heating. Months averaging under 55° run from November through April.
Degree days add up how far each day’s average falls below (heating) or rises above (cooling) 65° over a year. NOAA normals at Higginsville, MO.
Living with Alma’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
195 frost-free days in zone 6b. The last frost comes by Apr 10 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 24.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: April, May, June, September and October. 0.0 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Alma from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (38%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 37%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Alma and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Alma yet.
Climates most like Alma’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alma, MO | 20° | 88° | 41" | 14" |
| Jerseyville, IL | 21° | 87° | 41" | 13" |
| Terre Haute, IN | 21° | 87° | 43" | 15" |
| Hamilton, OH | 22° | 87° | 43" | 9.7" |
| Front Royal, VA | 24° | 87° | 41" | 21" |
Temperatures and precipitation come from NOAA’s 5 km grid; snow and day counts from the stations named on this page.
Warmer than it used to be
The last 30 years in Alma averaged 0.8° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in December (+2.1°).
A smaller shift than in 88% 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 Alma compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Alma’s place among Missouri’s.
Alma weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Alma’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Higginsville, MO. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 38° | 20° | 1.5" | 4.8" | 7 | 8 | 22° – 40° |
| February | 43° | 24° | 1.8" | 3.1" | 7 | 4 | 24° – 43° |
| March | 55° | 33° | 2.8" | 1.4" | 10 | 2 | 37° – 58° |
| April | 65° | 44° | 4.2" | 0.2" | 11 | 0 | 46° – 61° |
| May | 75° | 54° | 5.2" | 0.0" | 12 | 0 | 59° – 73° |
| June | 84° | 64° | 5.0" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 70° – 78° |
| July | 88° | 67° | 4.9" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 73° – 84° |
| August | 87° | 65° | 4.1" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 70° – 81° |
| September | 79° | 57° | 4.1" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 62° – 74° |
| October | 68° | 45° | 3.2" | 0.2" | 9 | 0 | 50° – 61° |
| November | 54° | 34° | 2.5" | 1.0" | 7 | 1 | 36° – 52° |
| December | 42° | 25° | 1.8" | 3.0" | 8 | 4 | 19° – 40° |
| Year | 65° | 44° | 41.0" | 13.7" | 108 | 18 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. December swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 19° to 40°. June is the most reliable, staying within 8°.
Where Alma’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 Alma’s center.
- Snow: Higginsville, MO.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Higginsville, MO, 9 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 Alma’s climate
What is the weather like in Alma?
A typical July afternoon reaches 88°, a January night drops to 20°, and about 14 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 58% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 66% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Alma in winter?
January nights average 20°. About 115 nights a year reach 32° or below and 5 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 22°.
How much snow does Alma get?
About 14 inches in a normal winter at Higginsville, MO, most of it in January, with snow on the ground about 18 days a year.
How hot does it get in Alma?
July, with a typical high of 88° and a low of 67°. About 27 days a year reach 90° and 1 reach 100° (Higginsville, MO).
When is the first and last frost in Alma?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 10 and the first fall frost by October 24, about 195 frost-free days, at Higginsville, MO.
What growing zone is Alma in?
Zone 6b on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −5°.
What is the best time of year to visit Alma?
By one simple rule (highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more), April, May, June, September and October. The rule is ours, not NOAA’s; the month table has the numbers to judge by.
Is Alma getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 0.8° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 88% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Alma.
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.