Lewis Shaw Coleman House · Photo: Johnston9494 · CC BY-SA 4.0Aurora’s winters are milder and less snowy than most of the U.S.
A typical July afternoon reaches 89°, a January night drops to 24°, and about 12 inches of snow falls in a normal winter.
A year in Aurora at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Aurora’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Aurora’s place in Missouri beside it.
What a year in Aurora feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 189 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 15 and the first by October 23. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Billings 1sw, MO, 10 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Aurora’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 12 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Billings 1sw, MO, falls mostly in January. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 47 inches a year; May is the wettest month and February the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 104 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Aurora
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 Billings 1sw, MO.
Living with Aurora’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
189 frost-free days in zone 7a. The last frost comes by Apr 15 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 23.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: April, May, June, September and October. 0.2 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Aurora from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (48%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 16%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Aurora and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Aurora yet.
Climates most like Aurora’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aurora, MO | 24° | 89° | 47" | 12" |
| Murphysboro, IL | 24° | 89° | 47" | 9.9" |
| Henderson, KY | 25° | 88° | 48" | 12" |
| Evansville, IN | 25° | 88° | 48" | 11" |
| Spotsylvania Courthouse, VA | 25° | 88° | 44" | 11" |
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 Aurora averaged 0.7° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in February (+1.6°).
A smaller shift than in 93% 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 Aurora compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Aurora’s place among Missouri’s.
Aurora weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Aurora’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Billings 1sw, MO. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 44° | 24° | 2.5" | 4.7" | 8 | 5 | 29° – 45° |
| February | 49° | 28° | 2.4" | 2.5" | 7 | 2 | 30° – 47° |
| March | 58° | 35° | 4.0" | 0.9" | 10 | 1 | 40° – 58° |
| April | 68° | 44° | 4.7" | 0.2" | 10 | 0 | 50° – 62° |
| May | 76° | 54° | 6.0" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 61° – 72° |
| June | 84° | 63° | 4.8" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 69° – 78° |
| July | 89° | 67° | 4.1" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 73° – 84° |
| August | 88° | 65° | 3.3" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 69° – 81° |
| September | 80° | 57° | 4.6" | 0.0" | 7 | 0 | 64° – 76° |
| October | 69° | 45° | 3.7" | 0.1" | 8 | 0 | 52° – 63° |
| November | 57° | 36° | 3.7" | 0.5" | 8 | 0 | 40° – 54° |
| December | 47° | 27° | 2.9" | 3.0" | 7 | 2 | 24° – 44° |
| Year | 67° | 45° | 46.5" | 11.9" | 104 | 11 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. December swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 24° to 44°. June is the most reliable, staying within 9°.
Where Aurora’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 Aurora’s center.
- Snow: Billings 1sw, MO.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Billings 1sw, MO, 10 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 Aurora’s climate
What is the weather like in Aurora?
A typical July afternoon reaches 89°, a January night drops to 24°, and about 12 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Milder January nights than 60% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 70% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Aurora in winter?
January nights average 24°. About 112 nights a year reach 32° or below and 2 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 29°.
How much snow does Aurora get?
About 12 inches in a normal winter at Billings 1sw, MO, most of it in January, with snow on the ground about 11 days a year.
How hot does it get in Aurora?
July, with a typical high of 89° and a low of 67°. About 36 days a year reach 90° and 3 reach 100° (Billings 1sw, MO).
When is the first and last frost in Aurora?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 15 and the first fall frost by October 23, about 189 frost-free days, at Billings 1sw, MO.
What growing zone is Aurora 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 Aurora?
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 Aurora getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 0.7° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 93% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Aurora.
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.