Photo: Brian Stansberry · CC BY 4.0Bernie’s winters are milder and less snowy than most of the U.S.
A typical July afternoon reaches 90°, a January night drops to 28°, and about 3 inches of snow falls in a normal winter.
A year in Bernie at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Bernie’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Bernie’s place in Missouri beside it.
What a year in Bernie feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 221 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by March 29 and the first by November 3. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Malden Muni Airport, 5 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Bernie’s center in zone 7b: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about 7°. 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 3 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Sikeston Pwr Stn, MO, falls mostly in February. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 49 inches a year; May is the wettest month and August the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 97 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Bernie
66% 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 Malden Muni Airport.
Living with Bernie’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
221 frost-free days in zone 7b. The last frost comes by Mar 29 in half of years, so many gardeners wait a week or two past that to set out tomatoes. The first fall frost comes by Nov 3.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: April, May, September and October.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Bernie from natural hazards, earthquakes are the largest share (60%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 12%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Bernie and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Bernie yet.
Climates most like Bernie’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bernie, MO | 28° | 90° | 49" | 3.1" |
| Franklin, VA | 29° | 90° | 49" | 4.1" |
| Forest City, NC | 29° | 90° | 49" | 4.5" |
| Nashville, TN | 29° | 90° | 52" | 4.7" |
| Central City, KY | 27° | 89° | 49" | 4.4" |
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 Bernie averaged 0.6° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in February (+1.6°).
A smaller shift than in 97% 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 Bernie compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Bernie’s place among Missouri’s.
Bernie weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Bernie’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Sikeston Pwr Stn, MO. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 44° | 28° | 3.5" | 0.8" | 8 | 1 | 30° – 45° |
| February | 50° | 31° | 3.6" | 1.2" | 8 | 1 | 30° – 49° |
| March | 59° | 39° | 4.7" | 0.6" | 10 | 0 | 42° – 60° |
| April | 70° | 48° | 5.2" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 52° – 65° |
| May | 79° | 58° | 5.2" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 64° – 75° |
| June | 88° | 67° | 3.8" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 72° – 83° |
| July | 90° | 70° | 4.1" | 0.0" | 7 | 0 | 76° – 85° |
| August | 89° | 68° | 3.1" | 0.0" | 6 | 0 | 73° – 84° |
| September | 83° | 60° | 3.2" | 0.0" | 6 | 0 | 68° – 78° |
| October | 72° | 48° | 3.7" | 0.1" | 6 | 0 | 55° – 66° |
| November | 58° | 38° | 4.5" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 40° – 54° |
| December | 48° | 31° | 4.3" | 0.4" | 9 | 0 | 27° – 47° |
| Year | 69° | 49° | 49.0" | 3.1" | 97 | 2 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. December swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 27° to 47°. July is the most reliable, staying within 9°.
Where Bernie’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 Bernie’s center.
- Snow: Sikeston Pwr Stn, MO.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Malden Muni Airport, 5 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 Bernie’s climate
What is the weather like in Bernie?
A typical July afternoon reaches 90°, a January night drops to 28°, and about 3 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Milder January nights than 69% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 78% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Bernie in winter?
January nights average 28°. About 77 nights a year reach 32° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 30°.
How much snow does Bernie get?
About 3.1 inches in a normal winter at Sikeston Pwr Stn, MO, most of it in February, with snow on the ground about 2 days a year.
How hot does it get in Bernie?
July, with a typical high of 90° and a low of 70°. About 59 days a year reach 90° and 2 reach 100° (Malden Muni Airport).
When is the first and last frost in Bernie?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by March 29 and the first fall frost by November 3, about 221 frost-free days, at Malden Muni Airport.
What growing zone is Bernie in?
Zone 7b on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about 7°.
What is the best time of year to visit Bernie?
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 Bernie getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 0.6° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 97% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Bernie.
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.