Photo: Paul Sableman from St. Louis, MO · CC BY 2.0For weather, Bonne Terre is about as ordinary as U.S. towns get
The depth of winter brings overnight lows near 22°. In July, afternoons here are warmer than in 69% of U.S. towns. Since 1901–2000, the year has warmed by 0.7°, most of all in December. Warm coats and heating bills mark the months from November to March, when means dip under 50°.
A year in Bonne Terre at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Bonne Terre’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Bonne Terre’s place in Missouri beside it.
What a year in Bonne Terre feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 191 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 13 and the first by October 21. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Farmington, MO, 11 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Bonne Terre’s center in zone 6b: 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 Farmington, MO, falls mostly in January and December. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 45 inches a year; May is the wettest month and January the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 111 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Bonne Terre
77% 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 Farmington, MO.
Living with Bonne Terre’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
191 frost-free days in zone 6b. The last frost comes by Apr 13 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 21.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: April, May, September and October. 1.3 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Bonne Terre from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (28%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 29%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Bonne Terre and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Bonne Terre yet.
Climates most like Bonne Terre’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bonne Terre, MO | 22° | 88° | 45" | 8.7" |
| Phoenixville, PA | 23° | 88° | 47" | 7.6" |
| Vincennes, IN | 23° | 88° | 47" | 8.5" |
| Mount Carmel, IL | 24° | 88° | 48" | 8.9" |
| Lake of the Woods, 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 Bonne Terre averaged 0.7° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in December (+1.6°).
A smaller shift than in 94% 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 Bonne Terre compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Bonne Terre’s place among Missouri’s.
Bonne Terre weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Bonne Terre’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Farmington, MO. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 42° | 22° | 2.7" | 2.7" | 8 | 4 | 27° – 42° |
| February | 47° | 26° | 2.9" | 2.1" | 8 | 3 | 26° – 46° |
| March | 57° | 34° | 3.9" | 1.0" | 10 | 1 | 39° – 60° |
| April | 68° | 44° | 5.0" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 49° – 62° |
| May | 77° | 53° | 5.4" | 0.0" | 13 | 0 | 60° – 73° |
| June | 84° | 62° | 4.2" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 68° – 78° |
| July | 88° | 66° | 3.9" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 72° – 84° |
| August | 87° | 64° | 3.7" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 70° – 82° |
| September | 80° | 56° | 3.5" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 63° – 75° |
| October | 69° | 44° | 3.3" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 52° – 62° |
| November | 56° | 34° | 3.8" | 0.1" | 9 | 0 | 37° – 52° |
| December | 45° | 26° | 2.9" | 2.8" | 9 | 3 | 22° – 44° |
| Year | 67° | 44° | 45.1" | 8.7" | 111 | 11 |
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 44°. June is the most reliable, staying within 10°.
Where Bonne Terre’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 Bonne Terre’s center.
- Snow: Farmington, MO.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Farmington, MO, 11 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 Bonne Terre’s climate
What is the weather like in Bonne Terre?
A typical July afternoon reaches 88°, a January night drops to 22°, and about 9 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Milder January nights than 51% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 69% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Bonne Terre in winter?
January nights average 22°. About 104 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 27°.
How much snow does Bonne Terre get?
About 8.7 inches in a normal winter at Farmington, MO, most of it in January and December, with snow on the ground about 11 days a year.
How hot does it get in Bonne Terre?
July, with a typical high of 88° and a low of 66°. About 32 days a year reach 90° and 2 reach 100° (Farmington, MO).
When is the first and last frost in Bonne Terre?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 13 and the first fall frost by October 21, about 191 frost-free days, at Farmington, MO.
What growing zone is Bonne Terre in?
Zone 6b 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 Bonne Terre?
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 Bonne Terre getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 0.7° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 94% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Bonne Terre.
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.