Photo: TCP04 · CC BY 4.0Neither notably warm, cold, wet nor dry, Bourbon sits near the middle of U.S. towns
July afternoons average 88°. The gap between a January night and a July afternoon is 68°. Summer afternoons here are warmer than in 69% of U.S. towns. Radiators earn their keep from November to March, the months that average under 50°.
A year in Bourbon at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Bourbon’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Bourbon’s place in Missouri beside it.
What a year in Bourbon feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 164 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 26 and the first by October 8. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Steelville 2 N, MO, 12 miles from the town’s center, 250 ft lower.
The 2023 USDA map puts Bourbon’s center in zone 6b: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −3°. 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 8 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Sullivan, MO, falls mostly in January, February and December. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 45 inches a year; May is the wettest month and February the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 92 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Bourbon
84% 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 Steelville 2 N, MO.
Living with Bourbon’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
164 frost-free days in zone 6b. The last frost comes by Apr 26 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 8.
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 →Cold waves are 33% of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Bourbon from natural hazards, the largest share. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Bourbon and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Bourbon yet.
Climates most like Bourbon’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bourbon, MO | 21° | 88° | 45" | 8.1" |
| Phoenixville, PA | 23° | 88° | 47" | 7.6" |
| Vincennes, IN | 23° | 88° | 47" | 8.5" |
| Iola, KS | 22° | 90° | 42" | 7.4" |
| Mount Carmel, IL | 24° | 88° | 48" | 8.9" |
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 Bourbon averaged 0.8° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in February (+1.8°).
A smaller shift than in 91% 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 Bourbon compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Bourbon’s place among Missouri’s.
Bourbon weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Bourbon’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Sullivan, MO. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 42° | 21° | 2.6" | 2.2" | 6 | 26° – 42° |
| February | 47° | 25° | 2.5" | 2.1" | 7 | 26° – 45° |
| March | 57° | 33° | 3.8" | 1.3" | 9 | 38° – 59° |
| April | 68° | 43° | 4.9" | 0.0" | 10 | 48° – 61° |
| May | 76° | 52° | 5.0" | 0.0" | 10 | 58° – 71° |
| June | 84° | 61° | 4.4" | 0.0" | 8 | 67° – 77° |
| July | 88° | 65° | 4.2" | 0.0" | 7 | 71° – 82° |
| August | 87° | 63° | 4.0" | 0.0" | 7 | 69° – 81° |
| September | 80° | 55° | 3.8" | 0.0" | 6 | 63° – 74° |
| October | 69° | 43° | 3.3" | 0.0" | 7 | 51° – 62° |
| November | 56° | 33° | 3.6" | 0.3" | 7 | 37° – 51° |
| December | 45° | 25° | 2.6" | 2.2" | 7 | 22° – 43° |
| Year | 67° | 43° | 44.5" | 8.1" | 92 |
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 43°. June is the most reliable, staying within 10°.
Where Bourbon’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 Bourbon’s center.
- Snow: Sullivan, MO.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Steelville 2 N, MO, 12 miles from the town’s center, 250 ft lower; 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 Bourbon’s climate
What is the weather like in Bourbon?
A typical July afternoon reaches 88°, a January night drops to 21°, and about 8 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 55% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 69% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Bourbon in winter?
January nights average 21°. About 141 nights a year reach 32° or below and 4 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 26°.
How much snow does Bourbon get?
About 8.1 inches in a normal winter at Sullivan, MO, most of it in January, February and December.
How hot does it get in Bourbon?
July, with a typical high of 88° and a low of 65°. About 36 days a year reach 90° and 1 reach 100° (Steelville 2 N, MO).
When is the first and last frost in Bourbon?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 26 and the first fall frost by October 8, about 164 frost-free days, at Steelville 2 N, MO.
What growing zone is Bourbon in?
Zone 6b on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −3°.
What is the best time of year to visit Bourbon?
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 Bourbon getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 0.8° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 91% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Bourbon.
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.