Summer afternoons in Chain-O-Lakes are warmer than in 77% of U.S. towns
The coldest hours of a January night bottom out at 25° on average. Expect the heaviest rain or snow in May and the lightest in February. Its January nights stay gentler than in 64% of U.S. towns. Garden planting can start around April 14; autumn frost returns near October 26.
A year in Chain-O-Lakes at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Chain-O-Lakes’ climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Chain-O-Lakes’ place in Missouri beside it.
What a year in Chain-O-Lakes feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 194 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 14 and the first by October 26. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Cassville, MO, 13 miles from the town’s center, 400 ft higher.
The 2023 USDA map puts Chain-O-Lakes’ 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 7 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Galena, MO, falls mostly in January. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 46 inches a year; May is the wettest month and February the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 94 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Chain-O-Lakes
79% 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 Cassville, MO.
Living with Chain-O-Lakes’ climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
194 frost-free days in zone 7a. The last frost comes by Apr 14 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 26.
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 Chain-O-Lakes from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (60%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 16%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Chain-O-Lakes and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Chain-O-Lakes yet.
Climates most like Chain-O-Lakes’, 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chain-O-Lakes, MO | 25° | 90° | 46" | 6.9" |
| Mechanicsville, VA | 28° | 89° | 46" | 8.8" |
| Fruitland, MD | 27° | 89° | 46" | 8.0" |
| Washington, DC | 27° | 89° | 44" | 5.8" |
| Murphysboro, IL | 24° | 89° | 47" | 9.9" |
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 Chain-O-Lakes averaged 0.6° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in February (+1.5°).
A smaller shift than in 96% 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 Chain-O-Lakes compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Chain-O-Lakes’ place among Missouri’s.
Chain-O-Lakes weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Chain-O-Lakes’ center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Galena, MO. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 47° | 25° | 2.6" | 3.6" | 7 | 32° – 46° |
| February | 52° | 29° | 2.5" | 1.1" | 6 | 32° – 49° |
| March | 61° | 37° | 4.1" | 1.4" | 9 | 41° – 59° |
| April | 70° | 46° | 4.7" | 0.0" | 9 | 51° – 64° |
| May | 77° | 55° | 5.8" | 0.0" | 11 | 63° – 73° |
| June | 85° | 64° | 4.3" | 0.0" | 9 | 70° – 79° |
| July | 90° | 68° | 3.7" | 0.0" | 8 | 74° – 85° |
| August | 89° | 66° | 3.2" | 0.0" | 7 | 70° – 82° |
| September | 82° | 58° | 4.2" | 0.0" | 8 | 66° – 77° |
| October | 71° | 47° | 3.8" | 0.0" | 8 | 54° – 65° |
| November | 59° | 36° | 3.9" | 0.0" | 7 | 41° – 55° |
| December | 49° | 29° | 3.0" | 0.8" | 6 | 27° – 46° |
| Year | 69° | 46° | 45.7" | 6.9" | 94 |
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 46°. June is the most reliable, staying within 9°.
Where Chain-O-Lakes’ 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 Chain-O-Lakes’ center.
- Snow: Galena, MO.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Cassville, MO, 13 miles from the town’s center, 400 ft higher; 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 Chain-O-Lakes’ climate
What is the weather like in Chain-O-Lakes?
A typical July afternoon reaches 90°, a January night drops to 25°, and about 7 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Milder January nights than 64% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 77% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Chain-O-Lakes in winter?
January nights average 25°. About 110 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 32°.
How much snow does Chain-O-Lakes get?
About 6.9 inches in a normal winter at Galena, MO, most of it in January.
How hot does it get in Chain-O-Lakes?
July, with a typical high of 90° and a low of 68°. About 27 days a year reach 90° and 1 reach 100° (Cassville, MO).
When is the first and last frost in Chain-O-Lakes?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 14 and the first fall frost by October 26, about 194 frost-free days, at Cassville, MO.
What growing zone is Chain-O-Lakes 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 Chain-O-Lakes?
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 Chain-O-Lakes getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 0.6° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 96% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Chain-O-Lakes.
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.