Clay Township has colder winter nights than 84% of U.S. towns
High summer brings afternoon highs near 86°. Its yearly precipitation falls short of 68% of U.S. towns. Compared with 1901–2000, the average now sits 0.7° higher. The heating season runs November to March: each of those months averages under 50°.
A year in Clay Township at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Clay Township’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Clay Township’s place in Missouri beside it.
What a year in Clay Township feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 184 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 17 and the first by October 21. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Lamoni, IA, 9 miles from the town’s center, 190 ft higher.
The 2023 USDA map puts Clay Township’s center in zone 5b: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −10°. 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 27 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Lamoni, IA, falls mostly in January. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 38 inches a year; May is the wettest month and January the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 110 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Clay Township
84% of the work is heating. Months averaging under 55° run from October through April.
Degree days add up how far each day’s average falls below (heating) or rises above (cooling) 65° over a year. NOAA normals at Lamoni, IA.
Living with Clay Township’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
184 frost-free days in zone 5b. The last frost comes by Apr 17 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, June, September and October.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Clay Township from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (30%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 18%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Clay Township and its neighbors
Every town next door is within a degree of Clay Township in January and July, closer than the 5 km grid can tell apart. Tap a town to see its climate.
Climates most like Clay Township’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clay Township, MO | 15° | 86° | 38" | 27" |
| Peoria Heights, IL | 17° | 86° | 38" | 26" |
| Muscatine, IA | 13° | 85° | 38" | 24" |
| Lock Haven, PA | 19° | 86° | 41" | 30" |
| Napoleon, OH | 19° | 85° | 36" | 25" |
Temperatures and rain come from NOAA’s 5 km grid, so each town gets its own value. Snow and frost-free days come from the nearest weather station, so neighbors often share them.
Warmer than it used to be
The last 30 years in Clay Township averaged 0.7° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in December (+2.2°).
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 Clay Township compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Clay Township’s place among Missouri’s.
Clay Township weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Clay Township’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Lamoni, IA. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 34° | 15° | 1.0" | 7.3" | 7 | 16 | 18° – 36° |
| February | 39° | 19° | 1.3" | 6.3" | 7 | 13 | 19° – 40° |
| March | 52° | 30° | 2.2" | 4.7" | 9 | 5 | 34° – 56° |
| April | 63° | 40° | 3.9" | 1.3" | 12 | 0 | 44° – 58° |
| May | 73° | 51° | 5.2" | 0.0" | 14 | 0 | 57° – 71° |
| June | 82° | 61° | 5.1" | 0.0" | 12 | 0 | 68° – 76° |
| July | 86° | 65° | 4.7" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 70° – 83° |
| August | 85° | 63° | 4.1" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 67° – 79° |
| September | 78° | 54° | 3.7" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 59° – 72° |
| October | 65° | 42° | 3.0" | 0.3" | 9 | 0 | 47° – 59° |
| November | 50° | 30° | 2.1" | 1.9" | 7 | 2 | 32° – 50° |
| December | 38° | 20° | 1.5" | 4.9" | 6 | 9 | 14° – 37° |
| Year | 62° | 41° | 38.0" | 26.7" | 110 | 45 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. December swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 14° to 37°. June is the most reliable, staying within 7°.
Where Clay Township’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 Clay Township’s center.
- Snow: Lamoni, IA.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Lamoni, IA, 9 miles from the town’s center, 190 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 Clay Township’s climate
What is the weather like in Clay Township?
A typical July afternoon reaches 86°, a January night drops to 15°, and about 27 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 84% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 58% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Clay Township in winter?
January nights average 15°. About 132 nights a year reach 32° or below and 11 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 18°.
How much snow does Clay Township get?
About 27 inches in a normal winter at Lamoni, IA, most of it in January, with snow on the ground about 45 days a year.
How hot does it get in Clay Township?
July, with a typical high of 86° and a low of 65°. About 27 days a year reach 90° and 1 reach 100° (Lamoni, IA).
When is the first and last frost in Clay Township?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 17 and the first fall frost by October 21, about 184 frost-free days, at Lamoni, IA.
What growing zone is Clay Township in?
Zone 5b on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −10°.
What is the best time of year to visit Clay Township?
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 Clay Township 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 Clay Township.
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.