Summer afternoons in Fair Play are warmer than in 74% of U.S. towns
Nights in January average 23°. The year swings widely: the coldest month’s nights and the warmest month’s afternoons are 66° apart. Warm coats and heating bills mark the months from November to March, when means dip under 50°.
A year in Fair Play at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Fair Play’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Fair Play’s place in Missouri beside it.
What a year in Fair Play feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 188 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 14 and the first by October 23. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Bolivar 1 Ne, MO, 10 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Fair Play’s center in zone 6b: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about 0°. 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 Stockton Dam, MO, falls mostly in January. 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 103 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Fair Play
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 Bolivar 1 Ne, MO.
Living with Fair Play’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
188 frost-free days in zone 6b. 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 23.
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 Fair Play from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (46%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 19%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Fair Play and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Fair Play yet.
Climates most like Fair Play’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fair Play, MO | 23° | 89° | 45" | 6.9" |
| Columbia, IL | 24° | 89° | 42" | 8.8" |
| Washington, DC | 27° | 89° | 44" | 5.8" |
| Mount Rainier, MD | 26° | 88° | 45" | 5.8" |
| Spotsylvania Courthouse, 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 Fair Play averaged 0.7° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in February (+1.8°).
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 Fair Play compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Fair Play’s place among Missouri’s.
Fair Play weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Fair Play’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Stockton Dam, MO. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 43° | 23° | 2.1" | 3.9" | 7 | 28° – 44° |
| February | 48° | 27° | 2.1" | 1.0" | 7 | 29° – 47° |
| March | 58° | 35° | 3.3" | 1.4" | 9 | 39° – 58° |
| April | 68° | 44° | 4.8" | 0.0" | 11 | 49° – 62° |
| May | 76° | 54° | 5.8" | 0.0" | 12 | 60° – 73° |
| June | 85° | 63° | 4.8" | 0.0" | 11 | 69° – 79° |
| July | 89° | 68° | 4.2" | 0.0" | 9 | 74° – 85° |
| August | 88° | 66° | 3.7" | 0.0" | 7 | 71° – 82° |
| September | 81° | 58° | 4.3" | 0.0" | 7 | 64° – 77° |
| October | 70° | 46° | 3.6" | 0.0" | 9 | 52° – 64° |
| November | 57° | 36° | 3.4" | 0.2" | 8 | 39° – 54° |
| December | 46° | 27° | 2.5" | 0.4" | 6 | 24° – 44° |
| Year | 67° | 45° | 44.5" | 6.9" | 103 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. December swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 24° to 44°. June is the most reliable, staying within 9°.
Where Fair Play’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 Fair Play’s center.
- Snow: Stockton Dam, MO.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Bolivar 1 Ne, MO, 10 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 Fair Play’s climate
What is the weather like in Fair Play?
A typical July afternoon reaches 89°, a January night drops to 23°, and about 7 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Milder January nights than 56% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 74% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Fair Play in winter?
January nights average 23°. About 108 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 28°.
How much snow does Fair Play get?
About 6.9 inches in a normal winter at Stockton Dam, MO, most of it in January.
How hot does it get in Fair Play?
July, with a typical high of 89° and a low of 68°. About 41 days a year reach 90° and 3 reach 100° (Bolivar 1 Ne, MO).
When is the first and last frost in Fair Play?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 14 and the first fall frost by October 23, about 188 frost-free days, at Bolivar 1 Ne, MO.
What growing zone is Fair Play in?
Zone 6b on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about 0°.
What is the best time of year to visit Fair Play?
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 Fair Play 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 Fair Play.
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.