Photo: SamuelNelsonGISP · CC BY-SA 4.0Nights turn raw in Graham each January, colder than in 79% of U.S. towns
High summer brings afternoon highs near 87°. Seasons differ by 71°, from the coldest nights to the warmest afternoons. It is a dry place: less rain and snow fall here than on 73% of U.S. towns. Seedlings are safe outdoors from about April 19, with the first autumn frost due around October 17.
A year in Graham at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Graham’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Graham’s place in Missouri beside it.
What a year in Graham feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 180 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 19 and the first by October 17. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Maryville 2e, MO, 15 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Graham’s center in zone 6a: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −9°. 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 15 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Maryville 2e, MO, falls mostly in January. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 36 inches a year; May is the wettest month and January the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 97 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Graham
85% 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 Maryville 2e, MO.
Living with Graham’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
180 frost-free days in zone 6a. The last frost comes by Apr 19 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 17.
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 Graham from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (50%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 9%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Graham and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Graham yet.
Climates most like Graham’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Graham, MO | 16° | 87° | 36" | 15" |
| Fort Madison, IA | 17° | 86° | 39" | 18" |
| Chillicothe, IL | 16° | 86° | 37" | 20" |
| Bowling Green, OH | 19° | 85° | 35" | 21" |
| Terre Haute, IN | 21° | 87° | 43" | 15" |
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 Graham averaged 0.6° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in March (+2.2°).
A smaller shift than in 95% 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 Graham compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Graham’s place among Missouri’s.
Graham weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Graham’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Maryville 2e, MO. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 35° | 16° | 0.8" | 5.2" | 6 | 18° – 37° |
| February | 40° | 20° | 1.2" | 4.4" | 6 | 20° – 40° |
| March | 53° | 31° | 2.2" | 1.6" | 8 | 35° – 57° |
| April | 64° | 41° | 3.7" | 0.8" | 10 | 44° – 58° |
| May | 74° | 52° | 5.1" | 0.0" | 12 | 58° – 72° |
| June | 83° | 62° | 5.1" | 0.0" | 11 | 69° – 77° |
| July | 87° | 66° | 4.9" | 0.0" | 10 | 72° – 83° |
| August | 85° | 64° | 4.0" | 0.0" | 9 | 69° – 80° |
| September | 78° | 55° | 3.5" | 0.0" | 8 | 61° – 72° |
| October | 66° | 43° | 2.9" | 0.1" | 8 | 48° – 59° |
| November | 51° | 31° | 1.8" | 0.6" | 6 | 32° – 51° |
| December | 39° | 21° | 1.4" | 2.6" | 5 | 16° – 36° |
| Year | 63° | 42° | 36.4" | 15.3" | 97 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. March swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 35° to 57°. June is the most reliable, staying within 8°.
Where Graham’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 Graham’s center.
- Snow: Maryville 2e, MO.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Maryville 2e, MO, 15 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 Graham’s climate
What is the weather like in Graham?
A typical July afternoon reaches 87°, a January night drops to 16°, and about 15 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 79% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 62% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Graham in winter?
January nights average 16°. About 138 nights a year reach 32° or below and 10 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 18°.
How much snow does Graham get?
About 15 inches in a normal winter at Maryville 2e, MO, most of it in January.
How hot does it get in Graham?
July, with a typical high of 87° and a low of 66°. About 31 days a year reach 90° and 1 reach 100° (Maryville 2e, MO).
When is the first and last frost in Graham?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 19 and the first fall frost by October 17, about 180 frost-free days, at Maryville 2e, MO.
What growing zone is Graham in?
Zone 6a on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −9°.
What is the best time of year to visit Graham?
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 Graham getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 0.7° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 95% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Graham.
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.