Photo: Kbh3rd · CC BY 3.0Hillsboro’s winters are milder and less snowy than most of the U.S.
A typical July afternoon reaches 89°, a January night drops to 23°, and about 9 inches of snow falls in a normal winter.
A year in Hillsboro at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Hillsboro’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Hillsboro’s place in Missouri beside it.
What a year in Hillsboro feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 197 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 9 and the first by October 26. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Festus, MO, 9 miles from the town’s center, 150 ft lower.
The 2023 USDA map puts Hillsboro’s center in zone 6b: 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 9 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Festus, MO, falls mostly in February and December. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 44 inches a year; May is the wettest month and January the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 101 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Hillsboro
78% 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 Festus, MO.
Living with Hillsboro’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
197 frost-free days in zone 6b. The last frost comes by Apr 9 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. 1.4 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Hillsboro from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (49%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 12%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Hillsboro and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Hillsboro yet.
Climates most like Hillsboro’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hillsboro, MO | 23° | 89° | 44" | 9.2" |
| Lake of the Woods, VA | 25° | 88° | 44" | 11" |
| Fort Scott, KS | 24° | 90° | 43" | 8.4" |
| Vincennes, IN | 23° | 88° | 47" | 8.5" |
| Phoenixville, PA | 23° | 88° | 47" | 7.6" |
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 Hillsboro averaged 1.1° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in February (+1.9°).
A smaller shift than in 73% 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 Hillsboro compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Hillsboro’s place among Missouri’s.
Hillsboro weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Hillsboro’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Festus, MO. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 41° | 23° | 2.6" | 2.1" | 8 | 3 | 26° – 42° |
| February | 47° | 27° | 2.7" | 2.7" | 7 | 3 | 28° – 46° |
| March | 57° | 35° | 3.8" | 1.1" | 10 | 1 | 39° – 61° |
| April | 68° | 45° | 5.0" | 0.2" | 10 | 0 | 50° – 62° |
| May | 77° | 55° | 5.2" | 0.0" | 12 | 0 | 60° – 74° |
| June | 85° | 64° | 4.4" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 69° – 78° |
| July | 89° | 67° | 4.1" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 73° – 85° |
| August | 87° | 65° | 3.6" | 0.0" | 7 | 0 | 71° – 83° |
| September | 80° | 57° | 3.5" | 0.0" | 7 | 0 | 64° – 76° |
| October | 69° | 46° | 3.2" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 52° – 63° |
| November | 56° | 36° | 3.7" | 0.6" | 8 | 0 | 38° – 53° |
| December | 45° | 27° | 2.7" | 2.5" | 8 | 2 | 22° – 44° |
| Year | 67° | 45° | 44.4" | 9.2" | 101 | 9 |
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 44°. June is the most reliable, staying within 10°.
Where Hillsboro’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 Hillsboro’s center.
- Snow: Festus, MO.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Festus, MO, 9 miles from the town’s center, 150 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 Hillsboro’s climate
What is the weather like in Hillsboro?
A typical July afternoon reaches 89°, a January night drops to 23°, and about 9 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Milder January nights than 55% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 70% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Hillsboro in winter?
January nights average 23°. About 105 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 26°.
How much snow does Hillsboro get?
About 9.2 inches in a normal winter at Festus, MO, most of it in February and December, with snow on the ground about 9 days a year.
How hot does it get in Hillsboro?
July, with a typical high of 89° and a low of 67°. About 38 days a year reach 90° and 2 reach 100° (Festus, MO).
When is the first and last frost in Hillsboro?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 9 and the first fall frost by October 26, about 197 frost-free days, at Festus, MO.
What growing zone is Hillsboro in?
Zone 6b 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 Hillsboro?
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 Hillsboro getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.1° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 73% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Hillsboro.
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.