Photo: Jon Roanhaus · CC BY-SA 4.0La Plata’s winters are colder but less snowy than most of the U.S.
A typical July afternoon reaches 86°, a January night drops to 17°, and about 19 inches of snow falls in a normal winter.
A year in La Plata at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about La Plata’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with La Plata’s place in Missouri beside it.
What a year in La Plata 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 18. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Kirksville Rgnl Airport, 6 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts La Plata’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 19 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Kirksville, MO, falls mostly in January. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 41 inches a year; May is the wettest month and January the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 104 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in La Plata
85% of the work is heating, so the furnace matters far more than the air conditioner. 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 Kirksville Rgnl Airport.
Living with La Plata’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 18.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: April, May, June, September and October. 3.5 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in La Plata from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (49%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 11%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →La Plata and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around La Plata yet.
Climates most like La Plata’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| La Plata, MO | 17° | 86° | 41" | 19" |
| Lincoln, IL | 18° | 86° | 39" | 19" |
| Terre Haute, IN | 21° | 87° | 43" | 15" |
| Lock Haven, PA | 19° | 86° | 41" | 30" |
| Van Wert, OH | 19° | 84° | 39" | 17" |
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 La Plata averaged 0.9° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in December (+2.4°).
A smaller shift than in 82% 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 La Plata compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with La Plata’s place among Missouri’s.
La Plata weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at La Plata’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Kirksville, MO. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 35° | 17° | 1.5" | 6.0" | 6 | 20° – 37° |
| February | 40° | 21° | 1.8" | 4.6" | 7 | 20° – 42° |
| March | 52° | 31° | 2.6" | 2.2" | 8 | 34° – 55° |
| April | 64° | 41° | 4.0" | 0.8" | 11 | 45° – 59° |
| May | 73° | 52° | 5.5" | 0.0" | 12 | 57° – 72° |
| June | 82° | 62° | 5.3" | 0.0" | 11 | 69° – 77° |
| July | 86° | 66° | 4.6" | 0.0" | 9 | 71° – 83° |
| August | 85° | 63° | 4.2" | 0.0" | 9 | 68° – 79° |
| September | 78° | 55° | 4.1" | 0.0" | 8 | 60° – 72° |
| October | 66° | 43° | 3.4" | 0.1" | 9 | 49° – 60° |
| November | 51° | 32° | 2.4" | 1.3" | 8 | 34° – 50° |
| December | 39° | 22° | 1.8" | 4.0" | 7 | 16° – 39° |
| Year | 62° | 42° | 41.1" | 19.0" | 104 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. December swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 16° to 39°. June is the most reliable, staying within 8°.
Where La Plata’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 La Plata’s center.
- Snow: Kirksville, MO.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Kirksville Rgnl Airport, 6 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 La Plata’s climate
What is the weather like in La Plata?
A typical July afternoon reaches 86°, a January night drops to 17°, and about 19 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 75% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 58% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in La Plata in winter?
January nights average 17°. About 125 nights a year reach 32° or below and 7 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 20°.
How much snow does La Plata get?
About 19 inches in a normal winter at Kirksville, MO, most of it in January.
How hot does it get in La Plata?
July, with a typical high of 86° and a low of 66°. About 24 days a year reach 90° (Kirksville Rgnl Airport).
When is the first and last frost in La Plata?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 19 and the first fall frost by October 18, about 180 frost-free days, at Kirksville Rgnl Airport.
What growing zone is La Plata 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 La Plata?
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 La Plata getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 0.9° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 82% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in La Plata.
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.