Photo: Traveler7 · CC BY-SA 4.0La Russell has warmer summer afternoons than 75% of U.S. towns
January nights here settle around 24°. The year swings widely: the coldest month’s nights and the warmest month’s afternoons are 65° apart. By precipitation alone, it ranks wetter than 64% of U.S. towns. Radiators earn their keep from November to March, the months that average under 50°.
A year in La Russell at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about La Russell’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with La Russell’s place in Missouri beside it.
What a year in La Russell 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 21. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Mt Vernon Univ Mo - Sw Ctr, MO, 11 miles from the town’s center, 120 ft higher.
The 2023 USDA map puts La Russell’s center in zone 7a: 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 13 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Lockwood, MO, falls mostly in January. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 46 inches a year; May is the wettest month and January the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 109 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in La Russell
76% 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 Mt Vernon Univ Mo - Sw Ctr, MO.
Living with La Russell’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
188 frost-free days in zone 7a. 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 21.
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 La Russell from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (40%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 14%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →La Russell and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around La Russell yet.
Climates most like La Russell’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 Russell, MO | 24° | 90° | 46" | 13" |
| Murphysboro, IL | 24° | 89° | 47" | 9.9" |
| Seaford, DE | 27° | 89° | 46" | 13" |
| Spotsylvania Courthouse, VA | 25° | 88° | 44" | 11" |
| Henderson, KY | 25° | 88° | 48" | 12" |
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 Russell averaged 0.6° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in December (+1.5°).
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 La Russell compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with La Russell’s place among Missouri’s.
La Russell weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at La Russell’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Lockwood, MO. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 44° | 24° | 2.1" | 3.7" | 8 | 6 | 29° – 44° |
| February | 49° | 28° | 2.2" | 3.1" | 8 | 3 | 30° – 48° |
| March | 59° | 36° | 3.6" | 2.3" | 10 | 1 | 41° – 59° |
| April | 68° | 45° | 4.9" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 50° – 63° |
| May | 76° | 55° | 6.1" | 0.1" | 12 | 0 | 61° – 73° |
| June | 85° | 64° | 5.0" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 70° – 79° |
| July | 90° | 68° | 4.0" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 74° – 85° |
| August | 89° | 66° | 3.5" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 71° – 82° |
| September | 81° | 58° | 4.6" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 65° – 77° |
| October | 70° | 46° | 3.7" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 52° – 64° |
| November | 58° | 36° | 3.6" | 0.4" | 9 | 0 | 40° – 54° |
| December | 47° | 28° | 2.7" | 3.2" | 8 | 3 | 25° – 45° |
| Year | 68° | 46° | 45.9" | 12.8" | 109 | 13 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. December swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 25° to 45°. June is the most reliable, staying within 9°.
Where La Russell’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 Russell’s center.
- Snow: Lockwood, MO.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Mt Vernon Univ Mo - Sw Ctr, MO, 11 miles from the town’s center, 120 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 La Russell’s climate
What is the weather like in La Russell?
A typical July afternoon reaches 90°, a January night drops to 24°, and about 13 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Milder January nights than 60% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 75% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in La Russell in winter?
January nights average 24°. About 111 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 29°.
How much snow does La Russell get?
About 13 inches in a normal winter at Lockwood, MO, most of it in January, with snow on the ground about 13 days a year.
How hot does it get in La Russell?
July, with a typical high of 90° and a low of 68°. About 46 days a year reach 90° and 5 reach 100° (Mt Vernon Univ Mo - Sw Ctr, MO).
When is the first and last frost in La Russell?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 14 and the first fall frost by October 21, about 188 frost-free days, at Mt Vernon Univ Mo - Sw Ctr, MO.
What growing zone is La Russell in?
Zone 7a 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 La Russell?
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 La Russell getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 0.6° 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 La Russell.
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.