Photo: Markkaempfer · CC BY-SA 3.0For weather, Longtown is about as ordinary as U.S. towns get
Expect July afternoons of about 88°. The gap between a January night and a July afternoon is 64°. In July, afternoons here are warmer than in 69% of U.S. towns. Homes need heating from November to March, the months averaging under 50°.
A year in Longtown at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Longtown’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Longtown’s place in Missouri beside it.
What a year in Longtown feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 182 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 19 and the first by October 20. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Perryville Wtp, MO, 9 miles from the town’s center, 100 ft lower.
The 2023 USDA map puts Longtown’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 5 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Perryville Wtp, MO, falls mostly in February. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 46 inches a year; May is the wettest month and February the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 90 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Longtown
79% 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 Perryville Wtp, MO.
Living with Longtown’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
182 frost-free days in zone 6b. 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 20.
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 Longtown from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (31%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 15%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Longtown and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Longtown yet.
Climates most like Longtown’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Longtown, MO | 24° | 88° | 46" | 4.7" |
| Clarksville, IN | 25° | 88° | 49" | 4.3" |
| Phoenixville, PA | 23° | 88° | 47" | 7.6" |
| Mount Rainier, MD | 26° | 88° | 45" | 5.8" |
| Springdale, AR | 26° | 89° | 48" | 6.5" |
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 Longtown averaged 0.8° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in February (+1.6°).
A smaller shift than in 88% 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 Longtown compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Longtown’s place among Missouri’s.
Longtown weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Longtown’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Perryville Wtp, MO. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 41° | 24° | 3.1" | 1.3" | 6 | 1 | 26° – 42° |
| February | 47° | 28° | 2.9" | 1.7" | 6 | 3 | 26° – 45° |
| March | 57° | 36° | 4.2" | 0.5" | 9 | 0 | 39° – 59° |
| April | 68° | 45° | 5.2" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 49° – 62° |
| May | 77° | 55° | 5.3" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 60° – 72° |
| June | 85° | 64° | 4.4" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 69° – 80° |
| July | 88° | 67° | 4.0" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 73° – 84° |
| August | 87° | 65° | 3.3" | 0.0" | 7 | 0 | 71° – 82° |
| September | 81° | 57° | 3.2" | 0.0" | 6 | 0 | 65° – 76° |
| October | 69° | 46° | 3.5" | 0.0" | 7 | 0 | 54° – 62° |
| November | 55° | 36° | 4.3" | 0.1" | 8 | 0 | 38° – 51° |
| December | 45° | 28° | 3.3" | 1.1" | 7 | 1 | 23° – 45° |
| Year | 67° | 46° | 46.4" | 4.7" | 90 | 5 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. December swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 23° to 45°. October is the most reliable, staying within 9°.
Where Longtown’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 Longtown’s center.
- Snow: Perryville Wtp, MO.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Perryville Wtp, MO, 9 miles from the town’s center, 100 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 Longtown’s climate
What is the weather like in Longtown?
A typical July afternoon reaches 88°, a January night drops to 24°, and about 5 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Milder January nights than 60% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 69% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Longtown in winter?
January nights average 24°. About 114 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 Longtown get?
About 4.7 inches in a normal winter at Perryville Wtp, MO, most of it in February, with snow on the ground about 5 days a year.
How hot does it get in Longtown?
July, with a typical high of 88° and a low of 67°. About 39 days a year reach 90° and 2 reach 100° (Perryville Wtp, MO).
When is the first and last frost in Longtown?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 19 and the first fall frost by October 20, about 182 frost-free days, at Perryville Wtp, MO.
What growing zone is Longtown 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 Longtown?
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 Longtown getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 0.8° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 88% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Longtown.
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.