Winter nights in Parnell are colder than in 84% of U.S. towns
In July the day’s top temperature is typically 86°. By precipitation alone, it ranks drier than 70% of U.S. towns. March has warmed most since 1901–2000, part of a 0.9° rise. Garden chairs stay out from April to June and September to October, the months with highs of 63–82°.
A year in Parnell at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Parnell’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Parnell’s place in Missouri beside it.
What a year in Parnell feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 181 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 20 and the first by October 19. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Grant City 5wsw, MO, 7 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Parnell’s center in zone 5b: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −12°. 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 Conception, MO, falls mostly in January. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 38 inches a year; May is the wettest month and January the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 76 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Parnell
86% 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 Grant City 5wsw, MO.
Living with Parnell’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
181 frost-free days in zone 5b. The last frost comes by Apr 20 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 19.
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 Parnell from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (56%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 10%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Parnell and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Parnell yet.
Climates most like Parnell’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Parnell, MO | 15° | 86° | 38" | 19" |
| Chillicothe, IL | 16° | 86° | 37" | 20" |
| Burlington, IA | 16° | 86° | 38" | 22" |
| Napoleon, OH | 19° | 85° | 36" | 25" |
| West Lafayette, IN | 18° | 84° | 40" | 19" |
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 Parnell averaged 0.9° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in March (+2.3°).
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 Parnell compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Parnell’s place among Missouri’s.
Parnell weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Parnell’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Conception, MO. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 34° | 15° | 0.9" | 5.8" | 4 | 11 | 17° – 36° |
| February | 39° | 19° | 1.3" | 5.1" | 4 | 8 | 19° – 40° |
| March | 52° | 30° | 2.2" | 2.1" | 6 | 2 | 34° – 55° |
| April | 63° | 40° | 3.9" | 1.1" | 8 | 0 | 44° – 58° |
| May | 73° | 51° | 5.3" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 57° – 71° |
| June | 82° | 61° | 5.1" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 68° – 76° |
| July | 86° | 65° | 4.8" | 0.0" | 7 | 0 | 71° – 83° |
| August | 84° | 63° | 4.1" | 0.0" | 7 | 0 | 68° – 78° |
| September | 78° | 54° | 3.6" | 0.0" | 6 | 0 | 60° – 72° |
| October | 65° | 42° | 2.9" | 0.1" | 6 | 0 | 47° – 58° |
| November | 50° | 30° | 2.0" | 1.4" | 5 | 1 | 32° – 50° |
| December | 38° | 20° | 1.4" | 3.8" | 4 | 7 | 15° – 35° |
| Year | 62° | 41° | 37.5" | 19.4" | 76 | 30 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. March swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 34° to 55°. June is the most reliable, staying within 8°.
Where Parnell’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 Parnell’s center.
- Snow: Conception, MO.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Grant City 5wsw, MO, 7 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 Parnell’s climate
What is the weather like in Parnell?
A typical July afternoon reaches 86°, a January night drops to 15°, and about 19 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 84% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 56% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Parnell in winter?
January nights average 15°. About 137 nights a year reach 32° or below and 12 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 17°.
How much snow does Parnell get?
About 19 inches in a normal winter at Conception, MO, most of it in January, with snow on the ground about 30 days a year.
How hot does it get in Parnell?
July, with a typical high of 86° and a low of 65°. About 18 days a year reach 90° (Grant City 5wsw, MO).
When is the first and last frost in Parnell?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 20 and the first fall frost by October 19, about 181 frost-free days, at Grant City 5wsw, MO.
What growing zone is Parnell in?
Zone 5b on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −12°.
What is the best time of year to visit Parnell?
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 Parnell 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 Parnell.
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.