Wet weather: 50 inches of rain and melted snow a year in Rives, more than in 85% of U.S. towns
The depth of winter brings overnight lows near 30°. The year swings widely: the coldest month’s nights and the warmest month’s afternoons are 61° apart. By July afternoons alone, it runs hotter than 79% of U.S. towns. Picnics, hikes and garden evenings suit April, May, September and October, with highs of 71–83°.
A year in Rives at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Rives’ climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Rives’ place in Missouri beside it.
What a year in Rives feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 215 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by March 31 and the first by November 1. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Kennett Radio Kboa, MO, 10 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Rives’ center in zone 7b: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about 10°. 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 4 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Hornersville, MO, falls mostly in January. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 50 inches a year; May is the wettest month and September the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 88 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Rives
68% 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 Kennett Radio Kboa, MO.
Living with Rives’ climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
215 frost-free days in zone 7b. The last frost comes by Mar 31 in half of years, so many gardeners wait a week or two past that to set out tomatoes. The first fall frost comes by Nov 1.
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 Rives from natural hazards, earthquakes are the largest share (43%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 13%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Rives and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Rives yet.
Climates most like Rives’, 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rives, MO | 30° | 90° | 50" | 3.5" |
| Knightdale, NC | 31° | 90° | 49" | 3.3" |
| Franklin, VA | 29° | 90° | 49" | 4.1" |
| Nashville, TN | 29° | 90° | 52" | 4.7" |
| Calhoun, GA | 31° | 90° | 52" | 1.8" |
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 Rives averaged 0.8° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in February (+1.7°).
A smaller shift than in 90% 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 Rives compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Rives’ place among Missouri’s.
Rives weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Rives’ center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Hornersville, MO. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 46° | 30° | 3.7" | 1.7" | 9 | 32° – 46° |
| February | 51° | 33° | 4.1" | 0.6" | 8 | 31° – 51° |
| March | 61° | 41° | 4.7" | 0.6" | 9 | 43° – 62° |
| April | 71° | 49° | 5.2" | 0.0" | 8 | 53° – 66° |
| May | 80° | 60° | 5.5" | 0.0" | 9 | 66° – 76° |
| June | 88° | 68° | 3.9" | 0.0" | 7 | 74° – 83° |
| July | 90° | 71° | 3.9" | 0.0" | 7 | 75° – 84° |
| August | 89° | 69° | 3.2" | 0.0" | 5 | 74° – 85° |
| September | 83° | 61° | 3.1" | 0.0" | 6 | 68° – 79° |
| October | 73° | 50° | 3.8" | 0.0" | 6 | 57° – 68° |
| November | 59° | 40° | 4.4" | 0.0" | 7 | 44° – 55° |
| December | 49° | 33° | 4.8" | 0.6" | 7 | 29° – 49° |
| Year | 70° | 50° | 50.3" | 3.5" | 88 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. December swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 29° to 49°. July is the most reliable, staying within 9°.
Where Rives’ 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 Rives’ center.
- Snow: Hornersville, MO.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Kennett Radio Kboa, MO, 10 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 Rives’ climate
What is the weather like in Rives?
A typical July afternoon reaches 90°, a January night drops to 30°, and about 4 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Milder January nights than 72% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 79% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Rives in winter?
January nights average 30°. About 84 nights a year reach 32° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 32°.
How much snow does Rives get?
About 3.5 inches in a normal winter at Hornersville, MO, most of it in January.
How hot does it get in Rives?
July, with a typical high of 90° and a low of 71°. About 65 days a year reach 90° and 5 reach 100° (Kennett Radio Kboa, MO).
When is the first and last frost in Rives?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by March 31 and the first fall frost by November 1, about 215 frost-free days, at Kennett Radio Kboa, MO.
What growing zone is Rives in?
Zone 7b on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about 10°.
What is the best time of year to visit Rives?
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 Rives getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 0.8° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 90% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Rives.
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.