Photo: Brandonrush · CC BY-SA 3.0Summer afternoons in Southwest City are warmer than in 80% of U.S. towns
January mornings start at about 26°. The year swings widely: the coldest month’s nights and the warmest month’s afternoons are 65° apart. Its yearly precipitation tops that of 68% of U.S. towns. The frost-free window for a garden runs roughly April 5 to October 28.
A year in Southwest City at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Southwest City’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Southwest City’s place in Missouri beside it.
What a year in Southwest City feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 204 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 5 and the first by October 28. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Gravette, AR, 11 miles from the town’s center, 280 ft higher.
The 2023 USDA map puts Southwest City’s center in zone 7a: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about 4°. 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 Gravette, AR, falls mostly in January and March. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 47 inches a year; May is the wettest month and February the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 99 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Southwest City
65% 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 Gravette, AR.
Living with Southwest City’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
204 frost-free days in zone 7a. The last frost comes by Apr 5 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 28.
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 Southwest City from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (70%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 11%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Southwest City and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Southwest City yet.
Climates most like Southwest City’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Southwest City, MO | 26° | 91° | 47" | 13" |
| East Highland Park, VA | 28° | 90° | 46" | 8.8" |
| Seaford, DE | 27° | 89° | 46" | 13" |
| Metropolis, IL | 27° | 89° | 50" | 8.9" |
| Fort Washington, MD | 27° | 89° | 44" | 13" |
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 Southwest City averaged 0.6° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in March (+1.4°).
A smaller shift than in 96% 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 Southwest City compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Southwest City’s place among Missouri’s.
Southwest City weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Southwest City’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Gravette, AR. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 47° | 26° | 2.4" | 3.6" | 8 | 32° – 46° |
| February | 52° | 30° | 2.3" | 2.9" | 7 | 33° – 50° |
| March | 61° | 38° | 3.8" | 3.6" | 9 | 43° – 59° |
| April | 70° | 47° | 4.8" | 0.1" | 9 | 53° – 65° |
| May | 78° | 56° | 6.2" | 0.0" | 10 | 63° – 73° |
| June | 86° | 65° | 4.6" | 0.0" | 9 | 71° – 80° |
| July | 91° | 69° | 3.9" | 0.0" | 8 | 75° – 87° |
| August | 90° | 67° | 3.7" | 0.0" | 7 | 72° – 84° |
| September | 83° | 59° | 4.4" | 0.0" | 8 | 67° – 78° |
| October | 72° | 48° | 4.1" | 0.1" | 9 | 53° – 66° |
| November | 60° | 37° | 3.7" | 0.5" | 8 | 42° – 56° |
| December | 50° | 29° | 2.8" | 1.7" | 8 | 27° – 47° |
| Year | 70° | 48° | 46.7" | 12.5" | 99 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. December swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 27° to 47°. June is the most reliable, staying within 9°.
Where Southwest City’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 Southwest City’s center.
- Snow: Gravette, AR.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Gravette, AR, 11 miles from the town’s center, 280 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 Southwest City’s climate
What is the weather like in Southwest City?
A typical July afternoon reaches 91°, a January night drops to 26°, and about 13 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Milder January nights than 65% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 80% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Southwest City in winter?
January nights average 26°. About 78 nights a year reach 32° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 32°.
How much snow does Southwest City get?
About 13 inches in a normal winter at Gravette, AR, most of it in January and March.
How hot does it get in Southwest City?
July, with a typical high of 91° and a low of 69°. About 61 days a year reach 90° and 8 reach 100° (Gravette, AR).
When is the first and last frost in Southwest City?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 5 and the first fall frost by October 28, about 204 frost-free days, at Gravette, AR.
What growing zone is Southwest City in?
Zone 7a on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about 4°.
What is the best time of year to visit Southwest City?
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 Southwest City getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 0.6° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 96% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Southwest City.
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.