Lindenwood Neighborhood Historic District · Photo: Jim Roberts · CC BY-SA 4.0Summers, winters and rain in St. Charles all run close to those of most U.S. towns
Expect July afternoons of about 88°. By July afternoons alone, it runs hotter than 69% of U.S. towns. Decade by decade the climate has edged up, 0.8° above 1901–2000. Warm coats and heating bills mark the months from November to March, when means dip under 50°.
A year in St. Charles at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about St. Charles’ climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with St. Charles’ place in Missouri beside it.
What a year in St. Charles feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 203 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 8 and the first by October 29. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at St Charles Elm Pt, MO, 1.3 miles from the city’s center point, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts St. Charles’ 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 9 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at St Charles Elm Pt, MO, falls mostly in January. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 42 inches a year; May is the wettest month and February the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 101 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in St. Charles
78% 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 St Charles Elm Pt, MO.
Living with St. Charles’ climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
203 frost-free days in zone 7a. The last frost comes by Apr 8 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 29.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: April, May, September and October. 11 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in St. Charles from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (49%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 13%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →St. Charles and its neighbors
Every town next door is within a degree of St. Charles in January and July, closer than the 5 km grid can tell apart. Tap a town to see its climate.
Climates most like St. Charles’, 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| St. Charles, MO | 22° | 88° | 42" | 9.0" |
| Mission, KS | 21° | 88° | 40" | 11" |
| Lake of the Woods, VA | 25° | 88° | 44" | 11" |
| Hamilton, OH | 22° | 87° | 43" | 9.7" |
| Flatwoods, KY | 24° | 87° | 44" | 6.6" |
Temperatures and rain come from NOAA’s 5 km grid, so each town gets its own value. Snow and frost-free days come from the nearest weather station, so neighbors often share them.
Warmer than it used to be
The last 30 years in St. Charles averaged 0.8° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in February (+2.1°).
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 St. Charles compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with St. Charles’ place among Missouri’s.
St. Charles weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at St. Charles’ center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from St Charles Elm Pt, MO. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 39° | 22° | 2.5" | 4.3" | 8 | 25° – 42° |
| February | 45° | 26° | 2.2" | 2.6" | 7 | 25° – 45° |
| March | 56° | 35° | 3.5" | 0.5" | 10 | 38° – 58° |
| April | 67° | 45° | 4.7" | 0.0" | 10 | 49° – 62° |
| May | 76° | 55° | 5.0" | 0.0" | 11 | 61° – 74° |
| June | 85° | 65° | 4.5" | 0.0" | 9 | 70° – 79° |
| July | 88° | 69° | 3.8" | 0.0" | 8 | 73° – 85° |
| August | 87° | 66° | 3.6" | 0.0" | 7 | 71° – 83° |
| September | 80° | 58° | 3.3" | 0.0" | 7 | 65° – 76° |
| October | 69° | 47° | 3.1" | 0.0" | 8 | 52° – 64° |
| November | 55° | 36° | 3.4" | 0.1" | 8 | 38° – 53° |
| December | 44° | 27° | 2.6" | 1.5" | 7 | 22° – 44° |
| Year | 66° | 46° | 42.1" | 9.0" | 101 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. December swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 22° to 44°. June is the most reliable, staying within 9°.
Where St. Charles’ 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 St. Charles’ center.
- Snow: St Charles Elm Pt, MO (NOAA station in town).
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: St Charles Elm Pt, MO, 1.3 miles from the city’s center point, 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 St. Charles’ climate
What is the weather like in St. Charles?
A typical July afternoon reaches 88°, a January night drops to 22°, and about 9 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Milder January nights than 53% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 69% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in St. Charles in winter?
January nights average 22°. About 105 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 25°.
How much snow does St. Charles get?
About 9.0 inches in a normal winter at St Charles Elm Pt, MO, most of it in January.
How hot does it get in St. Charles?
July, with a typical high of 88° and a low of 69°. About 34 days a year reach 90° (St Charles Elm Pt, MO).
When is the first and last frost in St. Charles?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 8 and the first fall frost by October 29, about 203 frost-free days, at St Charles Elm Pt, MO.
What growing zone is St. Charles 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 St. Charles?
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 St. Charles 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 St. Charles.
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.