Photo: SamuelNelsonGISP · CC BY-SA 4.0Tarkio’s winters are colder and snowier than most of the U.S.
A typical July afternoon reaches 87°, a January night drops to 16°, and about 30 inches of snow falls in a normal winter.
A year in Tarkio at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Tarkio’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Tarkio’s place in Missouri beside it.
What a year in Tarkio feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 177 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 19 and the first by October 15. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Tarkio, MO, 0.6 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Tarkio’s center in zone 5b: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −11°. 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 30 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Auburn 5 Ese, NE, is heaviest from January through February, about 8 inches a month. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 34 inches a year; May is the wettest month and January the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 89 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Tarkio
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 Tarkio, MO.
Living with Tarkio’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
177 frost-free days in zone 5b. 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 15.
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 Tarkio from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (37%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 18%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Tarkio and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Tarkio yet.
Climates most like Tarkio’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tarkio, MO | 16° | 87° | 34" | 30" |
| Peoria Heights, IL | 17° | 86° | 38" | 26" |
| Ottumwa, IA | 14° | 86° | 37" | 24" |
| Waterville, OH | 19° | 85° | 35" | 37" |
| Westland, MI | 18° | 84° | 34" | 31" |
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 Tarkio averaged 0.7° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in March (+2.4°).
A smaller shift than in 94% 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 Tarkio compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Tarkio’s place among Missouri’s.
Tarkio weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Tarkio’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Auburn 5 Ese, NE. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 34° | 16° | 0.7" | 7.7" | 6 | 14 | 18° – 37° |
| February | 40° | 20° | 1.1" | 8.1" | 6 | 11 | 20° – 40° |
| March | 53° | 31° | 2.0" | 3.6" | 8 | 4 | 34° – 57° |
| April | 64° | 40° | 3.4" | 1.6" | 9 | 0 | 44° – 58° |
| May | 74° | 52° | 5.3" | 0.1" | 10 | 0 | 57° – 71° |
| June | 83° | 62° | 4.9" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 68° – 77° |
| July | 87° | 66° | 4.6" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 71° – 82° |
| August | 85° | 63° | 3.7" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 69° – 79° |
| September | 79° | 54° | 3.1" | 0.0" | 7 | 0 | 60° – 72° |
| October | 66° | 42° | 2.7" | 0.6" | 7 | 0 | 48° – 59° |
| November | 51° | 30° | 1.7" | 2.3" | 5 | 2 | 32° – 49° |
| December | 39° | 20° | 1.2" | 6.4" | 6 | 9 | 15° – 36° |
| Year | 63° | 41° | 34.3" | 30.4" | 89 | 41 |
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 57°. June is the most reliable, staying within 9°.
Where Tarkio’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 Tarkio’s center.
- Snow: Auburn 5 Ese, NE.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Tarkio, MO, 0.6 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 Tarkio’s climate
What is the weather like in Tarkio?
A typical July afternoon reaches 87°, a January night drops to 16°, and about 30 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 82% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 59% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Tarkio in winter?
January nights average 16°. About 138 nights a year reach 32° or below and 6 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 18°.
How much snow does Tarkio get?
About 30 inches in a normal winter at Auburn 5 Ese, NE, heaviest from January through February, about 8 inches a month, with snow on the ground about 41 days a year.
How hot does it get in Tarkio?
July, with a typical high of 87° and a low of 66°. About 26 days a year reach 90° (Tarkio, MO).
When is the first and last frost in Tarkio?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 19 and the first fall frost by October 15, about 177 frost-free days, at Tarkio, MO.
What growing zone is Tarkio in?
Zone 5b on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −11°.
What is the best time of year to visit Tarkio?
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 Tarkio getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 0.7° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 94% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Tarkio.
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.