Neither notably warm, cold, wet nor dry, Utica sits near the middle of U.S. towns
High summer brings afternoon highs near 88°. The gap between a January night and a July afternoon is 69°. Its January nights bite harder than in 68% of U.S. towns. Radiators earn their keep from November to March, the months that average under 50°.
A year in Utica at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Utica’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Utica’s place in Missouri beside it.
What a year in Utica feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 187 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 15 and the first by October 21. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Chillicothe 2s, MO, 5 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Utica’s center in zone 6a: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −8°. 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 14 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Chillicothe 2s, MO, is heaviest from January through February, about 5 inches a month. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 40 inches a year; May is the wettest month and January the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 109 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Utica
83% of the work is heating. Months averaging under 55° run from November 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 Chillicothe 2s, MO.
Living with Utica’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
187 frost-free days in zone 6a. The last frost comes by Apr 15 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 21.
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 Utica from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (43%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 14%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Utica and its neighbors
Every town next door is within a degree of Utica in January and July, closer than the 5 km grid can tell apart. Tap a town to see its climate.
Climates most like Utica’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Utica, MO | 18° | 88° | 40" | 14" |
| Jacksonville, IL | 19° | 87° | 39" | 16" |
| Terre Haute, IN | 21° | 87° | 43" | 15" |
| Hamilton, OH | 22° | 87° | 43" | 9.7" |
| Strasburg, VA | 23° | 87° | 39" | 21" |
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 Utica averaged 0.6° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in February (+1.6°).
A smaller shift than in 95% 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 Utica compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Utica’s place among Missouri’s.
Utica weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Utica’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Chillicothe 2s, MO. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 36° | 18° | 1.3" | 4.7" | 6 | 9 | 20° – 39° |
| February | 42° | 22° | 1.7" | 4.5" | 7 | 7 | 21° – 42° |
| March | 54° | 32° | 2.7" | 1.6" | 9 | 2 | 36° – 57° |
| April | 65° | 42° | 3.9" | 0.3" | 11 | 0 | 45° – 60° |
| May | 75° | 53° | 5.4" | 0.0" | 13 | 0 | 59° – 73° |
| June | 84° | 63° | 5.2" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 70° – 77° |
| July | 88° | 67° | 4.6" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 73° – 84° |
| August | 86° | 64° | 4.3" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 69° – 81° |
| September | 79° | 56° | 4.2" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 61° – 73° |
| October | 67° | 44° | 3.2" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 49° – 60° |
| November | 52° | 33° | 2.3" | 0.4" | 7 | 0 | 35° – 51° |
| December | 40° | 23° | 1.7" | 2.4" | 7 | 4 | 17° – 39° |
| Year | 64° | 43° | 40.3" | 13.9" | 109 | 22 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. December swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 17° to 39°. June is the most reliable, staying within 8°.
Where Utica’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 Utica’s center.
- Snow: Chillicothe 2s, MO.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Chillicothe 2s, MO, 5 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 Utica’s climate
What is the weather like in Utica?
A typical July afternoon reaches 88°, a January night drops to 18°, and about 14 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 68% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 66% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Utica in winter?
January nights average 18°. About 123 nights a year reach 32° or below and 7 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 20°.
How much snow does Utica get?
About 14 inches in a normal winter at Chillicothe 2s, MO, heaviest from January through February, about 5 inches a month, with snow on the ground about 22 days a year.
How hot does it get in Utica?
July, with a typical high of 88° and a low of 67°. About 36 days a year reach 90° and 2 reach 100° (Chillicothe 2s, MO).
When is the first and last frost in Utica?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 15 and the first fall frost by October 21, about 187 frost-free days, at Chillicothe 2s, MO.
What growing zone is Utica in?
Zone 6a on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −8°.
What is the best time of year to visit Utica?
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 Utica getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 0.6° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 95% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Utica.
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.