Photo: TCP04 · CC BY 4.0No extremes in Vandalia: its weather tracks the middle of U.S. towns
Expect July afternoons of about 87°. The wettest month is May; the driest is January. Summer afternoons here are warmer than in 62% of U.S. towns. Warm coats and heating bills mark the months from November to March, when means dip under 50°.
A year in Vandalia at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Vandalia’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Vandalia’s place in Missouri beside it.
What a year in Vandalia feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 192 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 11 and the first by October 23. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Vandalia, MO, 0.2 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Vandalia’s center in zone 6b: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −5°. 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 16 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Bowling Green 1 E, 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 95 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Vandalia
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 Vandalia, MO.
Living with Vandalia’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
192 frost-free days in zone 6b. The last frost comes by Apr 11 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 23.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: April, May, June, September and October. 0.0 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Vandalia from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (40%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 28%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Vandalia and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Vandalia yet.
Climates most like Vandalia’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vandalia, MO | 20° | 87° | 40" | 16" |
| Terre Haute, IN | 21° | 87° | 43" | 15" |
| Prairie Village, KS | 21° | 88° | 40" | 14" |
| Mattoon, IL | 20° | 86° | 41" | 15" |
| Dayton, OH | 22° | 86° | 41" | 12" |
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 Vandalia averaged 0.8° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in December (+2.0°).
A smaller shift than in 91% 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 Vandalia compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Vandalia’s place among Missouri’s.
Vandalia weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Vandalia’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Bowling Green 1 E, MO. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 36° | 20° | 2.0" | 4.6" | 6 | 21° – 39° |
| February | 42° | 24° | 2.0" | 5.0" | 7 | 20° – 44° |
| March | 53° | 32° | 2.9" | 1.9" | 9 | 35° – 55° |
| April | 65° | 42° | 4.3" | 0.2" | 10 | 47° – 61° |
| May | 74° | 53° | 4.9" | 0.0" | 12 | 58° – 72° |
| June | 83° | 63° | 4.5" | 0.0" | 9 | 69° – 77° |
| July | 87° | 66° | 4.5" | 0.0" | 8 | 71° – 83° |
| August | 86° | 64° | 3.6" | 0.0" | 7 | 69° – 81° |
| September | 79° | 56° | 3.6" | 0.0" | 7 | 60° – 73° |
| October | 67° | 44° | 3.1" | 0.0" | 8 | 49° – 61° |
| November | 53° | 33° | 2.7" | 0.8" | 7 | 35° – 51° |
| December | 41° | 24° | 2.1" | 3.1" | 7 | 19° – 41° |
| Year | 64° | 43° | 40.3" | 15.6" | 95 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. February swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 20° to 44°. June is the most reliable, staying within 9°.
Where Vandalia’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 Vandalia’s center.
- Snow: Bowling Green 1 E, MO.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Vandalia, MO, 0.2 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 Vandalia’s climate
What is the weather like in Vandalia?
A typical July afternoon reaches 87°, a January night drops to 20°, and about 16 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 61% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 62% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Vandalia in winter?
January nights average 20°. About 119 nights a year reach 32° or below and 5 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 21°.
How much snow does Vandalia get?
About 16 inches in a normal winter at Bowling Green 1 E, MO, heaviest from January through February, about 5 inches a month.
How hot does it get in Vandalia?
July, with a typical high of 87° and a low of 66°. About 27 days a year reach 90° and 1 reach 100° (Vandalia, MO).
When is the first and last frost in Vandalia?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 11 and the first fall frost by October 23, about 192 frost-free days, at Vandalia, MO.
What growing zone is Vandalia in?
Zone 6b on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −5°.
What is the best time of year to visit Vandalia?
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 Vandalia getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 0.8° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 91% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Vandalia.
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.