A middle-of-the-road climate: Vandiver is close to most U.S. towns on every count
January nights here settle around 20°. In July, afternoons here are warmer than in 63% of U.S. towns. Decade by decade the climate has edged up, 0.6° above 1901–2000. Keep the boiler serviced for the months from November to March, which average under 50°.
A year in Vandiver at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Vandiver’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Vandiver’s place in Missouri beside it.
What a year in Vandiver feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 197 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 11 and the first by October 25. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Mexico, MO, 2.4 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Vandiver’s center in zone 6b: 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 19 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Fulton, MO, falls mostly in January. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 42 inches a year; May is the wettest month and January the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 108 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Vandiver
80% 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 Mexico, MO.
Living with Vandiver’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
197 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 25.
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 Vandiver from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (47%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 23%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Vandiver and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Vandiver yet.
Climates most like Vandiver’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vandiver, MO | 20° | 87° | 42" | 19" |
| Terre Haute, IN | 21° | 87° | 43" | 15" |
| Effingham, IL | 21° | 87° | 44" | 15" |
| Louisburg, KS | 21° | 88° | 41" | 14" |
| Columbia, PA | 22° | 86° | 44" | 21" |
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 Vandiver averaged 0.6° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in February (+1.8°).
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 Vandiver compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Vandiver’s place among Missouri’s.
Vandiver weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Vandiver’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Fulton, MO. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 37° | 20° | 2.1" | 7.2" | 8 | 10 | 23° – 39° |
| February | 43° | 24° | 2.3" | 4.3" | 8 | 6 | 24° – 44° |
| March | 54° | 33° | 3.1" | 1.5" | 10 | 1 | 36° – 57° |
| April | 66° | 43° | 4.6" | 0.3" | 12 | 0 | 47° – 60° |
| May | 75° | 54° | 5.0" | 0.0" | 12 | 0 | 59° – 73° |
| June | 83° | 63° | 4.7" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 69° – 77° |
| July | 87° | 67° | 4.5" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 72° – 84° |
| August | 86° | 65° | 3.7" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 69° – 82° |
| September | 79° | 56° | 3.9" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 61° – 74° |
| October | 67° | 44° | 3.4" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 50° – 61° |
| November | 53° | 34° | 2.8" | 0.7" | 8 | 1 | 36° – 51° |
| December | 42° | 25° | 2.2" | 4.9" | 8 | 5 | 19° – 41° |
| Year | 64° | 44° | 42.0" | 18.9" | 108 | 23 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. December swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 19° to 41°. June is the most reliable, staying within 9°.
Where Vandiver’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 Vandiver’s center.
- Snow: Fulton, MO.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Mexico, MO, 2.4 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 Vandiver’s climate
What is the weather like in Vandiver?
A typical July afternoon reaches 87°, a January night drops to 20°, and about 19 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 60% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 63% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Vandiver in winter?
January nights average 20°. About 113 nights a year reach 32° or below and 4 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 23°.
How much snow does Vandiver get?
About 19 inches in a normal winter at Fulton, MO, most of it in January, with snow on the ground about 23 days a year.
How hot does it get in Vandiver?
July, with a typical high of 87° and a low of 67°. About 38 days a year reach 90° and 3 reach 100° (Mexico, MO).
When is the first and last frost in Vandiver?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 11 and the first fall frost by October 25, about 197 frost-free days, at Mexico, MO.
What growing zone is Vandiver in?
Zone 6b 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 Vandiver?
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 Vandiver 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 Vandiver.
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.