For weather, Wellston is about as ordinary as U.S. towns get
Midsummer highs settle at about 88°. Expect the heaviest rain or snow in May and the lightest in February. In July, afternoons here are warmer than in 67% of U.S. towns. Keep the boiler serviced for the months from November to March, which average under 50°.
A year in Wellston at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Wellston’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Wellston’s place in Missouri beside it.
What a year in Wellston feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 218 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 1 and the first by November 4. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at St Louis Sci Ctr, MO, 3 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Wellston’s center in zone 7a: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about 2°. 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 17 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at St Louis Lambert International Airport, 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 114 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Wellston
71% 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 Louis Sci Ctr, MO.
Living with Wellston’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
218 frost-free days in zone 7a. The last frost comes by Apr 1 in half of years, so many gardeners wait a week or two past that to set out tomatoes. The first fall frost comes by Nov 4.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: April, May, September and October. 0.1 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Wellston from natural hazards, earthquakes are the largest share (34%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 33%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Wellston and its neighbors
Every town next door is within a degree of Wellston in January and July, closer than the 5 km grid can tell apart. Tap a town to see its climate.
Climates most like Wellston’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wellston, MO | 23° | 88° | 42" | 17" |
| Louisburg, KS | 21° | 88° | 41" | 14" |
| Ashburn, VA | 25° | 88° | 43" | 21" |
| Reading, OH | 23° | 87° | 44" | 16" |
| Chillum, MD | 26° | 88° | 45" | 16" |
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 Wellston averaged 1.0° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in December (+2.1°).
A smaller shift than in 81% 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 Wellston compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Wellston’s place among Missouri’s.
Wellston weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Wellston’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from St Louis Lambert International Airport. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 40° | 23° | 2.5" | 5.7" | 9 | 7 | 26° – 42° |
| February | 45° | 27° | 2.1" | 4.3" | 9 | 4 | 26° – 46° |
| March | 56° | 36° | 3.4" | 2.3" | 11 | 1 | 39° – 59° |
| April | 67° | 45° | 4.7" | 0.2" | 12 | 0 | 49° – 62° |
| May | 76° | 56° | 5.0" | 0.0" | 13 | 0 | 61° – 74° |
| June | 85° | 65° | 4.5" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 70° – 79° |
| July | 88° | 69° | 3.9" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 74° – 85° |
| August | 87° | 67° | 3.4" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 71° – 83° |
| September | 80° | 59° | 3.4" | 0.0" | 7 | 0 | 65° – 76° |
| October | 68° | 47° | 3.1" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 52° – 64° |
| November | 55° | 37° | 3.4" | 0.9" | 9 | 1 | 38° – 53° |
| December | 44° | 28° | 2.7" | 3.2" | 9 | 4 | 22° – 44° |
| Year | 66° | 47° | 42.2" | 16.6" | 114 | 17 |
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 Wellston’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 Wellston’s center.
- Snow: St Louis Lambert International Airport.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: St Louis Sci Ctr, MO, 3 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 Wellston’s climate
What is the weather like in Wellston?
A typical July afternoon reaches 88°, a January night drops to 23°, and about 17 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Milder January nights than 57% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 67% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Wellston in winter?
January nights average 23°. About 79 nights a year reach 32° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 26°.
How much snow does Wellston get?
About 17 inches in a normal winter at St Louis Lambert International Airport, most of it in January, with snow on the ground about 17 days a year.
How hot does it get in Wellston?
July, with a typical high of 88° and a low of 69°. About 47 days a year reach 90° and 3 reach 100° (St Louis Sci Ctr, MO).
When is the first and last frost in Wellston?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 1 and the first fall frost by November 4, about 218 frost-free days, at St Louis Sci Ctr, MO.
What growing zone is Wellston in?
Zone 7a on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about 2°.
What is the best time of year to visit Wellston?
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 Wellston getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.0° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 81% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Wellston.
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.