Columbia climate
Columbia (Missouri, United States) has a hot-summer humid continental climate (Köppen Dfa). The average temperature over the year is 13 °C55 °F, and about 1,044 mm41 in of precipitation falls in an average year.
Temperature by month
Precipitation by month
Columbia climate table
| Month | High °C°F | Low °C°F | Mean °C°F | Precip. mmin | Frost days |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 337 | −720 | −228 | 491.9 | 28 |
| Feb | 541 | −622 | 031 | 491.9 | 25 |
| Mar | 1254 | 033 | 643 | 803.1 | 15 |
| Apr | 1966 | 644 | 1355 | 1124.4 | 4 |
| May | 2475 | 1355 | 1865 | 1224.8 | 0 |
| Jun | 2985 | 1865 | 2475 | 1154.5 | 0 |
| Jul | 3290 | 2169 | 2679 | 1134.5 | 0 |
| Aug | 3289 | 1967 | 2578 | 1064.2 | 0 |
| Sep | 2781 | 1458 | 2169 | 893.5 | 0 |
| Oct | 1967 | 744 | 1356 | 943.7 | 2 |
| Nov | 1254 | 133 | 643 | 612.4 | 13 |
| Dec | 541 | −424 | 033 | 542.1 | 25 |
| Year | 3290 | −720 | 1355 | 1,04441 | 113 |
“Year” row: highest monthly high, lowest monthly low, annual mean and annual total. Frost days are for the whole grid cell.
| Month | Humid. | Cloud | Solar | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 82% | 61% | 2.2 | 9:43 |
| Feb | 81% | 63% | 2.9 | 10:41 |
| Mar | 78% | 63% | 3.8 | 11:50 |
| Apr | 76% | 58% | 5.0 | 13:10 |
| May | 78% | 59% | 5.7 | 14:17 |
| Jun | 75% | 49% | 6.5 | 14:53 |
| Jul | 70% | 45% | 6.5 | 14:38 |
| Aug | 68% | 47% | 5.6 | 13:40 |
| Sep | 69% | 43% | 4.8 | 12:23 |
| Oct | 72% | 49% | 3.5 | 11:06 |
| Nov | 77% | 53% | 2.4 | 9:59 |
| Dec | 83% | 62% | 1.9 | 9:27 |
Humid. = average relative humidity at 2 m; cloud = average cloud amount; solar = average daily solar energy reaching the ground in kWh/m² (all-sky); daylight in hours:minutes, calculated for the 15th of each month.
What the climate of Columbia is like
The warmest month is July, with an average high of 32 °C90 °F and a low of 21 °C69 °F. The coldest is January, when highs average 3 °C37 °F and lows −7 °C20 °F. Seasons are strongly marked: the warmest month is on average 28.4 °C51 °F warmer than the coldest.
It is wet, with about 1,044 mm41 in of precipitation per year. The wettest three-month stretch is May–July, which brings 34% of the annual total. The wettest month is May (122 mm4.8 in), the driest is January (49 mm1.9 in).
Relative humidity ranges from 68% in August to 83% in December. The clearest skies (lowest average cloud amount, 43%) are typical of September. Average wind speed near the ground ranges from 7 km/h (4 mph) in July to 12 km/h (7 mph) in March. Daylight lasts from about 9.4 hours in December to 14.9 hours in June.
A lasting snow cover is typical in December–February, when the average snow depth in the reanalysis exceeds 10 cm (deepest in January, about 13 cm).
Best time to visit Columbia
Based on these averages, the most comfortable months for sightseeing and outdoor activities are September: average highs of 27 °C81 °F to 27 °C81 °F with 89 mm3.5 in to 89 mm3.5 in of precipitation per month.
The most challenging month is January, which is cold, with average highs of 3 °C37 °F.
Comfort score: months are ranked by how close they come to an average high of 21–28 °C (70–82 °F), lows above 5 °C (41 °F), little precipitation and moderate humidity. The best-ranked months of each place are recommended, even where none meets all of these. These are general rules of thumb applied to long-term averages.
What to pack for Columbia
- Winter (December–February) — highs 337 to 5 °C41 °F, lows −720 to −4 °C24 °F, about 51 mm2.0 in of precipitation a month. Pack a warm coat, layers and closed shoes and shoes with good grip, as frost is common.
- Spring (March–May) — highs 1254 to 24 °C75 °F, lows 033 to 13 °C55 °F, about 105 mm4.1 in of precipitation a month. Pack light layers — T-shirts plus a light sweater or jacket, an extra layer for the cooler mornings and evenings and an umbrella or light rain jacket.
- Summer (June–August) — highs 2985 to 32 °C90 °F, lows 1865 to 21 °C69 °F, about 111 mm4.4 in of precipitation a month. Pack very light, breathable clothing, a sun hat and plenty of water and an umbrella or light rain jacket.
- Autumn (September–November) — highs 1254 to 27 °C81 °F, lows 133 to 14 °C58 °F, about 81 mm3.2 in of precipitation a month. Pack light layers — T-shirts plus a light sweater or jacket and an extra layer for the cooler mornings and evenings.
How Columbia compares
Compared with St. Louis, about 189 km to the east, Columbia is on average 0.5 °C0.9 °F cooler and receives 5% less precipitation (1,044 mm41 in vs 1,105 mm44 in). The difference is largest in January (1.1 °C2 °F cooler).
Of the 222 places in the United States covered by World Climates, Columbia is the 140th warmest by annual mean temperature and the 96th wettest by annual precipitation. See all of them on the United States climate page.
Places in other countries with the most similar temperature and rainfall pattern: Craiova (Romania, Dfa), Daegu (South Korea, Dwa) and Gumi (South Korea, Dwa).
Nearby places
- St. Louis 189 km · 13 °C56 °F · 1,105 mm44 in
- Kansas City 195 km · 13 °C55 °F · 1,039 mm41 in
- Overland Park 202 km · 12 °C54 °F · 1,039 mm41 in
- Springfield 211 km · 13 °C56 °F · 1,213 mm48 in
- Olathe 215 km · 12 °C54 °F · 999 mm39 in
- Springfield 250 km · 12 °C53 °F · 1,001 mm39 in
- Topeka 289 km · 13 °C55 °F · 961 mm38 in
- Peoria 304 km · 11 °C52 °F · 983 mm39 in
Frequently asked questions
What is the warmest month in Columbia?
July is the warmest month in Columbia, with an average high of 32 °C (90 °F) and an average low of 21 °C (69 °F).
What is the coldest month in Columbia?
January is the coldest month, with an average high of 3 °C (37 °F) and an average low of -7 °C (20 °F).
When does it rain the most in Columbia?
May is the wettest month with about 122 mm (4.8 in) of precipitation; January is the driest with about 49 mm (1.9 in).
What is the best time to visit Columbia?
Judging by long-term averages, the most comfortable months are September.
About this data
All figures are 25-year averages (January 2001 – December 2025) from the NASA POWER project. Temperature, humidity, wind and precipitation come from the MERRA-2 reanalysis (precipitation is the bias-corrected MERRA-2 product), cloud and solar values from CERES satellite data. They describe a grid cell of roughly 50–70 km, not a single weather station, so they can differ from airport records — most of all on coasts, in mountains and for rainfall. Average highs and lows are the monthly mean temperature plus/minus half of the average daily temperature range. Counts of rainy days are not part of this dataset.