Weather Information

A few words about the weather in Sweet Springs.

The coldest month is January, with a temperature average of 26 degrees Fahrenheit. In July, the hottest month, temperatures average 78.8 degrees Fahrenheit.

The driest month is February, with precipitation averaging 1.28 inches, and the wettest month is May, with an average precipitation of 4.67 inches. Average annual rainfall is 37.35 inches and average snowfall is 24.4 inches.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration describes Missouri's climate as "continental." That means there is a wide range between maximum and minimum monthly temperatures because we live near the center of the large North America continent.

Our climate is characterized by temperatures that are highly variable in every season. It's very hot in the late days of summer and very cold in the depth of winter, but periods of extreme weather are usually rather short.

Even in the coldest part of the winter, there is an occasional "January thaw," a period of mild weather with temperatures above freezing. And in the summer, we get breaks from the heat and humidity every so often with drier and cooler weather.

Temperatures are below freezing about 110 days of the year, but it is rare to have many days with temperatures above 100 degrees. The average last freeze date is around April 10 and the average date of the first freeze is about October 25, giving us a growing season of around 190 days.

Snow has arrived as early as October and as late as May, but most snow comes down in December, January and February. It's usually gone in a week or less. Our position on the planet dictates an average of about two ice storms per year.

Thunderstorms occur in the winter months, but they're much more frequent from April to July, and in May we get more hail than any other month.

Tornadoes have occurred in every month of the year, but most of them happen from March to June, with May having the greatest frequency. Most of the twisters occur during the late afternoon between 4 and 6 p.m.

An average of 26 tornadoes sweep through Missouri each year, putting the state in the 7th position for the frequency, 12th for fatalities and 9th in economic loss in the years between 1950 and 1994.

Two towns in Missouri are record-holders in the weather arena. Holt, in northwestern Missouri, holds the record for high-intensity rain, receiving 12 inches in a 42-minute period on June 22, 1947.

Warsaw, about an hour south of Sweet Springs, holds the distinction of having both the highest and lowest temperatures ever recorded in Missouri. On February 13, 1905, Warsaw endured temperatures of -40 degrees Fahrenheit. It took the town until July 14, 1954 to thaw out, when the temperature reached a bone-melting 118 degrees Fahrenheit.

If you've moved to Sweet Springs from another part of Missouri or another state in the Midwest, you won't find the weather here any better or worse than usual.

If you've moved here from the "edges" of the country, though, you might be in for a few of Mother Nature's surprises. But don't worry. As we say around here, "If you don't like the weather right now, just wait a half-hour."