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St. Louis weather by month: averages, rainfall & climate trends

Where the Missouri pours into the Mississippi, St. Louis stands in the path of just about every kind of American weather, from Gulf heat to Arctic cold to the tornadoes the region is known for. St. Louis weather by month: average temperatures, rainfall, records and how the climate has changed since 1940.

Today vs average

+18.9°Fhigh well above average

91° / 65°Today
72° / 52°Average
see today in detail →

How it's changed

+2.7°Faverage temperature, 2016–2025 vs 1940–1949average temperature vs 1940–4968frost days a year now (2016–2025) · 92 in the 1940sfrost days a year · 92 in the 1940s73days above 86°F a year now (2016–2025) · 57 in the 1940sdays above 86°F · 57 in the 1940s+2.7°F vs the 1940s · see how it's changed →
Weather by montha typical year, averaged over the full recordJanuary, rain 2.5 incheshigh 39°low 24°February, rain 2.5 incheshigh 44°low 28°March, rain 4.0 incheshigh 55°low 37°April, rain 4.4 incheshigh 67°low 48°May, rain 4.6 incheshigh 76°low 58°June, rain 3.8 incheshigh 85°low 67°July, rain 3.2 incheshigh 88°low 71°August, rain 2.9 incheshigh 87°low 69°September, rain 3.1 incheshigh 80°low 61°October, rain 3.2 incheshigh 69°low 50°November, rain 3.3 incheshigh 55°low 38°December, rain 2.8 incheshigh 43°low 29°wettest month May, 4.6 inches · 40.3 inches a yearsee month by month →

Right now

What it's doing today vs the historical average for this date.
Clear

Right now

66.4°

66°feels like
77%humidity
59°dew point
7 mphfrom SW
UV index0.0
sunrise07:07sunset18:27day length11h 20m
TodayClear91°65°
TueClear93°69°
WedOvercast83°73°
ThuDrizzle84°71°
FriClear73°51°
SatClear60°45°
SunClear68°45°

On this date: October 12

Today (forecast)
91° / 65°
Average for October 12
72° / 52°

High well above average · +18.9°F

  • Record high: 87.5° · 2024
  • Record low: 30.4° · 1987
  • One year ago: 79° / 50°

Every October 12 in history, coldest to hottest

▲ Daily highs▼ Daily lows

Dots show daily highs (top) and lows (bottom) for each October 12 on record (n = 87). Outlined dots are today's forecast.

Area we sample

Each city's history comes from one ERA5 grid cell, about 28 km across, shown by the dashed box. Near mountains or coasts, conditions can vary across the cell.

Location & data

Historical weather for St. Louis is sampled from the ECMWF ERA5 reanalysis at 38.63°N, 90.20°W, with daily records since 1940.

Coordinates
38.63°N, 90.20°W
Time zone
America/Chicago
Period
1940–2026
Data source
ERA5 (ECMWF)

Last 30 days

25 of the last 31 days were warmer than the historical average for that date. Average difference: +5.8°F.

Each bar is one day, from morning low to afternoon high. Warm-colored bars are days whose mean ran above average; cool bars ran below. The dot inside the bar is the daily mean. The shaded band is the typical 10–90% range expected for that date. Average = the day's mean temperature averaged across every year of record (1940–2026) for that calendar date.

This date over the years

One dot per year, showing the mean temperature on this calendar date. Dots are warmer or cooler than the long-term average (dashed line); the shaded band is the typical 10–90% range, and the highlighted dot is today's forecast. Based on ERA5 reanalysis: modelled estimates, not station readings.

Weather by month

Average temperatures and rainfall for each month: a typical year, from the full record.

Climate overview

St. Louis lies just below the confluence of the Mississippi and Missouri rivers, deep in the continental interior and exposed to air from every direction. Arctic outbreaks reach it in winter, humid tropical air pushes up from the Gulf in summer, and the clashes between the two make for a volatile, four-season climate (Köppen Cfa in the city, Dfa across the broader metro). Thunderstorms are frequent, and the area falls within one of the more tornado-prone corridors in the country.

Both the rivers and the storms run through the city's history. The Great Flood of 1993 drowned the river valleys for months in one of the costliest floods the United States has recorded, and in May 2025 a tornado nearly 3 km wide cut across the metro and caused well over a billion dollars in damage. Beyond the headline disasters, summers turn dangerously hot and humid while winters can swing sharply cold.

The warmest month is July, with typical afternoon highs of 88.4°F and nights around 70.7°F. Roughly 75 days a year now top 86°F. At the other extreme, January brings afternoon highs of about 39.3°F and typical overnight lows of 23.9°F.

St. Louis picks up roughly 40.3 inches a year, with a peak of 4.6 inches in May and as little as 2.5 inches in January.

The record here starts in 1940, and since then the annual mean in St. Louis has climbed 2.7°F from the first ten years to the last ten. Where the first decade averaged 90 frost days a year, the recent one saw about 70.

Sources:en.wikipedia.orgbritannica.comweather.gov

Climate graph (climograph)

July is the warmest month, January the coolest: a yearly swing of 49°F. Wettest month: May (~4.6 in). Whole year averages ~40.3 inches of rain.

Bars = average monthly rainfall (right axis). Lines = average daily high and low (left axis). Average = each month's value averaged across every year of record (1940–2026).

Rainy days by month

About 92 rainy days a year: most in May (~10), fewest in January (~6).

Bars = average number of days with ≥ 0.08 in per month. Hover for the monthly rainfall total.

Monthly wind

Average daily peak wind at 10 m, by month.

Monthly solar energy

Average daily incoming solar energy in megajoules per square metre: the record's own proxy for how sunny the month is.

St. Louis month by month: what to expect

Typical conditions for each month, averaged across the full record (since 1940). Daylight is the time from sunrise to sunset. Record high/low are the most extreme values in the ERA5 dataset (modelled since 1940), so they can differ from official weather-station readings.

MonthAvg highAvg lowRainRainy daysDaylightRecord highRecord low
January39.3°23.9°2.5 in69.6 h72.5° (1989)−16.9° (1979)
February44.4°27.6°2.5 in610.6 h82.0° (2024)−15.2° (1951)
March55.3°36.7°4.0 in911.7 h86.2° (1986)−7.1° (1980)
April67.4°47.6°4.4 in1013.0 h91.8° (1986)21.8° (1940)
May76.2°57.7°4.6 in1014.1 h94.2° (2022)33.0° (1966)
June85.0°67.1°3.8 in914.7 h104.7° (2012)46.2° (1969)
July88.4°70.7°3.2 in814.4 h109.8° (1954)53.0° (1972)
August86.9°68.5°2.9 in713.5 h103.9° (1943)47.1° (1986)
September80.3°60.5°3.1 in712.2 h100.8° (1953)35.7° (1983)
October69.1°49.6°3.2 in711.0 h93.6° (2006)23.8° (1952)
November54.7°38.3°3.3 in79.9 h81.8° (2016)−1.6° (1991)
December43.3°28.7°2.8 in79.3 h73.1° (1970)−16.3° (1989)

How it's changed

Year-by-year signals from 1940 to today.

Climate stripes

Annual mean shifted from 1940–1949 to 2016–2025 by +2.7°F.

Each vertical stripe is one year. Color encodes how much that year's annual mean differed from the long-term average. Average = each year's annual mean compared to the average of all years (1940–2026). cooler ← → warmer

Annual mean temperature

Long-term trend: +0.29°F per decade.

One point per year, showing the temperature averaged across the whole year. The dashed line is the least-squares long-term trend. Based on ERA5 reanalysis: modelled estimates, not station readings.

Seasonal warming

Mar–May is warming fastest: +0.53°F per decade.

Each faint line is one three-month period's average per year; the bold dashed line is its long-term trend. Different parts of the year often warm at different rates. Based on ERA5 reanalysis: modelled estimates, not station readings.

Hot days vs frost days

Days ≥ 86°F per year: 57.4 early in the record → 72.7 recently. Frost days: 92 → 68.

Thin lines are raw yearly counts; thick lines are the smoothed trend that removes year-to-year noise. The hot-day threshold is auto-picked per city so the line actually moves. Average = a centered 5-year rolling average to smooth weather noise.

Yearly hot & cold extremes

All-time high in 1954, all-time low in 1979: 109.8°F / −16.9°F.

One point per year: the single hottest and coldest day recorded that year.

Annual rainfall

~40.3 in/year on average. Last decade: +12% vs that average. Long-term trend: +1.14 in per decade.

One bar per year of total rainfall. Dashed line is the long-term average. Average = the average annual rainfall across every year of record (1940–2026).

Day-by-day grid

Each tiny square is one calendar day across the full record, about 30,000 days per city. Use the mode switch above the chart: Anomaly colors each day by how far it ran from the historical average for that date (red = warmer, blue = cooler), Daily mean temp shows the absolute mean temperature for the day (useful to see seasons and heatwaves), and Precipitation shows daily rainfall (useful to spot wet/dry seasons and droughts). Average = the long-term average for that calendar date (1940–2026).

Frequently asked questions about St. Louis

Which is the warmest month in St. Louis?
On long-term average, the warmest month in St. Louis is July (mean daily temperature of about 78.9°F) and the coolest is January (about 30.3°F).
How does today's temperature in St. Louis compare to the historical average?
On October 12, 2026, St. Louis is forecast to reach a high of 90.5°F and a low of 64.6°F. The long-term average for this date (the full record since 1940) is a high of 71.6°F and a low of 51.9°F, so today's high is 18.9°F warmer than that average.
How much has St. Louis warmed since 1940?
Comparing the first decade of the record (1940–1949) with the most recent (2016–2025), the annual mean temperature in St. Louis is about 2.7°F warmer.
How much does it rain in St. Louis?
St. Louis receives about 40.3 inches of precipitation per year on long-term average, with May typically the wettest month.
What is the average temperature in St. Louis?
Over the full record (since 1940), the annual mean temperature in St. Louis is about 56.0°F. The warmest month is July and the coolest is January.
What are the average temperatures in St. Louis by month?
Average daily highs and lows for each month in St. Louis (°F, full record since 1940): January 39°/24°, February 44°/28°, March 55°/37°, April 67°/48°, May 76°/58°, June 85°/67°, July 88°/71°, August 87°/69°, September 80°/61°, October 69°/50°, November 55°/38°, December 43°/29°.
What is the weather like in St. Louis in summer?
Summer in St. Louis (June to August) is hot. Daytime highs sit at 85–88°F and nights at 67–71°F; July is the warmest month. Rain is steady at around 3.3 inches a month, spread over roughly 8 days.
What is the weather like in St. Louis in winter?
December to February is winter in St. Louis, and it is cold. Afternoons run 39–44°F and nights 24–29°F; January is the coldest month. Rain falls on about 6 days a month, adding up to around 2.6 inches. It is the driest season of the year.
What is the weather like in St. Louis in spring?
Spring in St. Louis (March to May) is wet and mild. March starts at 55°F by day and 37°F at night; by May it is 76°F and 58°F. Rain is steady at around 4.3 inches a month, spread over roughly 10 days. No season is wetter.
What is the weather like in St. Louis in autumn?
September to November is autumn in St. Louis, and it is mild. September still brings 80°F afternoons and 61°F nights, November only 55°F and 38°F. Rain falls on about 7 days a month, adding up to around 3.2 inches.
How many days a year does it rain in St. Louis?
On long-term average, St. Louis has about 92 days a year with at least 0.08 inches of rain or snow. The annual total is roughly 40.3 inches.

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