30-year climate normals

Polk County Climate and Weather Averages

Hottest month — July

89.1°

average daily high. The coldest month is January, averaging a low of 21.7°F.

Polk County gets 46.38" of precipitation a year, and 34% of it falls in Apr, May, Jun.

Temperature through the year

Each bar spans the average daily low to the average daily high for that month.

Month	Avg high	Avg low	Precip
January	42.8°	21.7°	2.31"
February	47.9°	25.4°	2.25"
March	57.5°	34.0°	3.59"
April	67.6°	43.5°	4.96"
May	75.9°	54.2°	5.90"
June	84.3°	63.0°	4.88"
July	89.1°	67.0°	4.62"
August	88.4°	65.2°	3.71"
September	81.0°	56.6°	4.25"
October	69.8°	44.5°	3.79"
November	57.1°	34.3°	3.42"
December	46.4°	25.7°	2.70"

Rainfall by month

Precipitation is spread fairly evenly through the year here, with 34% falling in the wettest three months (Apr, May, Jun).

January 2.31"

February 2.25"

March 3.59"

April 4.96"

May 5.90"

June 4.88"

July 4.62"

August 3.71"

September 4.25"

October 3.79"

November 3.42"

December 2.70"

Annual total 46.38"

What this climate costs you

Degree days measure how hard a building has to work to stay comfortable. They are the reason two identical houses have very different power bills, and they are the link between the weather here and what you pay every month.

Cooling degree days How much air conditioning the climate demands 1,366

Heating degree days How much heating the climate demands 4,630

Approximate annual cooling cost At 13.68¢/kWh, Missouri average $187

Approximate annual electric heating cost Lower where heating is gas rather than electric $222

These are rough planning figures from degree days and the state electricity price, not a bill estimate. House size, insulation and fuel type move them a lot. See the full cost of owning a home in Polk County, where electricity is one line of eight.

Common questions

What is the weather like in Polk County?

Polk County averages a high of 89.1°F in July and a low of 21.7°F in January. Annual precipitation is 46.38 inches, with essentially no snow.

When is the rainy season in Polk County?

The wettest stretch is Apr, May, Jun, which accounts for 34% of the year's precipitation. Precipitation is relatively evenly distributed across the year.

How hot does it get in Polk County?

The average daily high in July, the hottest month, is 89.1°F. That drives 1,366 cooling degree days a year, which is what your air conditioning has to work against.

Does it snow in Polk County?

Effectively no. Measurable snowfall is rare in Polk County.

Sources

Temperature, precipitation and snowfall normals — NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, 1991–2020 Monthly Climate Normals, station BOLIVAR 1 NE, MO US (USC00230789), 0.5 miles from the county centroid.
Heating and cooling degree days — NOAA, same station and period.
Electricity price — US Energy Information Administration, Electric Power Monthly Table 5.6.A, Missouri residential average.
Wet-season share is the wettest three consecutive months as a percentage of annual precipitation, calculated from the monthly normals.