Climate and Average Weather Year Round in Central United States

In Central, the summers are hot and muggy, the winters are cold, and it is wet and partly cloudy year round. Over the course of the year, the temperature typically varies from 34°F to 90°F and is rarely below 22°F or above 97°F.

Based on the tourism score, the best times of year to visit Central for warm-weather activities are from early May to early June and from late August to mid October.

The hot season lasts for 3.7 months, from May 24 to September 14, with an average daily high temperature above 83°F. The hottest month of the year in Central is July, with an average high of 90°F and low of 70°F.

The cool season lasts for 3.0 months, from November 26 to February 26, with an average daily high temperature below 60°F. The coldest month of the year in Central is January, with an average low of 35°F and high of 53°F.

In Central, the average percentage of the sky covered by clouds experiences mild seasonal variation over the course of the year.

The clearer part of the year in Central begins around July 29 and lasts for 3.7 months, ending around November 20.

The clearest month of the year in Central is October, during which on average the sky is clear, mostly clear, or partly cloudy 66% of the time.

The cloudier part of the year begins around November 20 and lasts for 8.3 months, ending around July 29.

The cloudiest month of the year in Central is January, during which on average the sky is overcast or mostly cloudy 49% of the time.

A wet day is one with at least 0.04 inches of liquid or liquid-equivalent precipitation. The chance of wet days in Central varies throughout the year.

The wetter season lasts 3.5 months, from May 11 to August 28, with a greater than 34% chance of a given day being a wet day. The month with the most wet days in Central is July, with an average of 13.8 days with at least 0.04 inches of precipitation.

The drier season lasts 8.5 months, from August 28 to May 11. The month with the fewest wet days in Central is October, with an average of 7.1 days with at least 0.04 inches of precipitation.

Among wet days, we distinguish between those that experience rain alone, snow alone, or a mixture of the two. The month with the most days of rain alone in Central is July, with an average of 13.8 days. Based on this categorization, the most common form of precipitation throughout the year is rain alone, with a peak probability of 46% on July 16.

Rainfall

To show variation within the months and not just the monthly totals, we show the rainfall accumulated over a sliding 31-day period centered around each day of the year. Central experiences some seasonal variation in monthly rainfall.

Rain falls throughout the year in Central. The month with the most rain in Central is March, with an average rainfall of 4.4 inches.

The month with the least rain in Central is May, with an average rainfall of 3.3 inches.

Snowfall

As with rainfall, we consider the snowfall accumulated over a sliding 31-day period centered around each day of the year. Central experiences some seasonal variation in monthly snowfall.

The snowy period of the year lasts for 2.1 months, from December 18 to February 23, with a sliding 31-day snowfall of at least 1.0 inches. The month with the most snow in Central is January, with an average snowfall of 1.9 inches.

The snowless period of the year lasts for 9.9 months, from February 23 to December 18. The least snow falls around July 14, with an average total accumulation of 0.0 inches.

The length of the day in Central varies significantly over the course of the year. In 2024, the shortest day is December 21, with 9 hours, 50 minutes of daylight; the longest day is June 20, with 14 hours, 29 minutes of daylight.

The earliest sunrise is at 6:17 AM on June 12, and the latest sunrise is 1 hour, 36 minutes later at 7:53 AM on November 2. The earliest sunset is at 5:19 PM on December 5, and the latest sunset is 3 hours, 29 minutes later at 8:48 PM on June 28.

Daylight saving time (DST) is observed in Central during 2024, starting in the spring on March 10, lasting 7.8 months, and ending in the fall on November 3.

The figure below presents a compact representation of key lunar data for 2024. The horizontal axis is the day, the vertical axis is the hour of the day, and the colored areas indicate when the moon is above the horizon. The vertical gray bars (new Moons) and blue bars (full Moons) indicate key Moon phases.

We base the humidity comfort level on the dew point, as it determines whether perspiration will evaporate from the skin, thereby cooling the body. Lower dew points feel drier and higher dew points feel more humid. Unlike temperature, which typically varies significantly between night and day, dew point tends to change more slowly, so while the temperature may drop at night, a muggy day is typically followed by a muggy night.

Central experiences extreme seasonal variation in the perceived humidity.

The muggier period of the year lasts for 4.4 months, from May 17 to September 29, during which time the comfort level is muggy, oppressive, or miserable at least 21% of the time. The month with the most muggy days in Central is July, with 25.5 days that are muggy or worse.

The month with the fewest muggy days in Central is February, with 0.0 days that are muggy or worse.

This section discusses the wide-area hourly average wind vector (speed and direction) at 10 meters above the ground. The wind experienced at any given location is highly dependent on local topography and other factors, and instantaneous wind speed and direction vary more widely than hourly averages.

The average hourly wind speed in Central experiences mild seasonal variation over the course of the year.

The windier part of the year lasts for 6.7 months, from October 25 to May 14, with average wind speeds of more than 4.4 miles per hour. The windiest month of the year in Central is March, with an average hourly wind speed of 5.4 miles per hour.

The calmer time of year lasts for 5.3 months, from May 14 to October 25. The calmest month of the year in Central is August, with an average hourly wind speed of 3.5 miles per hour.

The predominant average hourly wind direction in Central varies throughout the year.

The wind is most often from the east for 1.8 months, from August 8 to October 3, with a peak percentage of 38% on September 6. The wind is most often from the north for 1.5 months, from October 3 to November 18, with a peak percentage of 32% on October 14. The wind is most often from the west for 8.7 months, from November 18 to August 8, with a peak percentage of 37% on January 1.

To characterize how pleasant the weather is in Central throughout the year, we compute two travel scores.

The tourism score favors clear, rainless days with perceived temperatures between 65°F and 80°F. Based on this score, the best times of year to visit Central for general outdoor tourist activities are from early May to early June and from late August to mid October, with a peak score in the third week of September.

The beach/pool score favors clear, rainless days with perceived temperatures between 75°F and 90°F. Based on this score, the best time of year to visit Central for hot-weather activities is from mid June to mid September, with a peak score in the second week of August.

Methodology

For each hour between 8:00 AM and 9:00 PM of each day in the analysis period (1980 to 2016), independent scores are computed for perceived temperature, cloud cover, and total precipitation. Those scores are combined into a single hourly composite score, which is then aggregated into days, averaged over all the years in the analysis period, and smoothed.

Our cloud cover score is 10 for fully clear skies, falling linearly to 9 for mostly clear skies, and to 1 for fully overcast skies.

Our precipitation score, which is based on the three-hour precipitation centered on the hour in question, is 10 for no precipitation, falling linearly to 9 for trace precipitation, and to 0 for 0.04 inches of precipitation or more.

Our tourism temperature score is 0 for perceived temperatures below 50°F, rising linearly to 9 for 65°F, to 10 for 75°F, falling linearly to 9 for 80°F, and to 1 for 90°F or hotter.

Our beach/pool temperature score is 0 for perceived temperatures below 65°F, rising linearly to 9 for 75°F, to 10 for 82°F, falling linearly to 9 for 90°F, and to 1 for 100°F or hotter.

Definitions of the growing season vary throughout the world, but for the purposes of this report, we define it as the longest continuous period of non-freezing temperatures (≥ 32°F) in the year (the calendar year in the Northern Hemisphere, or from July 1 until June 30 in the Southern Hemisphere).

The growing season in Central typically lasts for 7.7 months (234 days), from around March 21 to around November 11, rarely starting before March 2 or after April 11, and rarely ending before October 24 or after November 29.

Growing degree days are a measure of yearly heat accumulation used to predict plant and animal development, and defined as the integral of warmth above a base temperature, discarding any excess above a maximum temperature. In this report, we use a base of 50°F and a cap of 86°F.

Based on growing degree days alone, the first spring blooms in Central should appear around February 15, only rarely appearing before January 29 or after March 2.

This section discusses the total daily incident shortwave solar energy reaching the surface of the ground over a wide area, taking full account of seasonal variations in the length of the day, the elevation of the Sun above the horizon, and absorption by clouds and other atmospheric constituents. Shortwave radiation includes visible light and ultraviolet radiation.

The average daily incident shortwave solar energy experiences significant seasonal variation over the course of the year.

The brighter period of the year lasts for 4.4 months, from April 12 to August 25, with an average daily incident shortwave energy per square meter above 6.0 kWh. The brightest month of the year in Central is June, with an average of 6.8 kWh.

The darker period of the year lasts for 2.9 months, from November 10 to February 6, with an average daily incident shortwave energy per square meter below 3.4 kWh. The darkest month of the year in Central is December, with an average of 2.6 kWh.

For the purposes of this report, the geographical coordinates of Central are 34.724 deg latitude, -82.781 deg longitude, and 909 ft elevation.

The topography within 2 miles of Central contains only modest variations in elevation, with a maximum elevation change of 299 feet and an average elevation above sea level of 826 feet. Within 10 miles contains only modest variations in elevation (958 feet). Within 50 miles contains very significant variations in elevation (6,030 feet).

The area within 2 miles of Central is covered by trees (70%), artificial surfaces (15%), and cropland (12%), within 10 miles by trees (61%) and cropland (21%), and within 50 miles by trees (71%) and cropland (20%).