Stella, Missouri Weather
Fireflies pulse through the magnolias. Day 76 of spring. Read this microseason across nine climate regions →
Stella weather forecast — hour by hour, 7-day outlook, NOAA radar
- TodayJun 3Overcast——82°65°—
- ThursdayJun 4Overcast19%—83°67°+1°
- FridayJun 5Light Showers23%—82°69°-1°
- SaturdayJun 6Light Drizzle38%—80°67°-2°
- SundayJun 7Showers70%0.01″81°67°+1°
- MondayJun 8Thunderstorm49%—87°68°+6°
- TuesdayJun 9Overcast31%—93°71°+6°
Ozone at AQI 44 — peak already passed at 1 PM under partly cloudy skies. AQI up 7 over the last 6 hours (gradual rise). Levels should ease through evening.
OK No precautions needed for the general population; unusually sensitive individuals may consider limiting prolonged outdoor exertion.
What's driving it
Ozone × UV × Sky
Ozone at AQI 44 — peak already passed at 1 PM under partly cloudy skies. Levels should ease through evening.
- Present
- AQI 44
- UV peak
- 2.2 at earlier today
- Sky at peak
- partly cloudy
- Projected peak
- AQI 44
PM × Wind × Precip
PM2.5 at 5.5 µg/m³, PM10 at 6.7 µg/m³ — typical background levels with no transport signature.
- PM2.5/PM10
- 0.82
- Wind
- light
- Recent rain
- 0h in last 6h
- Pattern
- background
Trends
Seven days of AQI and PM2.5.
Hourly air-quality data from the Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service, charted across the past and next several days. Dashed lines mark the AQI breakpoints at 50 (Good → Moderate) and 100 (Moderate → Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups).
The higher the clouds, the finer the weather.
- Moonrise
- 3:57 AM
- Moonset
- 1:27 PM
- In sign
- ♑︎ Capricorn
Fireflies pulse through the magnolias
Stella at a glance
- Today vs. normal: 3°F above the seasonal normal for this latitude
- Last frost: March 28 (climatological average for this latitude)
- Microseason: Jun 1–5
- Planting window: Harvest spring lettuce before it bolts. Sow heat-tolerant greens.
Right now in the garden
Peak growing season
As of June 3, the growing season is at its peak — frost is months away. Continue succession-planting beans and summer squash. Start fall brassicas (broccoli, cabbage, kale) from seed indoors for transplanting in late summer.
SPC Convective Outlook
Storm Prediction Center — Stella
SPC has placed Stella in the General Thunderstorms category for severe thunderstorms tomorrow.
- TODAYNONENo severe risk
- TOMORROWTSTMGeneral Thunderstorms
- DAY 3TSTMGeneral Thunderstorms
Thunderstorms possible. Not severe, but capable of producing lightning and brief heavy rain.
Source: NOAA / NWS Storm Prediction Center categorical convective outlook. Outlooks are re-issued multiple times per day; this page reflects the most recent SPC polygons covering the city’s coordinates.
Planting calendar
| Month | Plant | Harvest |
|---|---|---|
| January | — | — |
| February | — | — |
| March | — | — |
| April | lettuce, peas, spinach, radishes | — |
| May | lettuce, peas, spinach, radishes, tomatoes, peppers, beans, squash | lettuce, peas, radishes |
| June | tomatoes, peppers, beans, squash | lettuce, peas, radishes |
| July | tomatoes, peppers, beans, squash | tomatoes, beans, summer squash |
| August | — | tomatoes, beans, summer squash |
| September | fall brassicas, garlic (overwinter), carrots | tomatoes, beans, summer squash |
| October | fall brassicas, garlic (overwinter), carrots | winter squash, tomatoes (last) |
| November | — | — |
| December | — | — |
A year in weather
Stella's warmest month is July (~80°F mean) and its coldest is January (~36°F). Rainfall peaks in May (6.7 inches) and bottoms out in February (2.4 inches).
| Month | Mean temp | Precip | Rainy days |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 36° | 2.5″ | 4 |
| February | 40° | 2.4″ | 4 |
| March | 49° | 3.7″ | 6 |
| April | 58° | 5.3″ | 7 |
| May | 67° | 6.7″ | 9 |
| June | 76° | 5.7″ | 7 |
| July | 80° | 4.2″ | 6 |
| August | 79° | 3.6″ | 5 |
| September | 71° | 5.0″ | 6 |
| October | 60° | 4.1″ | 6 |
| November | 49° | 3.7″ | 5 |
| December | 39° | 2.9″ | 4 |
Regional context
Stella's baseline climate, derived from NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 normals at the nearest reporting station, swings from a January mean of 36°F to a July mean of 80°F — a 44°F seasonal arc typical of the mid-latitude bands. Annual precipitation runs about 50 inches spread across roughly 67 days with measurable rain or snow each year.
Precipitation runs summer-dominant here: May averages 6.7 inches across 8.5 days with measurable rain, driven mostly by warm-season storms and thunderstorm activity, while February drops to just 2.4 inches across 4.2 rainy days under drier cool-season air. The warm-season-wet rhythm lines Stella up with places like Rocky Comfort, MO, Fairview, MO and Stark City, MO, where the May-September stretch delivers the bulk of the year's precipitation.
The frost-sensitive growing window opens around mid-April, when overnight lows reliably clear freezing for cool-season crops like peas, lettuce, spinach, and radishes. Heat-loving transplants like tomatoes, peppers, and squash generally hold off for another 10-14 days to clear the last spring frost risk window. The window closes around mid-November, when overnight lows resume dipping below freezing and frost-tender plants need protection or harvest. Those dates are 30-year averages; the actual frost-free window in a given year can vary by 10-14 days at either end. Neighborhood-scale variation in elevation and cold-air pooling means the practical last-frost date inside Stella can lag the regional mean by 5-10 days in low spots, and a bench position with good cold-air drainage can run a week ahead.
Similar climates: Rocky Comfort, MO, Fairview, MO, Stark City, MO, Wheaton, MO, Newtonia, MO.
Frequently asked
- When does it freeze in Stella?
- Stella's last spring frost typically falls around mid-April, and the first fall frost arrives around mid-November.
- What is the rainy season in Stella?
- May is the wettest month with about 6.7 inches of rain on average; the city receives roughly 50 inches annually.
- What is the warmest month in Stella?
- July is typically warmest, averaging about 80°F.
- What is the coldest month in Stella?
- January is typically coldest, averaging about 36°F.
- When can I start a vegetable garden in Stella?
- Cool-season crops (peas, lettuce) can be sown around the last spring frost (mid-April); warm-season crops (tomatoes, peppers) wait until 1–2 weeks after.
- How many rainy days does Stella get?
- Stella averages about 67 rainy days per year.
- What hardiness zone is Stella?
- Stella's USDA hardiness zone is determined by its lowest average winter temperature; check the USDA's online lookup with the city ZIP for the current zone designation.
Climate
Stella, Missouri sits in a humid subtropical climate zone. January means hover near 36°F while July averages 80°F — a 44°F seasonal swing.
Across the year, Stella receives about 50 inches of precipitation spread over roughly 67 rainy days.
The rhythm of the year is set by latitude (36.8°N), proximity to large water bodies, and elevation — all of which shape what grows here, when frost is likely, and what the weather story looks like day to day.