Surrounded by flat or gently rolling tableland, Springfield is set atop the crest of the Missouri Ozark Mountain plateau. The climate is characterized as a plateau climate, with a milder winter and a cooler summer than in the upland plain or prairie. Springfield occupies a unique location for natural water drainage: the line separating two major water sheds crosses the north-central part of the city, causing drainage north of this line to flow into the Gasconade and Missouri Rivers; drainage to the south flows into the White and Mississippi Rivers. The average annual temperature range is over 140 degrees with lowest temperatures below minus 25 degrees and highest temperatures above 115 degrees.
Area: 73.16 square miles (2000)
Elevation: 1,268 feet above sea level
Average Temperatures: January, 32.5° F; July, 78.6° F; annual average, 56.2° F
Average Annual Precipitation: 41 inches of rain; 15 inches of snow