New Madrid has a humid subtropical climate (Köppen "Cfa") with hot, humid summers and chilly, though not severe winters. Winter weather can vary from very mild and rainy when air masses from the Gulf of Mexico predominate, to very cold, dry and windy with northerly or northwesterly airflows as in the famous cold month of January 1977. On average there are 82 nights which fall to or below , whilst one night falls to or below , and the coldest temperature ever has been on January 17, 1982. The hottest has been record on August 4, 1964, whilst an average of 2.9 days exceed .