When is maple syrup season in Missouri?

Usually from mid-January to early February to early March. The exact start moves by weeks from year to year with the weather.

When should I tap my trees in Missouri?

Tap just before the first good run: when the forecast shows nights below freezing and days climbing to around 40°F. Tapholes dry up within 6 to 10 weeks, so tapping far too early can cost you the late runs.

Missouri · maple season dates

When to tap maple trees in Missouri

Maple season in Missouri usually opens mid-January to early February and winds down early March. Here's the long-run pattern, the year-by-year record, and what the forecast says right now.

Watch the forecastThe season usually opens mid-January to early February.

Opens: —; mid-January to early February
Closes: —; early March

Sap-flow outlook right now

Full Missouri forecast →

Forecast for Jackson

Updated Nov 10, 4:41 AM EST

2 sap days in the next 7

freeze thaw 32°F

TueNov 10
42° / 71°
No refreeze forecast
WedNov 11
45° / 72°
0h below · 24h above
No refreeze forecast
ThuNov 12
43° / 54°
0h below · 24h above
No refreeze forecast
FriNov 13
31° / 46°
1h below · 20h above
Maybe a light run
SatNov 14
26° / 50°
8h below · 15h above
Sap likely
SunNov 15
29° / 52°
5h below · 17h above
Sap likely
MonNov 16
34° / 56°
Run tapering

Data: National Weather Service. Verdicts use freeze-thaw thresholds from maple field research; your woods may run a little differently.

Timing your taps

How to know it's time in Missouri

Sap runs on a temperature swing, not a date. A night below freezing loads the tree; a day above freezing pushes sap out of the taphole. Field research treats a low under about 30°F followed by a high over about 37°F as a real freeze-thaw day, and big runs almost always come on days like that.

So watch the 10-day forecast. When you see a string of nights in the 20s and afternoons in the 40s, get your taps in a day or two ahead. South-facing slopes warm first and usually run earlier.

No NASS season data for Missouri. MU Extension describes an early sugaring season (late December to early February, with sweeter sap) and a later season (February to early March). The Missouri Department of Conservation says the best time to tap for most of the state is usually mid-to-late January or early February.

Seasons are shifting. Cornell researchers found that start dates for tapping maples in the Northeast are about a week earlier than in 1970, and projected they could arrive about a month earlier by 2100 — e.g., around Feb 1 instead of Mar 1 in Montpelier, Vermont (Skinner, DeGaetano & Chabot, Climatic Change, 2010).

Where Missouri's sugaring happens

JacksonCape Girardeau County reports the most taps of any Missouri county with published figures (1,075 of 3,091; 2022 Census of Agriculture); MU says sugar maples are most abundant in central and southeast Missouri.
ColumbiaCentral Missouri reference point in the Missouri River hills, where MU Extension says sugar maples are most abundant.

FAQ

Missouri tapping questions

When is maple syrup season in Missouri?: Usually from mid-January to early February to early March. The exact start moves by weeks from year to year with the weather.
When should I tap my trees in Missouri?: Tap just before the first good run: when the forecast shows nights below freezing and days climbing to around 40°F. Tapholes dry up within 6 to 10 weeks, so tapping far too early can cost you the late runs.

Missouri

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LuckySap · free on iPhone & Android

Get a heads-up when Missouri's sap will run

LuckySap checks the forecast for your trees and can ping you the night before a strong sap day, then keeps every collection and boil in one season log. Free on iPhone and Android.