Photo: Unknown authorUnknown author · Public domainAlta Vista is drier than 75% of U.S. towns: 36 inches of precipitation a year
On a normal July day the thermometer tops out near 89°. Summer afternoons here are warmer than in 74% of U.S. towns. Compared with 1901–2000, the average now sits 1.0° higher. If you like long walks, April, May, September and October offer highs of 66–80°.
A year in Alta Vista at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Alta Vista’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Alta Vista’s place in Kansas beside it.
What a year in Alta Vista feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 194 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 11 and the first by October 25. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Council Grove Lake, KS, 13 miles from the town’s center, 110 ft lower.
The 2023 USDA map puts Alta Vista’s center in zone 6b: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −5°. Plant labels use the zone; frost dates tell you when to plant.
Freezing nights by month
Average nights at or below 32°
90° days by month
Average days at 90° or more
About 17 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Alta Vista, KS, falls mostly in January. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 36 inches a year; May is the wettest month and January the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 83 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Alta Vista
76% of the work is heating. Months averaging under 55° run from November through April.
Degree days add up how far each day’s average falls below (heating) or rises above (cooling) 65° over a year. NOAA normals at Council Grove Lake, KS.
Living with Alta Vista’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
194 frost-free days in zone 6b. The last frost comes by Apr 11 in half of years, so many gardeners wait a week or two past that to set out tomatoes. The first fall frost comes by Oct 25.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: April, May, September and October.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Alta Vista from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (57%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 9%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Alta Vista and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Alta Vista yet.
Climates most like Alta Vista’s, farther away
TownRatings’ own comparison of NOAA 1991–2020 normals, not a NOAA product: places of 5,000+ at least 150 miles away, one per state, closest on January low, July high, precipitation and snow.
| Town | Jan. low | July high | Precip. | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alta Vista, KS | 19° | 89° | 36" | 17" |
| Trenton, MO | 17° | 88° | 39" | 17" |
| Jacksonville, IL | 19° | 87° | 39" | 16" |
| Cumberland, MD | 23° | 88° | 40" | 29" |
| Martinsburg, WV | 23° | 87° | 40" | 23" |
Temperatures and precipitation come from NOAA’s 5 km grid; snow and day counts from the stations named on this page.
Warmer than it used to be
The last 30 years in Alta Vista averaged 1.0° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in January (+2.5°).
A smaller shift than in 77% of U.S. towns.
Change by month
The two periods overlap (1991–2000 is in both), which makes the gap a little smaller than it would be between separate periods.
How Alta Vista compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Alta Vista’s place among Kansas’.
Alta Vista weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Alta Vista’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Alta Vista, KS. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 39° | 19° | 0.8" | 4.7" | 5 | 10 | 23° – 41° |
| February | 45° | 23° | 1.3" | 4.1" | 5 | 6 | 26° – 43° |
| March | 56° | 33° | 2.3" | 1.5" | 7 | 2 | 37° – 57° |
| April | 66° | 42° | 3.5" | 0.2" | 9 | 0 | 47° – 60° |
| May | 75° | 53° | 5.2" | 0.1" | 10 | 0 | 58° – 73° |
| June | 84° | 63° | 5.0" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 68° – 79° |
| July | 89° | 67° | 4.6" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 73° – 85° |
| August | 88° | 66° | 4.3" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 71° – 84° |
| September | 80° | 56° | 3.1" | 0.0" | 7 | 0 | 63° – 75° |
| October | 68° | 44° | 2.6" | 0.5" | 6 | 0 | 49° – 61° |
| November | 54° | 32° | 1.7" | 1.7" | 5 | 2 | 36° – 51° |
| December | 42° | 23° | 1.3" | 3.8" | 5 | 6 | 20° – 38° |
| Year | 66° | 43° | 35.5" | 16.6" | 83 | 26 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. March swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 37° to 57°. June is the most reliable, staying within 11°.
Where Alta Vista’s numbers come from
Normals are 30-year averages, not a forecast. How TownRatings reads climate data →
- Temperatures and precipitation: NOAA’s gridded 1991–2020 normals for the 5 km cell at Alta Vista’s center.
- Snow: Alta Vista, KS (NOAA station in town).
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Council Grove Lake, KS, 13 miles from the town’s center, 110 ft lower; the nearest station that passes our checks for distance, height and agreement with the grid.
- Growing zone: USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map, 2023. USDA Agricultural Research Service and PRISM Group, Oregon State University, prism.oregonstate.edu/phzm, accessed 8 Oct 2026.
- Then and now: NOAA’s gridded normals for 1901–2000 at the same cell.
- Storms and extremes: FEMA National Risk Index (expected annual losses to buildings).
Common questions about Alta Vista’s climate
What is the weather like in Alta Vista?
A typical July afternoon reaches 89°, a January night drops to 19°, and about 17 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 63% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 74% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Alta Vista in winter?
January nights average 19°. About 120 nights a year reach 32° or below and 3 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 23°.
How much snow does Alta Vista get?
About 17 inches in a normal winter at Alta Vista, KS, most of it in January, with snow on the ground about 26 days a year.
How hot does it get in Alta Vista?
July, with a typical high of 89° and a low of 67°. About 47 days a year reach 90° and 7 reach 100° (Council Grove Lake, KS).
When is the first and last frost in Alta Vista?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 11 and the first fall frost by October 25, about 194 frost-free days, at Council Grove Lake, KS.
What growing zone is Alta Vista in?
Zone 6b on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −5°.
What is the best time of year to visit Alta Vista?
By one simple rule (highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more), April, May, September and October. The rule is ours, not NOAA’s; the month table has the numbers to judge by.
Is Alta Vista getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.0° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 77% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Alta Vista.
Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020 and 1901–2000; USDA/PRISM 2023 hardiness zones; FEMA National Risk Index. Today’s forecast: National Weather Service.