Alta Township reaches 100° on about 14 days a year, more than 93% of U.S. towns
January mornings start at about 21°. Temperatures cover 72° across the year, low to high. Precipitation is light here, less than falls on 84% of U.S. towns. Seedlings are safe outdoors from about April 21, with the first autumn frost due around October 18.
A year in Alta Township at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Alta Township’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Alta Township’s place in Kansas beside it.
What a year in Alta Township feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 180 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 21 and the first by October 18. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Hutchinson Muni Airport, 13 miles from the town’s center, 100 ft higher.
The 2023 USDA map puts Alta Township’s center in zone 6b: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about 0°. 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 12 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Inman 5sw, KS, falls mostly in January. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 32 inches a year; May is the wettest month and January the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 82 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Alta Township
75% of the work is heating. Months averaging under 55° run from November through March.
Degree days add up how far each day’s average falls below (heating) or rises above (cooling) 65° over a year. NOAA normals at Hutchinson Muni Airport.
Living with Alta Township’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
180 frost-free days in zone 6b. The last frost comes by Apr 21 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 18.
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 Township from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (42%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 14%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Alta Township and its neighbors
Every town next door is within a degree of Alta Township in January and July, closer than the 5 km grid can tell apart. Tap a town to see its climate.
Climates most like Alta Township’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 Township, KS | 21° | 93° | 32" | 12" |
| Woodward, OK | 22° | 95° | 26" | 15" |
| Pampa, TX | 24° | 93° | 22" | 16" |
| Kansas City, MO | 20° | 89° | 39" | 11" |
| Beatrice, NE | 15° | 88° | 31" | 19" |
Temperatures and rain come from NOAA’s 5 km grid, so each town gets its own value. Snow and frost-free days come from the nearest weather station, so neighbors often share them.
Warmer than it used to be
The last 30 years in Alta Township averaged 1.1° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in January (+2.7°).
A smaller shift than in 71% 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 Township compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Alta Township’s place among Kansas’.
Alta Township weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Alta Township’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Inman 5sw, KS. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 43° | 21° | 0.8" | 3.5" | 5 | 3 | 27° – 43° |
| February | 48° | 24° | 1.2" | 1.9" | 5 | 2 | 29° – 45° |
| March | 58° | 34° | 2.2" | 2.3" | 7 | 1 | 39° – 57° |
| April | 68° | 43° | 2.7" | 0.3" | 9 | 0 | 49° – 62° |
| May | 77° | 53° | 5.0" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 59° – 73° |
| June | 88° | 64° | 4.6" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 70° – 81° |
| July | 93° | 68° | 3.9" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 76° – 88° |
| August | 91° | 67° | 3.7" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 72° – 85° |
| September | 83° | 58° | 2.7" | 0.0" | 6 | 0 | 65° – 77° |
| October | 70° | 45° | 2.5" | 0.0" | 6 | 0 | 50° – 63° |
| November | 56° | 32° | 1.5" | 0.7" | 5 | 1 | 37° – 52° |
| December | 45° | 23° | 1.2" | 3.1" | 5 | 2 | 23° – 39° |
| Year | 68° | 44° | 32.1" | 11.8" | 82 | 9 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. March swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 39° to 57°. June is the most reliable, staying within 11°.
Where Alta Township’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 Township’s center.
- Snow: Inman 5sw, KS.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Hutchinson Muni Airport, 13 miles from the town’s center, 100 ft higher; 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 Township’s climate
What is the weather like in Alta Township?
A typical July afternoon reaches 93°, a January night drops to 21°, and about 12 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 56% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 90% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Alta Township in winter?
January nights average 21°. About 124 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 27°.
How much snow does Alta Township get?
About 12 inches in a normal winter at Inman 5sw, KS, most of it in January, with snow on the ground about 9 days a year.
How hot does it get in Alta Township?
July, with a typical high of 93° and a low of 68°. About 67 days a year reach 90° and 14 reach 100° (Hutchinson Muni Airport).
When is the first and last frost in Alta Township?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 21 and the first fall frost by October 18, about 180 frost-free days, at Hutchinson Muni Airport.
What growing zone is Alta Township in?
Zone 6b on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about 0°.
What is the best time of year to visit Alta Township?
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 Township getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.1° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 71% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Alta Township.
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.