Baxter Springs Independent Oil and Gas Service Station · Photo: Vanessa Ezekowitz · CC BY-SA 3.0Baxter Springs has warmer summer afternoons than 82% of U.S. towns
January mornings start at about 25°. Winters are mild: January nights here are milder than in 64% of U.S. towns. Warming shows here too: 0.7° more than in 1901–2000, led by March. Keep the boiler serviced for the months from November to March, which average under 50°.
A year in Baxter Springs at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Baxter Springs’ climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Baxter Springs’ place in Kansas beside it.
What a year in Baxter Springs feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 208 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 5 and the first by October 31. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Columbus, KS, 12 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Baxter Springs’ center in zone 7a: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about 3°. 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 7 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Columbus, KS, falls mostly in January and December. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 45 inches a year; May is the wettest month and February the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 102 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Baxter Springs
74% 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 Columbus, KS.
Living with Baxter Springs’ climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
208 frost-free days in zone 7a. The last frost comes by Apr 5 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 31.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: April, May, September and October. 0.1 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Baxter Springs from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (52%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 14%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Baxter Springs and its neighbors
Every town next door is within a degree of Baxter Springs in January and July, closer than the 5 km grid can tell apart. Tap a town to see its climate.
Climates most like Baxter Springs’, 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Baxter Springs, KS | 25° | 91° | 45" | 7.2" |
| East Highland Park, VA | 28° | 90° | 46" | 8.8" |
| Cape Girardeau, MO | 26° | 89° | 48" | 7.5" |
| Washington, DC | 27° | 89° | 44" | 5.8" |
| Fruitland, MD | 27° | 89° | 46" | 8.0" |
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 Baxter Springs averaged 0.7° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in March (+1.8°).
A smaller shift than in 94% 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 Baxter Springs compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Baxter Springs’ place among Kansas’.
Baxter Springs weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Baxter Springs’ center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Columbus, KS. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 46° | 25° | 2.0" | 2.3" | 7 | 4 | 30° – 46° |
| February | 51° | 29° | 1.9" | 1.1" | 6 | 1 | 32° – 48° |
| March | 60° | 38° | 3.3" | 1.3" | 10 | 1 | 43° – 60° |
| April | 70° | 47° | 4.8" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 52° – 65° |
| May | 78° | 56° | 6.5" | 0.0" | 12 | 0 | 63° – 74° |
| June | 86° | 65° | 5.2" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 71° – 81° |
| July | 91° | 70° | 3.8" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 75° – 88° |
| August | 90° | 68° | 3.7" | 0.0" | 7 | 0 | 72° – 84° |
| September | 83° | 59° | 4.4" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 66° – 78° |
| October | 71° | 47° | 3.9" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 53° – 65° |
| November | 59° | 37° | 3.3" | 0.2" | 8 | 0 | 41° – 56° |
| December | 49° | 29° | 2.4" | 2.3" | 7 | 3 | 26° – 45° |
| Year | 69° | 48° | 45.2" | 7.2" | 102 | 8 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. December swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 26° to 45°. June is the most reliable, staying within 10°.
Where Baxter Springs’ 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 Baxter Springs’ center.
- Snow: Columbus, KS.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Columbus, KS, 12 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height; 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 Baxter Springs’ climate
What is the weather like in Baxter Springs?
A typical July afternoon reaches 91°, a January night drops to 25°, and about 7 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Milder January nights than 64% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 82% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Baxter Springs in winter?
January nights average 25°. About 95 nights a year reach 32° or below and 1 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 30°.
How much snow does Baxter Springs get?
About 7.2 inches in a normal winter at Columbus, KS, most of it in January and December, with snow on the ground about 8 days a year.
How hot does it get in Baxter Springs?
July, with a typical high of 91° and a low of 70°. About 46 days a year reach 90° and 4 reach 100° (Columbus, KS).
When is the first and last frost in Baxter Springs?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 5 and the first fall frost by October 31, about 208 frost-free days, at Columbus, KS.
What growing zone is Baxter Springs in?
Zone 7a on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about 3°.
What is the best time of year to visit Baxter Springs?
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 Baxter Springs getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 0.7° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 94% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Baxter Springs.
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.