Bolton Township reaches 100° on about 11 days a year, more than 91% of U.S. towns
Deep winter brings January lows near 24°. It is a dry place: less rain and snow fall here than on 70% of U.S. towns. Warming shows here too: 0.7° more than in 1901–2000, led by January. Homes need heating from November to March, the months averaging under 50°.
A year in Bolton Township at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Bolton Township’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Bolton Township’s place in Kansas beside it.
What a year in Bolton Township feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 192 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 16 and the first by October 26. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Newkirk 5ne, OK, 7 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Bolton Township’s 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 6 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Arkansas City, KS, falls mostly in January and December. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 37 inches a year; May is the wettest month and January the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 85 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Bolton Township
73% 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 Newkirk 5ne, OK.
Living with Bolton Township’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
192 frost-free days in zone 7a. The last frost comes by Apr 16 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 26.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: April, May, September and October. 10 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Bolton Township from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (31%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 25%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Bolton Township and its neighbors
Every town next door is within a degree of Bolton Township in January and July, closer than the 5 km grid can tell apart. Tap a town to see its climate.
Climates most like Bolton 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bolton Township, KS | 24° | 93° | 37" | 6.2" |
| Pauls Valley, OK | 28° | 95° | 38" | 3.8" |
| Clinton, MO | 22° | 89° | 42" | 11" |
| Columbia, IL | 24° | 89° | 42" | 8.8" |
| Fredericksburg, VA | 25° | 89° | 43" | 11" |
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 Bolton Township averaged 0.7° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in January (+2.4°).
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 Bolton Township compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Bolton Township’s place among Kansas’.
Bolton Township weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Bolton Township’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Arkansas City, KS. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 46° | 24° | 1.0" | 1.8" | 5 | 2 | 30° – 45° |
| February | 51° | 27° | 1.4" | 1.1" | 6 | 1 | 32° – 47° |
| March | 61° | 36° | 2.7" | 1.1" | 7 | 1 | 42° – 59° |
| April | 70° | 45° | 3.6" | 0.1" | 8 | 0 | 51° – 64° |
| May | 78° | 55° | 5.5" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 62° – 74° |
| June | 88° | 65° | 5.2" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 71° – 82° |
| July | 93° | 70° | 4.2" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 76° – 89° |
| August | 91° | 68° | 4.2" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 73° – 86° |
| September | 84° | 60° | 2.9" | 0.0" | 6 | 0 | 67° – 79° |
| October | 72° | 48° | 3.4" | 0.0" | 7 | 0 | 52° – 66° |
| November | 59° | 36° | 1.9" | 0.2" | 6 | 0 | 41° – 55° |
| December | 48° | 26° | 1.5" | 1.9" | 5 | 2 | 26° – 42° |
| Year | 70° | 47° | 37.4" | 6.2" | 85 | 7 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. March swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 42° to 59°. June is the most reliable, staying within 11°.
Where Bolton 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 Bolton Township’s center.
- Snow: Arkansas City, KS.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Newkirk 5ne, OK, 7 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 Bolton Township’s climate
What is the weather like in Bolton Township?
A typical July afternoon reaches 93°, a January night drops to 24°, and about 6 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Milder January nights than 58% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 90% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Bolton Township in winter?
January nights average 24°. About 98 nights a year reach 32° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 30°.
How much snow does Bolton Township get?
About 6.2 inches in a normal winter at Arkansas City, KS, most of it in January and December, with snow on the ground about 7 days a year.
How hot does it get in Bolton Township?
July, with a typical high of 93° and a low of 70°. About 61 days a year reach 90° and 11 reach 100° (Newkirk 5ne, OK).
When is the first and last frost in Bolton Township?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 16 and the first fall frost by October 26, about 192 frost-free days, at Newkirk 5ne, OK.
What growing zone is Bolton Township 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 Bolton 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 Bolton Township 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 Bolton 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.