Photo: Steve Meirowsky (Wikipedia) (Flickr) · CC BY-SA 3.0Burns has warmer summer afternoons than 80% of U.S. towns
January mornings start at about 21°. Precipitation is light here, less than falls on 73% of U.S. towns. Decade by decade the climate has edged up, 0.9° above 1901–2000. For walks and days out, April, May, September and October bring highs of 67–81°.
A year in Burns at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Burns’ climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Burns’ place in Kansas beside it.
What a year in Burns feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 176 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 22 and the first by October 17. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Florence, KS, 11 miles from the town’s center, 200 ft lower.
The 2023 USDA map puts Burns’ center in zone 6b: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −1°. 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 9 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Burns 1s, KS, falls mostly in 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 67 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Burns
78% 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 Florence, KS.
Living with Burns’ climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
176 frost-free days in zone 6b. The last frost comes by Apr 22 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 17.
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 Burns from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (40%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 19%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Burns and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Burns yet.
Climates most like Burns’, 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Burns, KS | 21° | 91° | 37" | 9.4" |
| Clinton, MO | 22° | 89° | 42" | 11" |
| Collinsville, IL | 23° | 89° | 42" | 11" |
| Sapulpa, OK | 27° | 93° | 41" | 8.7" |
| Fredericksburg, VA | 25° | 89° | 43" | 11" |
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 Burns averaged 0.9° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in January (+2.4°).
A smaller shift than in 83% 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 Burns compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Burns’ place among Kansas’.
Burns weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Burns’ center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Burns 1s, KS. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 42° | 21° | 0.8" | 2.4" | 3 | 1 | 26° – 43° |
| February | 47° | 25° | 1.5" | 1.6" | 4 | 1 | 27° – 45° |
| March | 57° | 34° | 2.4" | 0.9" | 6 | 0 | 38° – 57° |
| April | 67° | 44° | 3.4" | 0.5" | 7 | 0 | 48° – 62° |
| May | 76° | 54° | 5.4" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 59° – 73° |
| June | 85° | 64° | 5.0" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 69° – 79° |
| July | 91° | 68° | 4.5" | 0.0" | 6 | 0 | 75° – 87° |
| August | 89° | 67° | 4.1" | 0.0" | 7 | 0 | 71° – 86° |
| September | 81° | 58° | 3.5" | 0.0" | 6 | 0 | 65° – 77° |
| October | 69° | 46° | 2.9" | 0.1" | 5 | 0 | 50° – 63° |
| November | 56° | 34° | 1.7" | 1.0" | 4 | 0 | 38° – 53° |
| December | 44° | 24° | 1.3" | 2.9" | 3 | 1 | 22° – 39° |
| Year | 67° | 45° | 36.5" | 9.4" | 67 | 3 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. March swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 38° to 57°. June is the most reliable, staying within 11°.
Where Burns’ 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 Burns’ center.
- Snow: Burns 1s, KS (NOAA station in town).
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Florence, KS, 11 miles from the town’s center, 200 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 Burns’ climate
What is the weather like in Burns?
A typical July afternoon reaches 91°, a January night drops to 21°, and about 9 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 53% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 80% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Burns in winter?
January nights average 21°. About 119 nights a year reach 32° or below and 2 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 26°.
How much snow does Burns get?
About 9.4 inches in a normal winter at Burns 1s, KS, most of it in December, with snow on the ground about 3 days a year.
How hot does it get in Burns?
July, with a typical high of 91° and a low of 68°. About 52 days a year reach 90° and 9 reach 100° (Florence, KS).
When is the first and last frost in Burns?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 22 and the first fall frost by October 17, about 176 frost-free days, at Florence, KS.
What growing zone is Burns in?
Zone 6b on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −1°.
What is the best time of year to visit Burns?
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 Burns getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 0.9° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 83% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Burns.
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.