Catharine reaches 100° on about 15 days a year, more than 93% of U.S. towns
The coldest hours of a January night bottom out at 18° on average. From frosty January to warm July, readings climb 74°. Its yearly precipitation falls short of 87% of U.S. towns. Keep the boiler serviced for the months from November to March, which average under 50°.
A year in Catharine at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Catharine’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Catharine’s place in Kansas beside it.
What a year in Catharine feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 171 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 25 and the first by October 15. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Hays 1 S, KS, 8 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Catharine’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 13 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Catharine 1nw, KS, falls mostly in February. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 25 inches a year; July is the wettest month and January the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 58 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Catharine
79% 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 Hays 1 S, KS.
Living with Catharine’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
171 frost-free days in zone 6b. The last frost comes by Apr 25 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 15.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: May, September and October.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Catharine from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (38%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 11%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Catharine and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Catharine yet.
Climates most like Catharine’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Catharine, KS | 18° | 93° | 25" | 13" |
| Perryton, TX | 22° | 94° | 21" | 14" |
| Woodward, OK | 22° | 95° | 26" | 15" |
| Harrisville, UT | 19° | 92° | 20" | 23" |
| Clovis, NM | 24° | 91° | 17" | 13" |
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 Catharine averaged 1.1° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in March (+3.0°).
A smaller shift than in 67% 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 Catharine compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Catharine’s place among Kansas’.
Catharine weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Catharine’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Catharine 1nw, KS. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 42° | 18° | 0.6" | 2.6" | 2 | 23° – 41° |
| February | 47° | 21° | 0.8" | 3.5" | 3 | 24° – 42° |
| March | 58° | 31° | 1.4" | 2.3" | 5 | 36° – 55° |
| April | 67° | 39° | 2.2" | 0.1" | 6 | 47° – 59° |
| May | 77° | 50° | 3.9" | 0.0" | 7 | 56° – 70° |
| June | 88° | 61° | 3.5" | 0.0" | 7 | 69° – 79° |
| July | 93° | 66° | 4.0" | 0.0" | 7 | 75° – 85° |
| August | 90° | 64° | 3.5" | 0.0" | 6 | 71° – 83° |
| September | 82° | 55° | 2.0" | 0.0" | 4 | 64° – 76° |
| October | 69° | 42° | 1.8" | 0.5" | 4 | 48° – 61° |
| November | 55° | 29° | 1.0" | 0.8" | 3 | 35° – 49° |
| December | 44° | 21° | 0.8" | 3.0" | 2 | 24° – 37° |
| Year | 68° | 42° | 25.4" | 12.8" | 58 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. January swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 23° to 41°. June is the most reliable, staying within 10°.
Where Catharine’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 Catharine’s center.
- Snow: Catharine 1nw, KS (NOAA station in town).
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Hays 1 S, KS, 8 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 Catharine’s climate
What is the weather like in Catharine?
A typical July afternoon reaches 93°, a January night drops to 18°, and about 13 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 68% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 90% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Catharine in winter?
January nights average 18°. About 138 nights a year reach 32° or below and 5 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 23°.
How much snow does Catharine get?
About 13 inches in a normal winter at Catharine 1nw, KS, most of it in February.
How hot does it get in Catharine?
July, with a typical high of 93° and a low of 66°. About 66 days a year reach 90° and 15 reach 100° (Hays 1 S, KS).
When is the first and last frost in Catharine?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 25 and the first fall frost by October 15, about 171 frost-free days, at Hays 1 S, KS.
What growing zone is Catharine 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 Catharine?
By one simple rule (highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more), May, September and October. The rule is ours, not NOAA’s; the month table has the numbers to judge by.
Is Catharine getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.1° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 67% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Catharine.
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.