Cheney reaches 100° on about 15 days a year, more than 93% of U.S. towns
A typical July afternoon reaches 93°, a January night drops to 22°, and about 7 inches of snow falls in a normal winter.
A year in Cheney at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Cheney’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Cheney’s place in Kansas beside it.
What a year in Cheney feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 201 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 12 and the first by October 29. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Norwich, KS, 13 miles from the town’s center, 120 ft higher.
The 2023 USDA map puts Cheney’s center in zone 7a: 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 7 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Cheney 5n, KS, falls mostly in February. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 33 inches a year; May is the wettest month and January the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 81 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Cheney
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 Norwich, KS.
Living with Cheney’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
201 frost-free days in zone 7a. The last frost comes by Apr 12 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 29.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: April, May, September and October. 4.2 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Cheney from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (33%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 27%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Cheney and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Cheney yet.
Climates most like Cheney’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cheney, KS | 22° | 93° | 33" | 6.5" |
| Weatherford, OK | 26° | 95° | 31" | 5.7" |
| Perryton, TX | 22° | 94° | 21" | 14" |
| Kansas City, MO | 20° | 89° | 39" | 11" |
| Columbia, IL | 24° | 89° | 42" | 8.8" |
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 Cheney averaged 1.0° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in January (+2.6°).
A smaller shift than in 80% 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 Cheney compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Cheney’s place among Kansas’.
Cheney weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Cheney’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Cheney 5n, KS. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 44° | 22° | 0.8" | 1.4" | 4 | 1 | 28° – 44° |
| February | 49° | 26° | 1.3" | 2.5" | 4 | 1 | 30° – 45° |
| March | 59° | 35° | 2.4" | 0.7" | 6 | 0 | 40° – 58° |
| April | 69° | 44° | 3.0" | 0.1" | 9 | 0 | 50° – 63° |
| May | 78° | 54° | 4.9" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 60° – 74° |
| June | 88° | 65° | 4.7" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 71° – 81° |
| July | 93° | 69° | 4.1" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 76° – 89° |
| August | 91° | 67° | 3.6" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 73° – 86° |
| September | 83° | 59° | 2.6" | 0.0" | 6 | 0 | 66° – 79° |
| October | 71° | 46° | 2.9" | 0.2" | 7 | 0 | 51° – 63° |
| November | 57° | 34° | 1.5" | 0.3" | 4 | 0 | 39° – 53° |
| December | 46° | 25° | 1.3" | 1.3" | 4 | 1 | 25° – 40° |
| Year | 69° | 45° | 33.0" | 6.5" | 81 | 4 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. March swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 40° to 58°. June is the most reliable, staying within 10°.
Where Cheney’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 Cheney’s center.
- Snow: Cheney 5n, KS.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Norwich, KS, 13 miles from the town’s center, 120 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 Cheney’s climate
What is the weather like in Cheney?
A typical July afternoon reaches 93°, a January night drops to 22°, and about 7 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Milder January nights than 51% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 91% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Cheney in winter?
January nights average 22°. About 101 nights a year reach 32° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 28°.
How much snow does Cheney get?
About 6.5 inches in a normal winter at Cheney 5n, KS, most of it in February, with snow on the ground about 4 days a year.
How hot does it get in Cheney?
July, with a typical high of 93° and a low of 69°. About 69 days a year reach 90° and 15 reach 100° (Norwich, KS).
When is the first and last frost in Cheney?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 12 and the first fall frost by October 29, about 201 frost-free days, at Norwich, KS.
What growing zone is Cheney in?
Zone 7a 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 Cheney?
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 Cheney getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.0° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 80% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Cheney.
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.