Photo: Richard Bauer · CC BY 2.0Colby’s winters are colder and snowier than most of the U.S.
A typical July afternoon reaches 91°, a January night drops to 17°, and about 27 inches of snow falls in a normal winter.
A year in Colby at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Colby’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Colby’s place in Kansas beside it.
What a year in Colby feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 156 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by May 2 and the first by October 9. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Colby 1sw, KS, 1.4 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Colby’s center in zone 6a: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −9°. 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 27 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Colby 1sw, KS, falls mostly in February. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 20 inches a year; July is the wettest month and January the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 74 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Colby
85% of the work is heating. Months averaging under 55° run from October 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 Colby 1sw, KS.
Living with Colby’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
156 frost-free days in zone 6a. The last frost comes by May 2 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 9.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: May and September. 1.2 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Colby from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (26%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 19%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Colby and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Colby yet.
Climates most like Colby’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Colby, KS | 17° | 91° | 20" | 27" |
| Harrisville, UT | 19° | 92° | 20" | 23" |
| Sidney, NE | 15° | 89° | 17" | 29" |
| Brush, CO | 14° | 91° | 14" | 23" |
| Dalhart, TX | 21° | 92° | 16" | 20" |
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 Colby averaged 1.2° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in January (+3.3°).
A smaller shift than in 66% 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 Colby compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Colby’s place among Kansas’.
Colby weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Colby’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Colby 1sw, KS. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 43° | 17° | 0.4" | 5.1" | 3 | 8 | 18° – 39° |
| February | 46° | 19° | 0.5" | 5.8" | 4 | 9 | 23° – 41° |
| March | 57° | 27° | 1.0" | 4.2" | 5 | 3 | 35° – 51° |
| April | 65° | 35° | 1.9" | 2.2" | 7 | 1 | 45° – 56° |
| May | 75° | 46° | 2.9" | 0.7" | 10 | 0 | 52° – 66° |
| June | 87° | 57° | 2.9" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 66° – 77° |
| July | 91° | 62° | 3.6" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 72° – 81° |
| August | 89° | 60° | 2.9" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 68° – 79° |
| September | 81° | 50° | 1.5" | 0.2" | 6 | 0 | 59° – 72° |
| October | 68° | 37° | 1.5" | 1.6" | 6 | 1 | 45° – 58° |
| November | 54° | 25° | 0.7" | 3.5" | 4 | 3 | 30° – 46° |
| December | 44° | 18° | 0.5" | 3.9" | 3 | 7 | 23° – 35° |
| Year | 67° | 38° | 20.3" | 27.2" | 74 | 31 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. January swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 18° to 39°. July is the most reliable, staying within 10°.
Where Colby’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 Colby’s center.
- Snow: Colby 1sw, KS (NOAA station in town).
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Colby 1sw, KS, 1.4 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 Colby’s climate
What is the weather like in Colby?
A typical July afternoon reaches 91°, a January night drops to 17°, and about 27 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 78% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 83% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Colby in winter?
January nights average 17°. About 164 nights a year reach 32° or below and 7 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 18°.
How much snow does Colby get?
About 27 inches in a normal winter at Colby 1sw, KS, most of it in February, with snow on the ground about 31 days a year.
How hot does it get in Colby?
July, with a typical high of 91° and a low of 62°. About 58 days a year reach 90° and 9 reach 100° (Colby 1sw, KS).
When is the first and last frost in Colby?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by May 2 and the first fall frost by October 9, about 156 frost-free days, at Colby 1sw, KS.
What growing zone is Colby in?
Zone 6a on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −9°.
What is the best time of year to visit Colby?
By one simple rule (highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more), May and September. The rule is ours, not NOAA’s; the month table has the numbers to judge by.
Is Colby getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.2° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 66% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Colby.
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.