Photo: Douglas Kulp · CC BY 2.0Summer afternoons in Council Grove are warmer than in 78% of U.S. towns
Nights in January average 19°. The gap between a January night and a July afternoon is 71°. Its yearly precipitation falls short of 76% of U.S. towns. Picnics, hikes and garden evenings suit April, May, September and October, with highs of 67–81°.
A year in Council Grove at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Council Grove’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Council Grove’s place in Kansas beside it.
What a year in Council Grove feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 194 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 11 and the first by October 25. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Council Grove Lake, KS, 1.3 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Council Grove’s center in zone 6b: 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 12 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Council Grove Lake, KS, falls mostly in January. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 35 inches a year; May is the wettest month and January the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 90 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Council Grove
76% 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 Council Grove Lake, KS.
Living with Council Grove’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
194 frost-free days in zone 6b. The last frost comes by Apr 11 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 25.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: April, May, September and October. 0.2 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Council Grove from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (36%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 29%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Council Grove and its neighbors
Every town next door is within a degree of Council Grove in January and July, closer than the 5 km grid can tell apart. Tap a town to see its climate.
Climates most like Council Grove’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Council Grove, KS | 19° | 90° | 35" | 12" |
| Boonville, MO | 21° | 88° | 41" | 13" |
| East St. Louis, IL | 24° | 89° | 42" | 14" |
| Fredericksburg, VA | 25° | 89° | 43" | 11" |
| Martinsburg, WV | 23° | 87° | 40" | 23" |
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 Council Grove averaged 1.1° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in January (+2.6°).
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 Council Grove compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Council Grove’s place among Kansas’.
Council Grove weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Council Grove’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Council Grove Lake, KS. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 41° | 19° | 0.8" | 4.0" | 5 | 6 | 24° – 42° |
| February | 46° | 23° | 1.3" | 2.9" | 5 | 4 | 27° – 44° |
| March | 57° | 33° | 2.3" | 1.2" | 7 | 1 | 38° – 58° |
| April | 67° | 43° | 3.4" | 0.2" | 9 | 0 | 48° – 61° |
| May | 76° | 53° | 5.3" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 58° – 73° |
| June | 85° | 63° | 4.9" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 68° – 80° |
| July | 90° | 68° | 4.3" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 74° – 86° |
| August | 89° | 66° | 4.1" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 71° – 85° |
| September | 81° | 57° | 3.2" | 0.0" | 7 | 0 | 63° – 75° |
| October | 69° | 45° | 2.6" | 0.4" | 7 | 0 | 49° – 62° |
| November | 55° | 32° | 1.7" | 0.5" | 5 | 1 | 37° – 52° |
| December | 43° | 23° | 1.3" | 2.8" | 5 | 5 | 20° – 39° |
| Year | 66° | 44° | 35.2" | 12.0" | 90 | 17 |
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 58°. June is the most reliable, staying within 11°.
Where Council Grove’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 Council Grove’s center.
- Snow: Council Grove Lake, KS (NOAA station in town).
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Council Grove Lake, KS, 1.3 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 Council Grove’s climate
What is the weather like in Council Grove?
A typical July afternoon reaches 90°, a January night drops to 19°, and about 12 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 62% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 78% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Council Grove in winter?
January nights average 19°. About 120 nights a year reach 32° or below and 3 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 24°.
How much snow does Council Grove get?
About 12 inches in a normal winter at Council Grove Lake, KS, most of it in January, with snow on the ground about 17 days a year.
How hot does it get in Council Grove?
July, with a typical high of 90° and a low of 68°. About 47 days a year reach 90° and 7 reach 100° (Council Grove Lake, KS).
When is the first and last frost in Council Grove?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 11 and the first fall frost by October 25, about 194 frost-free days, at Council Grove Lake, KS.
What growing zone is Council Grove in?
Zone 6b 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 Council Grove?
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 Council Grove 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 Council Grove.
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.