Photo: Ichabod · CC BY-SA 3.0Cunningham reaches 100° on about 13 days a year, more than 93% of U.S. towns
The depth of winter brings overnight lows near 21°. Precipitation is light here, less than falls on 86% of U.S. towns. January has warmed most since 1901–2000, part of a 0.7° rise. Warm coats and heating bills mark the months from November to March, when means dip under 50°.
A year in Cunningham at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Cunningham’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Cunningham’s place in Kansas beside it.
What a year in Cunningham feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 187 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 15 and the first by October 21. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Kingman, KS, 17 miles from the town’s center, 150 ft lower.
The 2023 USDA map puts Cunningham’s center in zone 7a: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about 0°. 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 16 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Willowdale 1 Sw, KS, falls mostly in December. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 30 inches a year; May is the wettest month and January the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 77 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Cunningham
76% 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 Kingman, KS.
Living with Cunningham’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
187 frost-free days in zone 7a. The last frost comes by Apr 15 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 21.
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 Cunningham from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (22%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 25%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Cunningham and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Cunningham yet.
Climates most like Cunningham’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cunningham, KS | 21° | 93° | 30" | 16" |
| Pampa, TX | 24° | 93° | 22" | 16" |
| Elk City, OK | 26° | 95° | 27" | 8.6" |
| South Ogden, UT | 21° | 91° | 22" | 23" |
| McCook, NE | 15° | 92° | 21" | 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 Cunningham averaged 0.7° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in January (+2.5°).
A smaller shift than in 93% 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 Cunningham compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Cunningham’s place among Kansas’.
Cunningham weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Cunningham’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Willowdale 1 Sw, KS. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 45° | 21° | 0.8" | 3.5" | 4 | 27° – 43° |
| February | 49° | 24° | 1.2" | 3.9" | 5 | 29° – 45° |
| March | 59° | 34° | 2.1" | 2.8" | 7 | 39° – 56° |
| April | 68° | 42° | 2.6" | 0.6" | 8 | 49° – 62° |
| May | 78° | 53° | 4.3" | 0.0" | 9 | 59° – 73° |
| June | 88° | 63° | 4.3" | 0.0" | 8 | 70° – 81° |
| July | 93° | 68° | 3.6" | 0.0" | 7 | 75° – 88° |
| August | 91° | 66° | 3.6" | 0.0" | 7 | 72° – 85° |
| September | 83° | 58° | 2.3" | 0.0" | 6 | 66° – 78° |
| October | 71° | 45° | 2.5" | 0.1" | 6 | 51° – 62° |
| November | 57° | 32° | 1.3" | 1.0" | 5 | 37° – 52° |
| December | 46° | 23° | 1.2" | 4.4" | 5 | 25° – 39° |
| Year | 69° | 44° | 29.7" | 16.3" | 77 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. March swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 39° to 56°. June is the most reliable, staying within 11°.
Where Cunningham’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 Cunningham’s center.
- Snow: Willowdale 1 Sw, KS.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Kingman, KS, 17 miles from the town’s center, 150 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 Cunningham’s climate
What is the weather like in Cunningham?
A typical July afternoon reaches 93°, a January night drops to 21°, and about 16 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 54% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 91% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Cunningham in winter?
January nights average 21°. About 117 nights a year reach 32° or below and 1 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 27°.
How much snow does Cunningham get?
About 16 inches in a normal winter at Willowdale 1 Sw, KS, most of it in December.
How hot does it get in Cunningham?
July, with a typical high of 93° and a low of 68°. About 67 days a year reach 90° and 13 reach 100° (Kingman, KS).
When is the first and last frost in Cunningham?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 15 and the first fall frost by October 21, about 187 frost-free days, at Kingman, KS.
What growing zone is Cunningham in?
Zone 7a on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about 0°.
What is the best time of year to visit Cunningham?
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 Cunningham getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 0.7° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 93% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Cunningham.
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.