Reiff Building · Photo: Ammodramus · CC0Dorrance reaches 100° on about 11 days a year, more than 91% of U.S. towns
January nights here settle around 19°. A year here swings 73° from midwinter lows to midsummer highs. Its yearly precipitation falls short of 87% of U.S. towns. Seedlings are safe outdoors from about April 21, with the first autumn frost due around October 17.
A year in Dorrance at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Dorrance’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Dorrance’s place in Kansas beside it.
What a year in Dorrance feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 179 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 21 and the first by October 17. Day counts come from NOAA’s station at Russell 7e, KS, 6 miles from the town’s center, 140 ft higher; frost dates and degree days from Wilson Lake, KS, 10 miles away.
The 2023 USDA map puts Dorrance’s center in zone 6b: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −4°. 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 10 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Wilson Lake, KS, falls mostly in February. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 27 inches a year; May is the wettest month and January the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 76 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Dorrance
78% 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 Wilson Lake, KS.
Living with Dorrance’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
179 frost-free days in zone 6b. The last frost comes by Apr 21 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 17.
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 Dorrance from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (29%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 17%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Dorrance and its neighbors
Every town next door is within a degree of Dorrance in January and July, closer than the 5 km grid can tell apart. Tap a town to see its climate.
Climates most like Dorrance’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dorrance, KS | 19° | 93° | 27" | 9.6" |
| Woodward, OK | 22° | 95° | 26" | 15" |
| Perryton, TX | 22° | 94° | 21" | 14" |
| South Ogden, UT | 21° | 91° | 22" | 23" |
| Clovis, NM | 24° | 91° | 17" | 13" |
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 Dorrance averaged 0.8° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in January (+2.6°).
A smaller shift than in 88% 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 Dorrance compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Dorrance’s place among Kansas’.
Dorrance weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Dorrance’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Wilson Lake, KS. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 42° | 19° | 0.6" | 1.8" | 3 | 4 | 24° – 42° |
| February | 46° | 22° | 0.8" | 3.7" | 4 | 4 | 25° – 43° |
| March | 57° | 32° | 1.4" | 0.7" | 5 | 1 | 37° – 55° |
| April | 67° | 40° | 2.2" | 0.4" | 8 | 0 | 47° – 60° |
| May | 76° | 51° | 4.3" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 57° – 71° |
| June | 87° | 62° | 3.6" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 68° – 80° |
| July | 93° | 67° | 4.1" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 76° – 86° |
| August | 90° | 65° | 3.6" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 71° – 83° |
| September | 82° | 56° | 2.3" | 0.0" | 7 | 0 | 64° – 76° |
| October | 69° | 43° | 1.8" | 0.1" | 6 | 0 | 49° – 62° |
| November | 55° | 31° | 1.0" | 0.4" | 4 | 0 | 36° – 50° |
| December | 43° | 22° | 0.9" | 2.5" | 3 | 3 | 23° – 38° |
| Year | 67° | 42° | 26.6" | 9.6" | 76 | 12 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. March swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 37° to 55°. July is the most reliable, staying within 10°.
Where Dorrance’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 Dorrance’s center.
- Snow: Wilson Lake, KS.
- Frost dates, heating and cooling: Wilson Lake, KS, 10 miles away.
- Freezing nights, 90° and 100° days: Russell 7e, KS, 6 miles from the town’s center, 140 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 Dorrance’s climate
What is the weather like in Dorrance?
A typical July afternoon reaches 93°, a January night drops to 19°, and about 10 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 64% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 90% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Dorrance in winter?
January nights average 19°. 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 24°.
How much snow does Dorrance get?
About 9.6 inches in a normal winter at Wilson Lake, KS, most of it in February, with snow on the ground about 12 days a year.
How hot does it get in Dorrance?
July, with a typical high of 93° and a low of 67°. About 60 days a year reach 90° and 11 reach 100° (Wilson Lake, KS).
When is the first and last frost in Dorrance?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 21 and the first fall frost by October 17, about 179 frost-free days, at Wilson Lake, KS.
What growing zone is Dorrance in?
Zone 6b on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −4°.
What is the best time of year to visit Dorrance?
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 Dorrance getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 0.8° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 88% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Dorrance.
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.