Downs Missouri Pacific Depot · Photo: Ammodramus · CC0Summer afternoons in Downs are warmer than in 89% of U.S. towns
In January the night’s low is typically 17°. Precipitation is light here, less than falls on 87% of U.S. towns. Compared with 1901–2000, the average now sits 0.8° higher. For walks and days out, May, September and October bring highs of 69–82°.
A year in Downs at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Downs’ climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Downs’ place in Kansas beside it.
What a year in Downs feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 168 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 29 and the first by October 15. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Glen Elder Lake, KS, 12 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Downs’ center in zone 6b: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −5°. 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 18 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Cawker City, KS, falls mostly in February. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 26 inches a year; July is the wettest month and January the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 73 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Downs
82% 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 Glen Elder Lake, KS.
Living with Downs’ climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
168 frost-free days in zone 6b. The last frost comes by Apr 29 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 15.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: May, September and October. 0.1 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Downs from natural hazards, hail is the largest share (33%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 6%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Downs and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Downs yet.
Climates most like Downs’, 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Downs, KS | 17° | 92° | 26" | 18" |
| Harrisville, UT | 19° | 92° | 20" | 23" |
| Woodward, OK | 22° | 95° | 26" | 15" |
| Perryton, TX | 22° | 94° | 21" | 14" |
| North Platte, NE | 14° | 89° | 21" | 28" |
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 Downs averaged 0.7° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in January (+2.6°).
A smaller shift than in 92% 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 Downs compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Downs’ place among Kansas’.
Downs weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Downs’ center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Cawker City, KS. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 40° | 17° | 0.6" | 4.5" | 3 | 5 | 21° – 39° |
| February | 45° | 20° | 0.7" | 5.8" | 4 | 5 | 23° – 42° |
| March | 57° | 30° | 1.4" | 1.7" | 5 | 2 | 35° – 55° |
| April | 67° | 39° | 2.2" | 0.5" | 8 | 0 | 45° – 58° |
| May | 76° | 50° | 3.9" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 56° – 69° |
| June | 88° | 61° | 3.5" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 69° – 78° |
| July | 92° | 66° | 4.2" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 74° – 85° |
| August | 90° | 64° | 3.4" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 71° – 84° |
| September | 82° | 54° | 2.3" | 0.0" | 6 | 0 | 62° – 75° |
| October | 69° | 41° | 1.9" | 0.3" | 5 | 0 | 48° – 59° |
| November | 55° | 28° | 1.1" | 1.6" | 4 | 1 | 33° – 49° |
| December | 43° | 20° | 0.9" | 3.5" | 4 | 4 | 22° – 37° |
| Year | 67° | 41° | 26.1" | 17.9" | 73 | 17 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. March swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 35° to 55°. June is the most reliable, staying within 10°.
Where Downs’ 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 Downs’ center.
- Snow: Cawker City, KS.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Glen Elder Lake, KS, 12 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 Downs’ climate
What is the weather like in Downs?
A typical July afternoon reaches 92°, a January night drops to 17°, and about 18 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 77% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 89% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Downs in winter?
January nights average 17°. About 145 nights a year reach 32° or below and 8 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 21°.
How much snow does Downs get?
About 18 inches in a normal winter at Cawker City, KS, most of it in February, with snow on the ground about 17 days a year.
How hot does it get in Downs?
July, with a typical high of 92° and a low of 66°. About 57 days a year reach 90° and 10 reach 100° (Glen Elder Lake, KS).
When is the first and last frost in Downs?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 29 and the first fall frost by October 15, about 168 frost-free days, at Glen Elder Lake, KS.
What growing zone is Downs in?
Zone 6b on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −5°.
What is the best time of year to visit Downs?
By one simple rule (highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more), May, September and October. The rule is ours, not NOAA’s; the month table has the numbers to judge by.
Is Downs getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 0.8° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 92% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Downs.
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.