Photo: Ethan James Scherrer · CC BY-SA 3.0Summer arrives in force in Emporia, hotter than in 78% of U.S. towns
Deep winter brings January lows near 20°. Precipitation is light here, less than falls on 74% of U.S. towns. Decade by decade the climate has edged up, 0.9° above 1901–2000. The outdoor season, with highs of 67–81°, runs through April, May, September and October.
A year in Emporia at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Emporia’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Emporia’s place in Kansas beside it.
What a year in Emporia feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 190 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 15 and the first by October 23. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Emporia 3 Nw, KS, 2.3 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Emporia’s center in zone 6b: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −2°. 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 11 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Cottonwood Falls, KS, falls mostly in January. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 36 inches a year; May is the wettest month and January the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 84 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Emporia
81% 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 Emporia 3 Nw, KS.
Living with Emporia’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
190 frost-free days in zone 6b. 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 23.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: April, May, September and October. 8.3 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Emporia from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (38%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 27%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Emporia and its neighbors
Every town next door is within a degree of Emporia in January and July, closer than the 5 km grid can tell apart. Tap a town to see its climate.
Climates most like Emporia’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Emporia, KS | 20° | 90° | 36" | 11" |
| Boonville, MO | 21° | 88° | 41" | 13" |
| East St. Louis, IL | 24° | 89° | 42" | 14" |
| Fredericksburg, VA | 25° | 89° | 43" | 11" |
| Sand Springs, OK | 26° | 93° | 41" | 8.7" |
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 Emporia averaged 0.9° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in March (+2.3°).
A smaller shift than in 82% 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 Emporia compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Emporia’s place among Kansas’.
Emporia weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Emporia’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Cottonwood Falls, KS. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 41° | 20° | 0.8" | 4.0" | 4 | 25° – 43° |
| February | 46° | 24° | 1.4" | 1.3" | 5 | 28° – 44° |
| March | 57° | 34° | 2.4" | 1.3" | 7 | 38° – 59° |
| April | 67° | 43° | 3.5" | 0.2" | 8 | 48° – 62° |
| May | 76° | 54° | 5.2" | 0.0" | 11 | 59° – 72° |
| June | 85° | 64° | 4.7" | 0.0" | 9 | 69° – 79° |
| July | 90° | 68° | 4.3" | 0.0" | 9 | 75° – 86° |
| August | 89° | 66° | 4.0" | 0.0" | 8 | 71° – 86° |
| September | 81° | 57° | 3.5" | 0.0" | 7 | 63° – 75° |
| October | 69° | 45° | 2.9" | 0.3" | 7 | 50° – 62° |
| November | 56° | 33° | 1.9" | 0.4" | 5 | 38° – 53° |
| December | 44° | 24° | 1.4" | 3.1" | 5 | 21° – 40° |
| Year | 67° | 44° | 35.9" | 10.6" | 84 |
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 59°. June is the most reliable, staying within 10°.
Where Emporia’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 Emporia’s center.
- Snow: Cottonwood Falls, KS.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Emporia 3 Nw, KS, 2.3 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 Emporia’s climate
What is the weather like in Emporia?
A typical July afternoon reaches 90°, a January night drops to 20°, and about 11 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 57% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 78% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Emporia in winter?
January nights average 20°. About 115 nights a year reach 32° or below and 2 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 25°.
How much snow does Emporia get?
About 11 inches in a normal winter at Cottonwood Falls, KS, most of it in January.
How hot does it get in Emporia?
July, with a typical high of 90° and a low of 68°. About 44 days a year reach 90° and 5 reach 100° (Emporia 3 Nw, KS).
When is the first and last frost in Emporia?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 15 and the first fall frost by October 23, about 190 frost-free days, at Emporia 3 Nw, KS.
What growing zone is Emporia in?
Zone 6b on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −2°.
What is the best time of year to visit Emporia?
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 Emporia getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 0.9° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 82% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Emporia.
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.