Photo: Ichabod · CC BY-SA 3.0Ford reaches 100° on about 14 days a year, more than 93% of U.S. towns
Nights in January average 19°. Temperatures cover 74° across the year, low to high. Precipitation is light here, less than falls on 88% of U.S. towns. Tender plants can go out after about April 21; in half of years the first frost comes by October 20.
A year in Ford at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Ford’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Ford’s place in Kansas beside it.
What a year in Ford 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 20. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Dodge City, KS, 15 miles from the town’s center, 210 ft higher.
The 2023 USDA map puts Ford’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 18 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Bucklin, KS, falls mostly in February and December. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 24 inches a year; June is the wettest month and January the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 67 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Ford
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 Dodge City, KS.
Living with Ford’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 20.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: May, September and October.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Ford from natural hazards, drought is the largest share (35%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 9%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Ford and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Ford yet.
Climates most like Ford’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ford, KS | 19° | 93° | 24" | 18" |
| Ogden, UT | 20° | 92° | 20" | 23" |
| Pampa, TX | 24° | 93° | 22" | 16" |
| McCook, NE | 15° | 92° | 21" | 20" |
| Clovis, NM | 24° | 91° | 17" | 13" |
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 Ford averaged 0.7° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in March (+2.4°).
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 Ford compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Ford’s place among Kansas’.
Ford weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Ford’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Bucklin, KS. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 46° | 19° | 0.6" | 3.7" | 3 | 4 | 25° – 42° |
| February | 50° | 23° | 0.7" | 4.7" | 4 | 4 | 29° – 44° |
| March | 60° | 31° | 1.5" | 2.7" | 5 | 2 | 38° – 55° |
| April | 69° | 40° | 2.0" | 0.6" | 7 | 0 | 49° – 60° |
| May | 78° | 51° | 3.3" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 57° – 72° |
| June | 88° | 61° | 3.7" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 68° – 79° |
| July | 93° | 66° | 3.4" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 75° – 87° |
| August | 91° | 64° | 3.1" | 0.0" | 7 | 0 | 71° – 83° |
| September | 83° | 55° | 1.7" | 0.0" | 5 | 0 | 65° – 77° |
| October | 71° | 42° | 2.1" | 0.3" | 6 | 0 | 49° – 63° |
| November | 57° | 29° | 0.9" | 1.6" | 4 | 1 | 36° – 50° |
| December | 46° | 21° | 1.0" | 4.5" | 4 | 5 | 26° – 37° |
| Year | 69° | 42° | 23.8" | 18.1" | 67 | 17 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. January swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 25° to 42°. December is the most reliable, staying within 11°.
Where Ford’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 Ford’s center.
- Snow: Bucklin, KS.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Dodge City, KS, 15 miles from the town’s center, 210 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 Ford’s climate
What is the weather like in Ford?
A typical July afternoon reaches 93°, a January night drops to 19°, and about 18 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 63% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 91% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Ford in winter?
January nights average 19°. About 128 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 Ford get?
About 18 inches in a normal winter at Bucklin, KS, most of it in February and December, with snow on the ground about 17 days a year.
How hot does it get in Ford?
July, with a typical high of 93° and a low of 66°. About 71 days a year reach 90° and 14 reach 100° (Dodge City, KS).
When is the first and last frost in Ford?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 21 and the first fall frost by October 20, about 179 frost-free days, at Dodge City, KS.
What growing zone is Ford 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 Ford?
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 Ford 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 Ford.
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.