Fulton High School and Grade School · Photo: Ammodramus · CC0July in Fulton runs hotter than in 76% of U.S. towns
In January the night’s low is typically 23°. Temperatures cover 67° across the year, low to high. Warm coats and heating bills mark the months from November to March, when means dip under 50°.
A year in Fulton at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Fulton’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Fulton’s place in Kansas beside it.
What a year in Fulton feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 204 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 5 and the first by October 28. Day counts come from NOAA’s station at Mound City 1ssw, KS, 10 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height; frost dates and degree days from Ft Scott, KS, 13 miles away.
The 2023 USDA map puts Fulton’s center in zone 6b: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −1°. 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 8 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Ft Scott, KS, falls mostly in January. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 43 inches a year; May is the wettest month and January the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 83 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Fulton
73% 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 Ft Scott, KS.
Living with Fulton’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
204 frost-free days in zone 6b. The last frost comes by Apr 5 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 28.
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 Fulton from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (42%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 17%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Fulton and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Fulton yet.
Climates most like Fulton’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fulton, KS | 23° | 90° | 43" | 8.4" |
| Pevely, MO | 23° | 89° | 43" | 9.2" |
| Columbia, IL | 24° | 89° | 42" | 8.8" |
| Fredericksburg, VA | 25° | 89° | 43" | 11" |
| Washington, DC | 27° | 89° | 44" | 5.8" |
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 Fulton averaged 0.7° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in January (+2.0°).
A smaller shift than in 95% 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 Fulton compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Fulton’s place among Kansas’.
Fulton weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Fulton’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Ft Scott, KS. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 42° | 23° | 1.5" | 3.9" | 6 | 26° – 43° |
| February | 47° | 27° | 1.7" | 1.0" | 5 | 29° – 47° |
| March | 58° | 36° | 2.8" | 0.7" | 7 | 40° – 60° |
| April | 67° | 45° | 4.4" | 0.1" | 9 | 49° – 62° |
| May | 76° | 55° | 6.0" | 0.0" | 10 | 60° – 73° |
| June | 85° | 65° | 5.5" | 0.0" | 9 | 70° – 79° |
| July | 90° | 69° | 4.4" | 0.0" | 7 | 75° – 86° |
| August | 89° | 67° | 3.8" | 0.0" | 6 | 71° – 84° |
| September | 81° | 59° | 4.3" | 0.0" | 6 | 65° – 76° |
| October | 70° | 46° | 3.4" | 0.0" | 7 | 51° – 63° |
| November | 56° | 36° | 2.8" | 0.4" | 6 | 39° – 55° |
| December | 45° | 27° | 2.0" | 2.3" | 5 | 22° – 42° |
| Year | 67° | 46° | 42.5" | 8.4" | 83 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. December swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 22° to 42°. June is the most reliable, staying within 8°.
Where Fulton’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 Fulton’s center.
- Snow: Ft Scott, KS.
- Frost dates, heating and cooling: Ft Scott, KS, 13 miles away.
- Freezing nights, 90° and 100° days: Mound City 1ssw, KS, 10 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 Fulton’s climate
What is the weather like in Fulton?
A typical July afternoon reaches 90°, a January night drops to 23°, and about 8 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Milder January nights than 55% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 76% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Fulton in winter?
January nights average 23°. About 124 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 26°.
How much snow does Fulton get?
About 8.4 inches in a normal winter at Ft Scott, KS, most of it in January.
How hot does it get in Fulton?
July, with a typical high of 90° and a low of 69°. About 40 days a year reach 90° and 3 reach 100° (Ft Scott, KS).
When is the first and last frost in Fulton?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 5 and the first fall frost by October 28, about 204 frost-free days, at Ft Scott, KS.
What growing zone is Fulton in?
Zone 6b on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −1°.
What is the best time of year to visit Fulton?
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 Fulton getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 0.7° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 95% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Fulton.
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.