Drees House · Photo: Ammodramus · CC0Hays reaches 100° on about 15 days a year, more than 93% of U.S. towns
A typical July afternoon reaches 93°, a January night drops to 18°, and about 16 inches of snow falls in a normal winter.
A year in Hays at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Hays’ climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Hays’ place in Kansas beside it.
What a year in Hays feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 171 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 25 and the first by October 15. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Hays 1 S, KS, 1.8 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Hays’ 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 16 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Hays 1 S, KS, falls mostly in February. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 25 inches a year; July is the wettest month and January the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 74 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Hays
79% 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 Hays 1 S, KS.
Living with Hays’ climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
171 frost-free days in zone 6b. The last frost comes by Apr 25 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. 6.1 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Hays from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (32%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 22%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Hays and its neighbors
Every town next door is within a degree of Hays in January and July, closer than the 5 km grid can tell apart. Tap a town to see its climate.
Climates most like Hays’, 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hays, KS | 18° | 93° | 25" | 16" |
| Perryton, TX | 22° | 94° | 21" | 14" |
| Woodward, OK | 22° | 95° | 26" | 15" |
| Harrisville, UT | 19° | 92° | 20" | 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 Hays averaged 1.1° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in March (+2.9°).
A smaller shift than in 67% 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 Hays compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Hays’ place among Kansas’.
Hays weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Hays’ center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Hays 1 S, KS. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 43° | 18° | 0.6" | 3.4" | 3 | 7 | 22° – 41° |
| February | 47° | 21° | 0.8" | 4.8" | 4 | 7 | 24° – 43° |
| March | 58° | 31° | 1.3" | 2.1" | 5 | 2 | 37° – 55° |
| April | 67° | 39° | 2.2" | 0.5" | 7 | 0 | 47° – 59° |
| May | 77° | 50° | 3.9" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 56° – 70° |
| June | 88° | 61° | 3.4" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 69° – 79° |
| July | 93° | 66° | 3.9" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 75° – 85° |
| August | 90° | 64° | 3.5" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 71° – 83° |
| September | 83° | 55° | 2.0" | 0.0" | 6 | 0 | 64° – 76° |
| October | 70° | 42° | 1.8" | 0.3" | 6 | 0 | 48° – 61° |
| November | 56° | 29° | 0.9" | 1.4" | 4 | 1 | 35° – 49° |
| December | 44° | 21° | 0.8" | 3.3" | 4 | 5 | 24° – 37° |
| Year | 68° | 41° | 25.1" | 15.8" | 74 | 23 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. January swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 22° to 41°. June is the most reliable, staying within 10°.
Where Hays’ 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 Hays’ center.
- Snow: Hays 1 S, KS (NOAA station in town).
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Hays 1 S, KS, 1.8 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 Hays’ climate
What is the weather like in Hays?
A typical July afternoon reaches 93°, a January night drops to 18°, and about 16 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 69% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 91% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Hays in winter?
January nights average 18°. 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 22°.
How much snow does Hays get?
About 16 inches in a normal winter at Hays 1 S, KS, most of it in February, with snow on the ground about 23 days a year.
How hot does it get in Hays?
July, with a typical high of 93° and a low of 66°. About 66 days a year reach 90° and 15 reach 100° (Hays 1 S, KS).
When is the first and last frost in Hays?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 25 and the first fall frost by October 15, about 171 frost-free days, at Hays 1 S, KS.
What growing zone is Hays 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 Hays?
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 Hays getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.1° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 67% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Hays.
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.