Afternoon heat in Hepler beats that of 77% of U.S. towns
Deep winter brings January lows near 24°. The year swings widely: the coldest month’s nights and the warmest month’s afternoons are 66° apart. Homes need heating from November to March, the months averaging under 50°.
A year in Hepler at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Hepler’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Hepler’s place in Kansas beside it.
What a year in Hepler feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 209 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 4 and the first by November 1. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Girard, KS, 13 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Hepler’s center in zone 7a: 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 10 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Walnut 4s, KS, falls mostly in January. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 44 inches a year; May is the wettest month and January the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 85 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Hepler
75% 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 Girard, KS.
Living with Hepler’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
209 frost-free days in zone 7a. The last frost comes by Apr 4 in half of years, so many gardeners wait a week or two past that to set out tomatoes. The first fall frost comes by Nov 1.
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 Hepler from natural hazards, drought is the largest share (36%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 15%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Hepler and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Hepler yet.
Climates most like Hepler’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hepler, KS | 24° | 90° | 44" | 10" |
| Pevely, MO | 23° | 89° | 43" | 9.2" |
| Columbia, IL | 24° | 89° | 42" | 8.8" |
| Fredericksburg, VA | 25° | 89° | 43" | 11" |
| Mountain Home, AR | 26° | 90° | 48" | 7.8" |
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 Hepler averaged 0.6° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in January (+1.9°).
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 Hepler compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Hepler’s place among Kansas’.
Hepler weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Hepler’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Walnut 4s, KS. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 43° | 24° | 1.5" | 3.7" | 6 | 27° – 44° |
| February | 48° | 27° | 1.7" | 1.5" | 5 | 30° – 47° |
| March | 58° | 37° | 2.9" | 2.1" | 8 | 41° – 59° |
| April | 68° | 46° | 4.6" | 0.0" | 8 | 50° – 62° |
| May | 76° | 55° | 6.2" | 0.0" | 11 | 61° – 73° |
| June | 85° | 65° | 5.5" | 0.0" | 9 | 70° – 79° |
| July | 90° | 69° | 4.6" | 0.0" | 7 | 75° – 86° |
| August | 89° | 67° | 3.8" | 0.0" | 7 | 72° – 85° |
| September | 81° | 59° | 4.4" | 0.0" | 6 | 65° – 77° |
| October | 70° | 47° | 3.5" | 0.0" | 7 | 51° – 64° |
| November | 57° | 36° | 2.8" | 0.3" | 6 | 40° – 55° |
| December | 46° | 27° | 2.1" | 2.8" | 5 | 23° – 43° |
| Year | 68° | 47° | 43.8" | 10.4" | 85 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. December swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 23° to 43°. June is the most reliable, staying within 9°.
Where Hepler’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 Hepler’s center.
- Snow: Walnut 4s, KS.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Girard, KS, 13 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 Hepler’s climate
What is the weather like in Hepler?
A typical July afternoon reaches 90°, a January night drops to 24°, and about 10 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Milder January nights than 58% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 77% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Hepler in winter?
January nights average 24°. About 97 nights a year reach 32° or below and 1 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 27°.
How much snow does Hepler get?
About 10 inches in a normal winter at Walnut 4s, KS, most of it in January.
How hot does it get in Hepler?
July, with a typical high of 90° and a low of 69°. About 52 days a year reach 90° and 4 reach 100° (Girard, KS).
When is the first and last frost in Hepler?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 4 and the first fall frost by November 1, about 209 frost-free days, at Girard, KS.
What growing zone is Hepler in?
Zone 7a 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 Hepler?
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 Hepler getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 0.6° 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 Hepler.
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.