Photo: JonHarder · CC BY-SA 3.0Hillsboro has warmer summer afternoons than 86% of U.S. towns
January mornings start at about 21°. By precipitation alone, it ranks drier than 79% of U.S. towns. Compared with 1901–2000, the average now sits 1.1° higher. For walks and days out, April, May, September and October bring highs of 67–82°.
A year in Hillsboro at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Hillsboro’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Hillsboro’s place in Kansas beside it.
What a year in Hillsboro feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 202 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 8 and the first by October 30. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Marion Reservoir, KS, 7 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Hillsboro’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 12 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Hillsboro, KS, falls mostly in January. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 34 inches a year; May is the wettest month and January the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 73 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Hillsboro
73% 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 Marion Reservoir, KS.
Living with Hillsboro’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
202 frost-free days in zone 6b. The last frost comes by Apr 8 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 30.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: April, May, September and October. 0.3 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Hillsboro from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (30%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 25%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Hillsboro and its neighbors
Every town next door is within a degree of Hillsboro in January and July, closer than the 5 km grid can tell apart. Tap a town to see its climate.
Climates most like Hillsboro’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hillsboro, KS | 21° | 92° | 34" | 12" |
| Stillwater, OK | 26° | 94° | 36" | 7.5" |
| Kansas City, MO | 20° | 89° | 39" | 11" |
| East St. Louis, IL | 24° | 89° | 42" | 14" |
| Fredericksburg, VA | 25° | 89° | 43" | 11" |
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 Hillsboro averaged 1.1° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in January (+2.6°).
A smaller shift than in 70% 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 Hillsboro compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Hillsboro’s place among Kansas’.
Hillsboro weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Hillsboro’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Hillsboro, KS. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 42° | 21° | 0.8" | 3.5" | 4 | 3 | 25° – 42° |
| February | 47° | 24° | 1.3" | 2.4" | 4 | 2 | 27° – 45° |
| March | 57° | 34° | 2.3" | 1.7" | 6 | 1 | 38° – 56° |
| April | 67° | 43° | 3.0" | 0.5" | 7 | 0 | 48° – 61° |
| May | 76° | 53° | 5.1" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 59° – 74° |
| June | 87° | 63° | 4.6" | 0.0" | 7 | 0 | 69° – 80° |
| July | 92° | 68° | 4.5" | 0.0" | 7 | 0 | 75° – 87° |
| August | 90° | 66° | 3.9" | 0.0" | 7 | 0 | 72° – 86° |
| September | 82° | 58° | 3.1" | 0.0" | 6 | 0 | 64° – 77° |
| October | 70° | 45° | 2.6" | 0.1" | 6 | 0 | 50° – 64° |
| November | 55° | 33° | 1.6" | 1.1" | 4 | 1 | 37° – 52° |
| December | 44° | 24° | 1.3" | 3.1" | 5 | 2 | 22° – 39° |
| Year | 67° | 44° | 33.9" | 12.4" | 73 | 9 |
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 56°. June is the most reliable, staying within 11°.
Where Hillsboro’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 Hillsboro’s center.
- Snow: Hillsboro, KS (NOAA station in town).
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Marion Reservoir, KS, 7 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 Hillsboro’s climate
What is the weather like in Hillsboro?
A typical July afternoon reaches 92°, a January night drops to 21°, and about 12 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 56% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 86% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Hillsboro in winter?
January nights average 21°. About 119 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 Hillsboro get?
About 12 inches in a normal winter at Hillsboro, KS, most of it in January, with snow on the ground about 9 days a year.
How hot does it get in Hillsboro?
July, with a typical high of 92° and a low of 68°. About 58 days a year reach 90° and 10 reach 100° (Marion Reservoir, KS).
When is the first and last frost in Hillsboro?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 8 and the first fall frost by October 30, about 202 frost-free days, at Marion Reservoir, KS.
What growing zone is Hillsboro 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 Hillsboro?
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 Hillsboro getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.1° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 70% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Hillsboro.
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.