Isabel reaches 100° on about 20 days a year, more than 95% of U.S. towns
Nights in January average 22°. Precipitation is light here, less than falls on 86% of U.S. towns. Since 1901–2000, the year has warmed by 0.8°, most of all in January. Picnics, hikes and garden evenings suit April, May, September and October, with highs of 69–83°.
A year in Isabel at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Isabel’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Isabel’s place in Kansas beside it.
What a year in Isabel feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 191 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 13 and the first by October 23. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Medicine Lodge, KS, 13 miles from the town’s center, 310 ft lower.
The 2023 USDA map puts Isabel’s center in zone 6b: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about 0°. 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 9 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Medicine Lodge, KS, falls mostly in February. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 30 inches a year; June is the wettest month and January the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 80 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Isabel
71% 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 Medicine Lodge, KS.
Living with Isabel’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
191 frost-free days in zone 6b. The last frost comes by Apr 13 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 23.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: April, May, September and October.
Parks & trails →Cold waves are 42% of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Isabel from natural hazards, the largest share. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Isabel and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Isabel yet.
Climates most like Isabel’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Isabel, KS | 22° | 93° | 30" | 9.4" |
| Elk City, OK | 26° | 95° | 27" | 8.6" |
| Pampa, TX | 24° | 93° | 22" | 16" |
| South Ogden, UT | 21° | 91° | 22" | 23" |
| Yreka, CA | 29° | 91° | 20" | 12" |
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 Isabel averaged 0.8° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in January (+2.7°).
A smaller shift than in 88% 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 Isabel compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Isabel’s place among Kansas’.
Isabel weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Isabel’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Medicine Lodge, KS. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 45° | 22° | 0.8" | 2.1" | 4 | 1 | 27° – 43° |
| February | 49° | 25° | 1.1" | 4.0" | 6 | 2 | 30° – 45° |
| March | 59° | 34° | 2.1" | 0.8" | 7 | 0 | 40° – 57° |
| April | 69° | 43° | 2.6" | 0.1" | 8 | 0 | 49° – 63° |
| May | 78° | 53° | 4.2" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 59° – 73° |
| June | 88° | 63° | 4.3" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 70° – 81° |
| July | 93° | 68° | 3.5" | 0.0" | 7 | 0 | 75° – 88° |
| August | 90° | 67° | 3.6" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 72° – 84° |
| September | 83° | 58° | 2.3" | 0.0" | 6 | 0 | 66° – 78° |
| October | 71° | 45° | 2.6" | 0.0" | 7 | 0 | 51° – 63° |
| November | 57° | 33° | 1.3" | 0.3" | 4 | 0 | 38° – 52° |
| December | 46° | 24° | 1.2" | 2.1" | 5 | 1 | 26° – 39° |
| Year | 69° | 44° | 29.6" | 9.4" | 80 | 5 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. March swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 40° to 57°. June is the most reliable, staying within 11°.
Where Isabel’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 Isabel’s center.
- Snow: Medicine Lodge, KS.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Medicine Lodge, KS, 13 miles from the town’s center, 310 ft lower; 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 Isabel’s climate
What is the weather like in Isabel?
A typical July afternoon reaches 93°, a January night drops to 22°, and about 9 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 51% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 90% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Isabel in winter?
January nights average 22°. About 110 nights a year reach 32° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 27°.
How much snow does Isabel get?
About 9.4 inches in a normal winter at Medicine Lodge, KS, most of it in February, with snow on the ground about 5 days a year.
How hot does it get in Isabel?
July, with a typical high of 93° and a low of 68°. About 79 days a year reach 90° and 20 reach 100° (Medicine Lodge, KS).
When is the first and last frost in Isabel?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 13 and the first fall frost by October 23, about 191 frost-free days, at Medicine Lodge, KS.
What growing zone is Isabel in?
Zone 6b on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about 0°.
What is the best time of year to visit Isabel?
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 Isabel getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 0.8° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 88% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Isabel.
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.