Photo: Jared Winkler · CC BY-SA 4.0Kensington reaches 100° on about 14 days a year, more than 93% of U.S. towns
Deep winter brings January lows near 16°. Precipitation is light here, less than falls on 87% of U.S. towns. January has warmed most since 1901–2000, part of a 0.8° rise. The heating season runs November to March: each of those months averages under 50°.
A year in Kensington at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Kensington’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Kensington’s place in Kansas beside it.
What a year in Kensington feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 159 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 30 and the first by October 7. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Kirwin Dam, KS, 9 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Kensington’s center in zone 6a: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −7°. 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 18 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Smith Ctr, KS, falls mostly in February. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 25 inches a year; May is the wettest month and January the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 84 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Kensington
83% of the work is heating. Months averaging under 55° run from October 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 Kirwin Dam, KS.
Living with Kensington’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
159 frost-free days in zone 6a. The last frost comes by Apr 30 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 7.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: May, September and October.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Kensington from natural hazards, hail is the largest share (41%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 5%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Kensington and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Kensington yet.
Climates most like Kensington’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kensington, KS | 16° | 92° | 25" | 18" |
| Harrisville, UT | 19° | 92° | 20" | 23" |
| Perryton, TX | 22° | 94° | 21" | 14" |
| Woodward, OK | 22° | 95° | 26" | 15" |
| Sidney, NE | 15° | 89° | 17" | 29" |
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 Kensington averaged 0.8° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in January (+2.4°).
A smaller shift than in 91% 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 Kensington compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Kensington’s place among Kansas’.
Kensington weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Kensington’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Smith Ctr, KS. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 40° | 16° | 0.6" | 4.4" | 4 | 8 | 20° – 39° |
| February | 45° | 19° | 0.7" | 5.9" | 4 | 8 | 22° – 41° |
| March | 56° | 29° | 1.4" | 2.3" | 7 | 2 | 35° – 54° |
| April | 66° | 38° | 2.1" | 0.7" | 8 | 0 | 45° – 58° |
| May | 76° | 49° | 4.0" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 56° – 68° |
| June | 87° | 60° | 3.3" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 68° – 78° |
| July | 92° | 65° | 4.0" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 73° – 84° |
| August | 89° | 63° | 3.2" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 70° – 83° |
| September | 82° | 54° | 1.9" | 0.0" | 6 | 0 | 61° – 74° |
| October | 68° | 40° | 1.8" | 0.5" | 6 | 0 | 47° – 59° |
| November | 54° | 27° | 1.0" | 1.5" | 5 | 1 | 33° – 48° |
| December | 42° | 19° | 0.8" | 3.0" | 4 | 6 | 22° – 35° |
| Year | 66° | 40° | 24.7" | 18.3" | 84 | 27 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. March swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 35° to 54°. June is the most reliable, staying within 10°.
Where Kensington’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 Kensington’s center.
- Snow: Smith Ctr, KS.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Kirwin Dam, KS, 9 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 Kensington’s climate
What is the weather like in Kensington?
A typical July afternoon reaches 92°, a January night drops to 16°, and about 18 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 80% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 86% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Kensington in winter?
January nights average 16°. About 158 nights a year reach 32° or below and 9 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 20°.
How much snow does Kensington get?
About 18 inches in a normal winter at Smith Ctr, KS, most of it in February, with snow on the ground about 27 days a year.
How hot does it get in Kensington?
July, with a typical high of 92° and a low of 65°. About 67 days a year reach 90° and 14 reach 100° (Kirwin Dam, KS).
When is the first and last frost in Kensington?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 30 and the first fall frost by October 7, about 159 frost-free days, at Kirwin Dam, KS.
What growing zone is Kensington in?
Zone 6a on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −7°.
What is the best time of year to visit Kensington?
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 Kensington getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 0.8° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 91% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Kensington.
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.