Palace Theater · Photo: Jon Roanhaus · CC BY-SA 4.0Kinsley reaches 100° on about 14 days a year, more than 93% of U.S. towns
A typical July afternoon reaches 93°, a January night drops to 19°, and about 15 inches of snow falls in a normal winter.
A year in Kinsley at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Kinsley’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Kinsley’s place in Kansas beside it.
What a year in Kinsley feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 180 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 20 and the first by October 20. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Kinsley 2e, KS, 2.5 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Kinsley’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 15 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Kinsley 2e, KS, falls mostly in January. 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 58 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Kinsley
77% 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 Kinsley 2e, KS.
Living with Kinsley’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
180 frost-free days in zone 6b. The last frost comes by Apr 20 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 20.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: April, May, September and October. 0.1 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Cold waves are 37% of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Kinsley from natural hazards, the largest share. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Kinsley and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Kinsley yet.
Climates most like Kinsley’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kinsley, KS | 19° | 93° | 25" | 15" |
| Pampa, TX | 24° | 93° | 22" | 16" |
| Ogden, UT | 20° | 92° | 20" | 23" |
| McCook, NE | 15° | 92° | 21" | 20" |
| Elk City, OK | 26° | 95° | 27" | 8.6" |
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 Kinsley averaged 0.8° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in January (+2.5°).
A smaller shift than in 90% 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 Kinsley compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Kinsley’s place among Kansas’.
Kinsley weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Kinsley’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Kinsley 2e, KS. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 45° | 19° | 0.6" | 4.7" | 2 | 25° – 42° |
| February | 49° | 23° | 0.8" | 2.9" | 3 | 29° – 43° |
| March | 59° | 32° | 1.6" | 3.1" | 4 | 38° – 55° |
| April | 68° | 40° | 2.1" | 0.6" | 6 | 48° – 60° |
| May | 78° | 51° | 3.6" | 0.0" | 6 | 56° – 71° |
| June | 88° | 61° | 3.6" | 0.0" | 7 | 69° – 79° |
| July | 93° | 66° | 3.6" | 0.0" | 7 | 75° – 86° |
| August | 91° | 64° | 3.3" | 0.0" | 6 | 71° – 83° |
| September | 83° | 56° | 1.9" | 0.0" | 5 | 65° – 77° |
| October | 71° | 43° | 2.1" | 0.0" | 5 | 50° – 63° |
| November | 57° | 30° | 0.9" | 0.5" | 3 | 36° – 51° |
| December | 46° | 22° | 0.9" | 3.3" | 3 | 26° – 38° |
| Year | 69° | 42° | 25.1" | 15.1" | 58 |
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 55°. June is the most reliable, staying within 10°.
Where Kinsley’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 Kinsley’s center.
- Snow: Kinsley 2e, KS.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Kinsley 2e, KS, 2.5 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 Kinsley’s climate
What is the weather like in Kinsley?
A typical July afternoon reaches 93°, a January night drops to 19°, and about 15 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 62% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 91% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Kinsley in winter?
January nights average 19°. About 132 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 Kinsley get?
About 15 inches in a normal winter at Kinsley 2e, KS, most of it in January.
How hot does it get in Kinsley?
July, with a typical high of 93° and a low of 66°. About 72 days a year reach 90° and 14 reach 100° (Kinsley 2e, KS).
When is the first and last frost in Kinsley?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 20 and the first fall frost by October 20, about 180 frost-free days, at Kinsley 2e, KS.
What growing zone is Kinsley 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 Kinsley?
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 Kinsley getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 0.8° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 90% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Kinsley.
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.