Kiowa reaches 100° on about 22 days a year, more than 96% of U.S. towns
The coldest hours of a January night bottom out at 22° on average. The gap between a January night and a July afternoon is 73°. It is a dry place: less rain and snow fall here than on 86% of U.S. towns. Plan time outside for April, May and October, when highs sit at 71–80°.
A year in Kiowa at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Kiowa’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Kiowa’s place in Kansas beside it.
What a year in Kiowa feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 204 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 8 and the first by October 31. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Kiowa, KS, 0.3 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Kiowa’s center in zone 7a: 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 11 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Alva 1w, OK, falls mostly in December. 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 65 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Kiowa
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 Kiowa, KS.
Living with Kiowa’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
204 frost-free days in zone 7a. 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 31.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: April, May and October.
Parks & trails →Cold waves are 36% of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Kiowa from natural hazards, the largest share. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Kiowa and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Kiowa yet.
Climates most like Kiowa’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kiowa, KS | 22° | 95° | 30" | 11" |
| Pampa, TX | 24° | 93° | 22" | 16" |
| Altus, OK | 28° | 97° | 28" | 2.8" |
| Ogden, UT | 20° | 92° | 20" | 23" |
| Tucumcari, NM | 24° | 95° | 16" | 15" |
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 Kiowa averaged 1.0° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in January (+2.6°).
A smaller shift than in 79% 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 Kiowa compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Kiowa’s place among Kansas’.
Kiowa weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Kiowa’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Alva 1w, OK. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 47° | 22° | 0.9" | 2.8" | 3 | 29° – 44° |
| February | 52° | 26° | 1.1" | 1.7" | 4 | 31° – 46° |
| March | 61° | 35° | 2.2" | 2.6" | 6 | 41° – 58° |
| April | 71° | 44° | 2.8" | 0.0" | 6 | 51° – 64° |
| May | 80° | 54° | 4.3" | 0.0" | 8 | 61° – 75° |
| June | 90° | 65° | 4.4" | 0.0" | 8 | 72° – 84° |
| July | 95° | 69° | 3.1" | 0.0" | 6 | 77° – 90° |
| August | 93° | 68° | 3.3" | 0.0" | 7 | 74° – 86° |
| September | 85° | 59° | 2.3" | 0.0" | 5 | 68° – 79° |
| October | 73° | 46° | 2.7" | 0.0" | 5 | 53° – 65° |
| November | 60° | 34° | 1.4" | 0.1" | 4 | 39° – 53° |
| December | 48° | 25° | 1.2" | 4.1" | 4 | 28° – 40° |
| Year | 71° | 46° | 29.7" | 11.3" | 65 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. March swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 41° to 58°. September is the most reliable, staying within 11°.
Where Kiowa’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 Kiowa’s center.
- Snow: Alva 1w, OK.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Kiowa, KS, 0.3 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 Kiowa’s climate
What is the weather like in Kiowa?
A typical July afternoon reaches 95°, a January night drops to 22°, and about 11 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Milder January nights than 53% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 95% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Kiowa in winter?
January nights average 22°. About 116 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 29°.
How much snow does Kiowa get?
About 11 inches in a normal winter at Alva 1w, OK, most of it in December.
How hot does it get in Kiowa?
July, with a typical high of 95° and a low of 69°. About 88 days a year reach 90° and 22 reach 100° (Kiowa, KS).
When is the first and last frost in Kiowa?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 8 and the first fall frost by October 31, about 204 frost-free days, at Kiowa, KS.
What growing zone is Kiowa in?
Zone 7a 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 Kiowa?
By one simple rule (highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more), April, May and October. The rule is ours, not NOAA’s; the month table has the numbers to judge by.
Is Kiowa getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.0° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 79% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Kiowa.
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.