Photo: Ichabod · CC BY-SA 3.0La Harpe has warmer summer afternoons than 74% of U.S. towns
Midwinter brings lows of about 22°. The year swings widely: the coldest month’s nights and the warmest month’s afternoons are 67° apart. The outdoor season, with highs of 67–81°, runs through April, May, September and October.
A year in La Harpe at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about La Harpe’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with La Harpe’s place in Kansas beside it.
What a year in La Harpe feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 200 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 8 and the first by October 26. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Iola 1 W, KS, 7 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts La Harpe’s center in zone 6b: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −1°. 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 Moran, KS, falls mostly in January and December. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 42 inches a year; May is the wettest month and January the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 78 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in La Harpe
77% 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 Iola 1 W, KS.
Living with La Harpe’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
200 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 26.
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 La Harpe from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (39%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 24%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →La Harpe and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around La Harpe yet.
Climates most like La Harpe’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| La Harpe, KS | 22° | 89° | 42" | 9.2" |
| Pevely, MO | 23° | 89° | 43" | 9.2" |
| Columbia, IL | 24° | 89° | 42" | 8.8" |
| Fredericksburg, VA | 25° | 89° | 43" | 11" |
| Washington, DC | 27° | 89° | 44" | 5.8" |
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 La Harpe averaged 0.4° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in January (+1.7°).
A smaller shift than in all but 99 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 La Harpe compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with La Harpe’s place among Kansas’.
La Harpe weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at La Harpe’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Moran, KS. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 42° | 22° | 1.3" | 3.0" | 5 | 2 | 26° – 42° |
| February | 47° | 26° | 1.6" | 1.3" | 5 | 1 | 29° – 45° |
| March | 58° | 36° | 2.7" | 1.5" | 7 | 0 | 40° – 58° |
| April | 67° | 45° | 4.4" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 49° – 62° |
| May | 75° | 55° | 5.8" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 60° – 73° |
| June | 85° | 65° | 5.5" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 70° – 78° |
| July | 89° | 69° | 4.4" | 0.0" | 7 | 0 | 74° – 86° |
| August | 89° | 67° | 4.1" | 0.0" | 6 | 0 | 71° – 84° |
| September | 81° | 58° | 4.4" | 0.0" | 5 | 0 | 65° – 76° |
| October | 69° | 46° | 3.5" | 0.1" | 7 | 0 | 51° – 63° |
| November | 56° | 35° | 2.5" | 0.3" | 5 | 0 | 39° – 54° |
| December | 45° | 26° | 1.9" | 3.0" | 5 | 3 | 22° – 41° |
| Year | 67° | 46° | 42.2" | 9.2" | 78 | 7 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. December swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 22° to 41°. June is the most reliable, staying within 9°.
Where La Harpe’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 La Harpe’s center.
- Snow: Moran, KS.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Iola 1 W, 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 La Harpe’s climate
What is the weather like in La Harpe?
A typical July afternoon reaches 89°, a January night drops to 22°, and about 9 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Milder January nights than 53% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 74% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in La Harpe in winter?
January nights average 22°. About 106 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 26°.
How much snow does La Harpe get?
About 9.2 inches in a normal winter at Moran, KS, most of it in January and December, with snow on the ground about 7 days a year.
How hot does it get in La Harpe?
July, with a typical high of 89° and a low of 69°. About 40 days a year reach 90° and 2 reach 100° (Iola 1 W, KS).
When is the first and last frost in La Harpe?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 8 and the first fall frost by October 26, about 200 frost-free days, at Iola 1 W, KS.
What growing zone is La Harpe in?
Zone 6b on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −1°.
What is the best time of year to visit La Harpe?
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 La Harpe getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 0.4° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than all but 99 U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in La Harpe.
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.