Photo: Ichabod · CC BY-SA 3.0Summers, winters and rain in Lancaster all run close to those of most U.S. towns
Midsummer highs settle at about 88°. By precipitation alone, it ranks drier than 71% of U.S. towns. March has warmed most since 1901–2000, part of a 0.9° rise. Central heating does most of its work from November to March, in months below 50° on average.
A year in Lancaster at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Lancaster’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Lancaster’s place in Kansas beside it.
What a year in Lancaster feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 199 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 11 and the first by October 29. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Atchison, KS, 10 miles from the town’s center, 190 ft lower.
The 2023 USDA map puts Lancaster’s center in zone 6a: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −6°. 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 16 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Effingham, KS, falls mostly in February and December. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 37 inches a year; May is the wettest month and January the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 66 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Lancaster
79% 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 Atchison, KS.
Living with Lancaster’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
199 frost-free days in zone 6a. The last frost comes by Apr 11 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 29.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: April, May, June, September and October.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Lancaster from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (40%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 11%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Lancaster and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Lancaster yet.
Climates most like Lancaster’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lancaster, KS | 18° | 88° | 37" | 16" |
| Jacksonville, IL | 19° | 87° | 39" | 16" |
| Hannibal, MO | 19° | 87° | 39" | 13" |
| Fort Madison, IA | 17° | 86° | 39" | 18" |
| Strasburg, VA | 23° | 87° | 39" | 21" |
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 Lancaster averaged 0.9° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in March (+2.3°).
A smaller shift than in 82% 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 Lancaster compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Lancaster’s place among Kansas’.
Lancaster weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Lancaster’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Effingham, KS. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 37° | 18° | 0.8" | 4.1" | 3 | 21° – 39° |
| February | 43° | 22° | 1.2" | 5.2" | 3 | 23° – 42° |
| March | 54° | 33° | 2.2" | 1.2" | 5 | 36° – 58° |
| April | 65° | 43° | 3.7" | 0.4" | 8 | 46° – 60° |
| May | 75° | 53° | 5.1" | 0.0" | 8 | 59° – 73° |
| June | 84° | 63° | 5.0" | 0.0" | 8 | 69° – 77° |
| July | 88° | 67° | 5.0" | 0.0" | 7 | 72° – 84° |
| August | 86° | 65° | 4.1" | 0.0" | 6 | 70° – 81° |
| September | 79° | 56° | 3.6" | 0.0" | 6 | 62° – 73° |
| October | 67° | 44° | 3.1" | 0.3" | 6 | 49° – 60° |
| November | 53° | 32° | 1.9" | 0.3" | 4 | 35° – 51° |
| December | 41° | 23° | 1.4" | 4.8" | 3 | 18° – 38° |
| Year | 64° | 43° | 37.0" | 16.3" | 66 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. March swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 36° to 58°. June is the most reliable, staying within 8°.
Where Lancaster’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 Lancaster’s center.
- Snow: Effingham, KS.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Atchison, KS, 10 miles from the town’s center, 190 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 Lancaster’s climate
What is the weather like in Lancaster?
A typical July afternoon reaches 88°, a January night drops to 18°, and about 16 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 68% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 67% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Lancaster in winter?
January nights average 18°. About 107 nights a year reach 32° or below and 3 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 21°.
How much snow does Lancaster get?
About 16 inches in a normal winter at Effingham, KS, most of it in February and December.
How hot does it get in Lancaster?
July, with a typical high of 88° and a low of 67°. About 38 days a year reach 90° and 3 reach 100° (Atchison, KS).
When is the first and last frost in Lancaster?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 11 and the first fall frost by October 29, about 199 frost-free days, at Atchison, KS.
What growing zone is Lancaster in?
Zone 6a on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −6°.
What is the best time of year to visit Lancaster?
By one simple rule (highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more), April, May, June, September and October. The rule is ours, not NOAA’s; the month table has the numbers to judge by.
Is Lancaster getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 0.9° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 82% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Lancaster.
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.