Photo: Doncram · CC BY-SA 4.0Leon has warmer summer afternoons than 80% of U.S. towns
Midwinter brings lows of about 22°. It is a dry place: less rain and snow fall here than on 69% of U.S. towns. Warming shows here too: 0.8° more than in 1901–2000, led by January. Seedlings are safe outdoors from about April 13, with the first autumn frost due around October 25.
A year in Leon at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Leon’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Leon’s place in Kansas beside it.
What a year in Leon feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 193 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 13 and the first by October 25. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at El Dorado, KS, 10 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Leon’s center in zone 7a: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about 0°. 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 Augusta, KS, falls mostly in December. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 38 inches a year; May is the wettest month and January the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 81 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Leon
75% 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 El Dorado, KS.
Living with Leon’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
193 frost-free days in zone 7a. The last frost comes by Apr 13 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 25.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: April, May, September and October. 0.2 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Leon from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (26%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 15%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Leon and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Leon yet.
Climates most like Leon’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Leon, KS | 22° | 91° | 38" | 8.5" |
| Kansas City, MO | 20° | 89° | 39" | 11" |
| Columbia, IL | 24° | 89° | 42" | 8.8" |
| Fredericksburg, VA | 25° | 89° | 43" | 11" |
| Midwest City, OK | 28° | 93° | 37" | 6.7" |
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 Leon averaged 0.8° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in January (+2.2°).
A smaller shift than in 92% 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 Leon compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Leon’s place among Kansas’.
Leon weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Leon’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Augusta, KS. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 43° | 22° | 0.9" | 1.9" | 4 | 3 | 27° – 43° |
| February | 48° | 25° | 1.4" | 2.1" | 4 | 2 | 29° – 45° |
| March | 58° | 35° | 2.5" | 1.5" | 7 | 1 | 40° – 58° |
| April | 68° | 44° | 3.5" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 49° – 62° |
| May | 76° | 54° | 5.7" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 60° – 73° |
| June | 85° | 64° | 5.5" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 69° – 79° |
| July | 91° | 68° | 4.2" | 0.0" | 7 | 0 | 75° – 87° |
| August | 90° | 67° | 4.1" | 0.0" | 7 | 0 | 72° – 86° |
| September | 82° | 58° | 3.5" | 0.0" | 7 | 0 | 65° – 77° |
| October | 70° | 46° | 3.2" | 0.0" | 7 | 0 | 50° – 63° |
| November | 57° | 34° | 1.9" | 0.2" | 5 | 0 | 39° – 53° |
| December | 45° | 25° | 1.4" | 2.8" | 5 | 3 | 23° – 40° |
| Year | 68° | 45° | 37.7" | 8.5" | 81 | 9 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. March swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 40° to 58°. June is the most reliable, staying within 10°.
Where Leon’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 Leon’s center.
- Snow: Augusta, KS.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: El Dorado, KS, 10 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 Leon’s climate
What is the weather like in Leon?
A typical July afternoon reaches 91°, a January night drops to 22°, and about 9 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 51% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 80% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Leon in winter?
January nights average 22°. About 112 nights a year reach 32° or below and 1 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 27°.
How much snow does Leon get?
About 8.5 inches in a normal winter at Augusta, KS, most of it in December, with snow on the ground about 9 days a year.
How hot does it get in Leon?
July, with a typical high of 91° and a low of 68°. About 54 days a year reach 90° and 6 reach 100° (El Dorado, KS).
When is the first and last frost in Leon?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 13 and the first fall frost by October 25, about 193 frost-free days, at El Dorado, KS.
What growing zone is Leon in?
Zone 7a on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about 0°.
What is the best time of year to visit Leon?
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 Leon getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 0.8° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 92% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Leon.
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.