Photo: Billy Hathorn · CC BY-SA 3.0Liberal reaches 100° on about 16 days a year, more than 94% of U.S. towns
Midwinter brings lows of about 21°. It is a dry place: less rain and snow fall here than on 89% of U.S. towns. Warming shows here too: 1.0° more than in 1901–2000, led by March. Keep the boiler serviced for the months from November to March, which average under 50°.
A year in Liberal at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Liberal’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Liberal’s place in Kansas beside it.
What a year in Liberal feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 186 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 20 and the first by October 24. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Liberal, KS, 1.6 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Liberal’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 14 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Liberal, KS, falls mostly in December. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 20 inches a year; June is the wettest month and February the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 53 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Liberal
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 Liberal, KS.
Living with Liberal’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
186 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 24.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: April, May and October. 7.8 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Liberal from natural hazards, tornadoes are the largest share (29%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 15%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Liberal and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Liberal yet.
Climates most like Liberal’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Liberal, KS | 21° | 94° | 20" | 14" |
| Hereford, TX | 23° | 92° | 19" | 14" |
| Roy, UT | 21° | 92° | 17" | 23" |
| Tucumcari, NM | 24° | 95° | 16" | 15" |
| Weiser, ID | 22° | 94° | 13" | 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 Liberal averaged 1.0° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in March (+2.7°).
A smaller shift than in 80% 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 Liberal compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Liberal’s place among Kansas’.
Liberal weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Liberal’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Liberal, KS. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 48° | 21° | 0.5" | 3.5" | 2 | 2 | 27° – 42° |
| February | 52° | 24° | 0.4" | 1.8" | 2 | 2 | 31° – 45° |
| March | 61° | 32° | 1.2" | 2.3" | 4 | 1 | 40° – 56° |
| April | 70° | 40° | 1.7" | 0.4" | 5 | 0 | 48° – 61° |
| May | 79° | 51° | 2.4" | 0.1" | 6 | 0 | 58° – 72° |
| June | 89° | 61° | 3.2" | 0.0" | 7 | 0 | 69° – 79° |
| July | 94° | 66° | 2.9" | 0.0" | 7 | 0 | 76° – 86° |
| August | 91° | 64° | 2.9" | 0.0" | 7 | 0 | 72° – 84° |
| September | 84° | 56° | 1.4" | 0.0" | 4 | 0 | 65° – 77° |
| October | 72° | 43° | 1.9" | 0.7" | 4 | 0 | 51° – 64° |
| November | 59° | 31° | 0.7" | 1.0" | 3 | 1 | 38° – 51° |
| December | 48° | 22° | 0.8" | 4.6" | 3 | 2 | 30° – 40° |
| Year | 71° | 43° | 19.9" | 14.4" | 53 | 8 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. January swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 27° to 42°. December is the most reliable, staying within 10°.
Where Liberal’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 Liberal’s center.
- Snow: Liberal, KS (NOAA station in town).
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Liberal, KS, 1.6 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 Liberal’s climate
What is the weather like in Liberal?
A typical July afternoon reaches 94°, a January night drops to 21°, and about 14 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 54% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 92% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Liberal in winter?
January nights average 21°. About 128 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 27°.
How much snow does Liberal get?
About 14 inches in a normal winter at Liberal, KS, most of it in December, with snow on the ground about 8 days a year.
How hot does it get in Liberal?
July, with a typical high of 94° and a low of 66°. About 81 days a year reach 90° and 16 reach 100° (Liberal, KS).
When is the first and last frost in Liberal?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 20 and the first fall frost by October 24, about 186 frost-free days, at Liberal, KS.
What growing zone is Liberal 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 Liberal?
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 Liberal getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.0° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 80% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Liberal.
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.