Lorraine reaches 100° on about 11 days a year, more than 92% of U.S. towns
Deep winter brings January lows near 20°. Its yearly precipitation falls short of 86% of U.S. towns. The latest 30-year average runs 0.6° warmer than 1901–2000’s, with March up the most. The frost-free window for a garden runs roughly April 23 to October 16.
A year in Lorraine at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Lorraine’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Lorraine’s place in Kansas beside it.
What a year in Lorraine feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 175 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 23 and the first by October 16. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Ellsworth, KS, 12 miles from the town’s center, 220 ft lower.
The 2023 USDA map puts Lorraine’s center in zone 6b: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −3°. 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 15 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Geneseo, KS, falls mostly in January and December. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 29 inches a year; May is the wettest month and January the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 56 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Lorraine
78% 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 Ellsworth, KS.
Living with Lorraine’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
175 frost-free days in zone 6b. The last frost comes by Apr 23 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 16.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: April, May, September and October.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Lorraine from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (34%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 16%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Lorraine and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Lorraine yet.
Climates most like Lorraine’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lorraine, KS | 20° | 92° | 29" | 15" |
| Woodward, OK | 22° | 95° | 26" | 15" |
| South Ogden, UT | 21° | 91° | 22" | 23" |
| Pampa, TX | 24° | 93° | 22" | 16" |
| McCook, NE | 15° | 92° | 21" | 20" |
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 Lorraine averaged 0.6° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in March (+2.2°).
A smaller shift than in 97% 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 Lorraine compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Lorraine’s place among Kansas’.
Lorraine weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Lorraine’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Geneseo, KS. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 42° | 20° | 0.7" | 3.9" | 3 | 4 | 24° – 42° |
| February | 46° | 23° | 1.1" | 3.3" | 3 | 4 | 27° – 43° |
| March | 57° | 32° | 1.8" | 2.2" | 5 | 2 | 37° – 56° |
| April | 67° | 41° | 2.4" | 0.5" | 5 | 0 | 47° – 60° |
| May | 76° | 52° | 4.5" | 0.0" | 7 | 0 | 57° – 71° |
| June | 87° | 62° | 4.0" | 0.0" | 6 | 0 | 69° – 79° |
| July | 92° | 67° | 4.1" | 0.0" | 7 | 0 | 76° – 86° |
| August | 90° | 65° | 3.8" | 0.0" | 6 | 0 | 71° – 84° |
| September | 82° | 57° | 2.5" | 0.0" | 5 | 0 | 64° – 76° |
| October | 69° | 44° | 2.2" | 0.2" | 4 | 0 | 49° – 62° |
| November | 55° | 31° | 1.2" | 1.1" | 3 | 1 | 36° – 51° |
| December | 43° | 22° | 1.1" | 4.0" | 3 | 5 | 23° – 38° |
| Year | 67° | 43° | 29.1" | 15.2" | 56 | 16 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. March swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 37° to 56°. July is the most reliable, staying within 10°.
Where Lorraine’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 Lorraine’s center.
- Snow: Geneseo, KS.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Ellsworth, KS, 12 miles from the town’s center, 220 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 Lorraine’s climate
What is the weather like in Lorraine?
A typical July afternoon reaches 92°, a January night drops to 20°, and about 15 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 60% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 88% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Lorraine in winter?
January nights average 20°. About 137 nights a year reach 32° or below and 4 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 24°.
How much snow does Lorraine get?
About 15 inches in a normal winter at Geneseo, KS, most of it in January and December, with snow on the ground about 16 days a year.
How hot does it get in Lorraine?
July, with a typical high of 92° and a low of 67°. About 63 days a year reach 90° and 11 reach 100° (Ellsworth, KS).
When is the first and last frost in Lorraine?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 23 and the first fall frost by October 16, about 175 frost-free days, at Ellsworth, KS.
What growing zone is Lorraine in?
Zone 6b on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −3°.
What is the best time of year to visit Lorraine?
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 Lorraine getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 0.6° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 97% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Lorraine.
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.