Atchison, Topeka, and Santa Fe Pratt Truss Bridge · Photo: SharonPapierdreams · CC BY-SA 4.0July in Melvern runs hotter than in 77% of U.S. towns
The depth of winter brings overnight lows near 21°. Rain follows the seasons: May brings about 5.9 times as much as January. It is a dry place: less rain and snow fall here than on 70% of U.S. towns. If you like long walks, April, May, September and October offer highs of 67–81°.
A year in Melvern at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Melvern’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Melvern’s place in Kansas beside it.
What a year in Melvern feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 202 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 8 and the first by October 30. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Melvern Lake, KS, 4 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Melvern’s center in zone 6b: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −2°. 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 10 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Osage City, KS, falls mostly in February. 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 73 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Melvern
76% 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 Melvern Lake, KS.
Living with Melvern’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
202 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 30.
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 Melvern from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (31%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 26%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Melvern and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Melvern yet.
Climates most like Melvern’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Melvern, KS | 21° | 90° | 37" | 10" |
| Boonville, MO | 21° | 88° | 41" | 13" |
| Collinsville, IL | 23° | 89° | 42" | 11" |
| Fredericksburg, VA | 25° | 89° | 43" | 11" |
| Sand Springs, OK | 26° | 93° | 41" | 8.7" |
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 Melvern averaged 1.1° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in March (+2.2°).
A smaller shift than in 73% 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 Melvern compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Melvern’s place among Kansas’.
Melvern weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Melvern’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Osage City, KS. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 41° | 21° | 0.9" | 2.4" | 4 | 24° – 42° |
| February | 46° | 24° | 1.5" | 3.7" | 4 | 28° – 45° |
| March | 57° | 34° | 2.4" | 1.5" | 6 | 38° – 59° |
| April | 67° | 44° | 3.8" | 0.1" | 8 | 48° – 62° |
| May | 76° | 54° | 5.4" | 0.0" | 10 | 59° – 74° |
| June | 85° | 64° | 4.9" | 0.0" | 7 | 69° – 79° |
| July | 90° | 68° | 4.2" | 0.0" | 7 | 75° – 86° |
| August | 89° | 66° | 4.0" | 0.0" | 7 | 71° – 85° |
| September | 81° | 57° | 3.9" | 0.0" | 6 | 63° – 75° |
| October | 69° | 46° | 3.0" | 0.1" | 6 | 50° – 62° |
| November | 56° | 34° | 2.1" | 0.6" | 4 | 38° – 53° |
| December | 44° | 25° | 1.5" | 2.0" | 4 | 21° – 41° |
| Year | 67° | 45° | 37.4" | 10.4" | 73 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. March swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 38° to 59°. June is the most reliable, staying within 10°.
Where Melvern’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 Melvern’s center.
- Snow: Osage City, KS.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Melvern Lake, KS, 4 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 Melvern’s climate
What is the weather like in Melvern?
A typical July afternoon reaches 90°, a January night drops to 21°, and about 10 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 56% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 77% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Melvern in winter?
January nights average 21°. About 112 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 24°.
How much snow does Melvern get?
About 10 inches in a normal winter at Osage City, KS, most of it in February.
How hot does it get in Melvern?
July, with a typical high of 90° and a low of 68°. About 48 days a year reach 90° and 6 reach 100° (Melvern Lake, KS).
When is the first and last frost in Melvern?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 8 and the first fall frost by October 30, about 202 frost-free days, at Melvern Lake, KS.
What growing zone is Melvern in?
Zone 6b on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −2°.
What is the best time of year to visit Melvern?
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 Melvern getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.1° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 73% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Melvern.
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.