Loomis Historic District · Photo: Dlong417 · CC BY-SA 3.0No extremes in Merriam: its weather tracks the middle of U.S. towns
Midsummer highs settle at about 88°. Summer afternoons here are warmer than in 69% of U.S. towns. Warming shows here too: 1.0° more than in 1901–2000, led by March. Garden chairs stay out from April to June and September to October, the months with highs of 66–84°.
A year in Merriam at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Merriam’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Merriam’s place in Kansas beside it.
What a year in Merriam feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 211 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 4 and the first by November 2. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Kansas City Downtown Airport, 9 miles from the town’s center, 230 ft lower.
The 2023 USDA map puts Merriam’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 14 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Olathe 3e, KS, falls mostly in January. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 40 inches a year; May is the wettest month and January the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 97 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Merriam
73% 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 Kansas City Downtown Airport.
Living with Merriam’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
211 frost-free days in zone 6b. The last frost comes by Apr 4 in half of years, so many gardeners wait a week or two past that to set out tomatoes. The first fall frost comes by Nov 2.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: April, May, June, September and October. 2.4 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Merriam from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (35%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 30%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Merriam and its neighbors
Every town next door is within a degree of Merriam in January and July, closer than the 5 km grid can tell apart. Tap a town to see its climate.
Climates most like Merriam’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Merriam, KS | 21° | 88° | 40" | 14" |
| Troy, MO | 21° | 88° | 41" | 16" |
| Jerseyville, IL | 21° | 87° | 41" | 13" |
| Terre Haute, IN | 21° | 87° | 43" | 15" |
| Hamilton, OH | 22° | 87° | 43" | 9.7" |
Temperatures and rain come from NOAA’s 5 km grid, so each town gets its own value. Snow and frost-free days come from the nearest weather station, so neighbors often share them.
Warmer than it used to be
The last 30 years in Merriam averaged 1.0° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in March (+2.5°).
A smaller shift than in 75% 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 Merriam compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Merriam’s place among Kansas’.
Merriam weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Merriam’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Olathe 3e, KS. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 39° | 21° | 1.2" | 3.9" | 6 | 23° – 41° |
| February | 44° | 25° | 1.5" | 3.3" | 6 | 26° – 44° |
| March | 55° | 35° | 2.4" | 1.4" | 8 | 38° – 59° |
| April | 66° | 44° | 4.0" | 0.3" | 10 | 48° – 61° |
| May | 75° | 55° | 5.5" | 0.0" | 12 | 59° – 73° |
| June | 84° | 64° | 5.2" | 0.0" | 10 | 70° – 78° |
| July | 88° | 68° | 4.7" | 0.0" | 9 | 74° – 85° |
| August | 87° | 67° | 4.5" | 0.0" | 8 | 71° – 83° |
| September | 79° | 58° | 3.9" | 0.0" | 8 | 63° – 75° |
| October | 67° | 46° | 3.3" | 0.3" | 8 | 50° – 62° |
| November | 54° | 35° | 2.2" | 1.2" | 7 | 37° – 52° |
| December | 43° | 25° | 1.6" | 3.4" | 6 | 20° – 40° |
| Year | 65° | 45° | 39.9" | 13.8" | 97 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. December swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 20° to 40°. June is the most reliable, staying within 8°.
Where Merriam’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 Merriam’s center.
- Snow: Olathe 3e, KS.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Kansas City Downtown Airport, 9 miles from the town’s center, 230 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 Merriam’s climate
What is the weather like in Merriam?
A typical July afternoon reaches 88°, a January night drops to 21°, and about 14 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 55% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 69% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Merriam in winter?
January nights average 21°. About 93 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 23°.
How much snow does Merriam get?
About 14 inches in a normal winter at Olathe 3e, KS, most of it in January.
How hot does it get in Merriam?
July, with a typical high of 88° and a low of 68°. About 47 days a year reach 90° and 5 reach 100° (Kansas City Downtown Airport).
When is the first and last frost in Merriam?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 4 and the first fall frost by November 2, about 211 frost-free days, at Kansas City Downtown Airport.
What growing zone is Merriam 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 Merriam?
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 Merriam getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.0° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 75% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Merriam.
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.