Montezuma reaches 100° on about 10 days a year, more than 91% of U.S. towns
Deep winter brings January lows near 20°. By precipitation alone, it ranks drier than 89% of U.S. towns. Since 1901–2000, the year has warmed by 0.9°, most of all in March. Garden planting can start around April 23; autumn frost returns near October 20.
A year in Montezuma at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Montezuma’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Montezuma’s place in Kansas beside it.
What a year in Montezuma feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 177 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 23 and the first by October 20. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Montezuma, KS, 0.6 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Montezuma’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 16 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Montezuma, KS, falls mostly in January and December. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 21 inches a year; June is the wettest month and February the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 61 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Montezuma
79% 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 Montezuma, KS.
Living with Montezuma’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
177 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 20.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: May, September and October.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Montezuma from natural hazards, drought is the largest share (35%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 15%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Montezuma and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Montezuma yet.
Climates most like Montezuma’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Montezuma, KS | 20° | 93° | 21" | 16" |
| Ogden, UT | 20° | 92° | 20" | 23" |
| Hereford, TX | 23° | 92° | 19" | 14" |
| McCook, NE | 15° | 92° | 21" | 20" |
| Clovis, NM | 24° | 91° | 17" | 13" |
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 Montezuma averaged 0.9° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in March (+2.6°).
A smaller shift than in 82% 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 Montezuma compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Montezuma’s place among Kansas’.
Montezuma weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Montezuma’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Montezuma, KS. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 46° | 20° | 0.6" | 3.7" | 2 | 4 | 25° – 42° |
| February | 49° | 22° | 0.6" | 2.8" | 3 | 4 | 28° – 44° |
| March | 59° | 31° | 1.3" | 3.1" | 4 | 2 | 38° – 54° |
| April | 68° | 39° | 1.8" | 1.0" | 6 | 0 | 48° – 59° |
| May | 78° | 50° | 2.7" | 0.1" | 8 | 0 | 57° – 71° |
| June | 88° | 60° | 3.6" | 0.0" | 7 | 0 | 68° – 78° |
| July | 93° | 66° | 3.2" | 0.0" | 7 | 0 | 75° – 86° |
| August | 90° | 64° | 2.8" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 71° – 83° |
| September | 83° | 55° | 1.4" | 0.0" | 5 | 0 | 64° – 76° |
| October | 70° | 42° | 1.9" | 0.5" | 5 | 0 | 49° – 63° |
| November | 57° | 29° | 0.7" | 1.0" | 3 | 1 | 36° – 50° |
| December | 46° | 21° | 0.8" | 3.6" | 3 | 4 | 27° – 37° |
| Year | 69° | 42° | 21.1" | 15.8" | 61 | 15 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. January swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 25° to 42°. July is the most reliable, staying within 11°.
Where Montezuma’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 Montezuma’s center.
- Snow: Montezuma, KS (NOAA station in town).
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Montezuma, KS, 0.6 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 Montezuma’s climate
What is the weather like in Montezuma?
A typical July afternoon reaches 93°, a January night drops to 20°, and about 16 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 61% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 90% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Montezuma in winter?
January nights average 20°. About 139 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 25°.
How much snow does Montezuma get?
About 16 inches in a normal winter at Montezuma, KS, most of it in January and December, with snow on the ground about 15 days a year.
How hot does it get in Montezuma?
July, with a typical high of 93° and a low of 66°. About 67 days a year reach 90° and 10 reach 100° (Montezuma, KS).
When is the first and last frost in Montezuma?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 23 and the first fall frost by October 20, about 177 frost-free days, at Montezuma, KS.
What growing zone is Montezuma 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 Montezuma?
By one simple rule (highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more), May, September and October. The rule is ours, not NOAA’s; the month table has the numbers to judge by.
Is Montezuma getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 0.9° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 82% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Montezuma.
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.