Photo: Dylan Edwards · CC BY 4.0Winter nights in Muscotah are colder than in 75% of U.S. towns
Peak summer warmth arrives in July, with afternoons near 89°. It is a dry place: less rain and snow fall here than on 74% of U.S. towns. The latest 30-year average runs 1.0° warmer than 1901–2000’s, with March up the most. The frost-free window for a garden runs roughly April 18 to October 17.
A year in Muscotah at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Muscotah’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Muscotah’s place in Kansas beside it.
What a year in Muscotah feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 180 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 18 and the first by October 17. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Horton, KS, 8 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Muscotah’s center in zone 6a: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −6°. 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 Effingham, KS, falls mostly in February and December. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 36 inches a year; May is the wettest month and January the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 66 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Muscotah
81% 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 Horton, KS.
Living with Muscotah’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
180 frost-free days in zone 6a. The last frost comes by Apr 18 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 17.
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 Muscotah from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (40%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 11%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Muscotah and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Muscotah yet.
Climates most like Muscotah’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Muscotah, KS | 17° | 89° | 36" | 16" |
| Quincy, IL | 19° | 87° | 39" | 17" |
| Boonville, MO | 21° | 88° | 41" | 13" |
| Fort Madison, IA | 17° | 86° | 39" | 18" |
| Martinsburg, WV | 23° | 87° | 40" | 23" |
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 Muscotah averaged 1.0° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in March (+2.3°).
A smaller shift than in 77% 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 Muscotah compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Muscotah’s place among Kansas’.
Muscotah weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Muscotah’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Effingham, KS. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 38° | 17° | 0.8" | 4.1" | 3 | 21° – 39° |
| February | 43° | 21° | 1.2" | 5.2" | 3 | 23° – 41° |
| March | 55° | 32° | 2.1" | 1.2" | 5 | 36° – 58° |
| April | 66° | 42° | 3.7" | 0.4" | 8 | 45° – 60° |
| May | 75° | 53° | 5.1" | 0.0" | 8 | 59° – 73° |
| June | 84° | 63° | 4.7" | 0.0" | 8 | 69° – 78° |
| July | 89° | 67° | 4.8" | 0.0" | 7 | 72° – 84° |
| August | 87° | 65° | 4.1" | 0.0" | 6 | 70° – 82° |
| September | 80° | 55° | 3.5" | 0.0" | 6 | 62° – 73° |
| October | 68° | 43° | 3.0" | 0.3" | 6 | 49° – 60° |
| November | 53° | 31° | 1.8" | 0.3" | 4 | 35° – 51° |
| December | 42° | 22° | 1.3" | 4.8" | 3 | 18° – 37° |
| Year | 65° | 42° | 36.1" | 16.3" | 66 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. March swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 36° to 58°. June is the most reliable, staying within 9°.
Where Muscotah’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 Muscotah’s center.
- Snow: Effingham, KS.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Horton, KS, 8 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 Muscotah’s climate
What is the weather like in Muscotah?
A typical July afternoon reaches 89°, a January night drops to 17°, and about 16 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 75% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 72% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Muscotah in winter?
January nights average 17°. About 127 nights a year reach 32° or below and 6 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 21°.
How much snow does Muscotah get?
About 16 inches in a normal winter at Effingham, KS, most of it in February and December.
How hot does it get in Muscotah?
July, with a typical high of 89° and a low of 67°. About 43 days a year reach 90° and 3 reach 100° (Horton, KS).
When is the first and last frost in Muscotah?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 18 and the first fall frost by October 17, about 180 frost-free days, at Horton, KS.
What growing zone is Muscotah in?
Zone 6a on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −6°.
What is the best time of year to visit Muscotah?
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 Muscotah getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.0° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 77% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Muscotah.
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.