Niles reaches 100° on about 17 days a year, more than 94% of U.S. towns
Nights in January average 20°. By precipitation alone, it ranks drier than 84% of U.S. towns. Since 1901–2000, the year has warmed by 1.4°, most of all in March. Central heating does most of its work from November to March, in months below 50° on average.
A year in Niles at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Niles’ climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Niles’ place in Kansas beside it.
What a year in Niles feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 190 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 14 and the first by October 23. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Abilene, KS, 13 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Niles’ 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 12 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Abilene, KS, falls mostly in January. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 32 inches a year; May is the wettest month and January the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 78 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Niles
71% 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 Abilene, KS.
Living with Niles’ climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
190 frost-free days in zone 6b. The last frost comes by Apr 14 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 23.
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 Niles from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (38%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 19%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Niles and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Niles yet.
Climates most like Niles’, 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Niles, KS | 20° | 93° | 32" | 12" |
| Enid, OK | 25° | 94° | 33" | 9.4" |
| Perryton, TX | 22° | 94° | 21" | 14" |
| Kansas City, MO | 20° | 89° | 39" | 11" |
| South Ogden, UT | 21° | 91° | 22" | 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 Niles averaged 1.4° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in March (+2.9°).
A bigger shift than in 51% 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 Niles compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Niles’ place among Kansas’.
Niles weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Niles’ center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Abilene, KS. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 41° | 20° | 0.8" | 4.1" | 4 | 25° – 42° |
| February | 46° | 23° | 1.1" | 2.8" | 4 | 27° – 44° |
| March | 57° | 33° | 2.0" | 1.7" | 7 | 38° – 57° |
| April | 67° | 42° | 2.8" | 0.2" | 8 | 49° – 61° |
| May | 77° | 53° | 5.0" | 0.0" | 10 | 59° – 74° |
| June | 88° | 64° | 4.2" | 0.0" | 8 | 69° – 81° |
| July | 93° | 69° | 4.4" | 0.0" | 9 | 76° – 87° |
| August | 90° | 66° | 3.9" | 0.0" | 8 | 72° – 86° |
| September | 82° | 58° | 2.8" | 0.0" | 6 | 64° – 77° |
| October | 70° | 45° | 2.3" | 0.2" | 6 | 50° – 63° |
| November | 55° | 32° | 1.4" | 1.0" | 5 | 36° – 51° |
| December | 43° | 23° | 1.2" | 2.2" | 4 | 21° – 38° |
| Year | 67° | 44° | 31.7" | 12.2" | 78 |
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 57°. July is the most reliable, staying within 11°.
Where Niles’ 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 Niles’ center.
- Snow: Abilene, KS.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Abilene, KS, 13 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 Niles’ climate
What is the weather like in Niles?
A typical July afternoon reaches 93°, a January night drops to 20°, and about 12 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 59% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 90% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Niles in winter?
January nights average 20°. About 106 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 Niles get?
About 12 inches in a normal winter at Abilene, KS, most of it in January.
How hot does it get in Niles?
July, with a typical high of 93° and a low of 69°. About 76 days a year reach 90° and 17 reach 100° (Abilene, KS).
When is the first and last frost in Niles?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 14 and the first fall frost by October 23, about 190 frost-free days, at Abilene, KS.
What growing zone is Niles 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 Niles?
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 Niles getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.4° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A bigger shift than 51% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Niles.
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.