Photo: Kaethesson · CC BY-SA 3.0Parsons’ winters are milder and less snowy than most of the U.S.
A typical July afternoon reaches 90°, a January night drops to 24°, and about 7 inches of snow falls in a normal winter.
A year in Parsons at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Parsons’ climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Parsons’ place in Kansas beside it.
What a year in Parsons feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 196 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 11 and the first by October 26. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Parsons 2 Nw, KS, 2.7 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Parsons’ center in zone 7a: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about 1°. 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 7 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Parsons 2 Nw, KS, falls mostly in January and December. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 45 inches a year; May is the wettest month and January the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 91 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Parsons
75% 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 Parsons 2 Nw, KS.
Living with Parsons’ climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
196 frost-free days in zone 7a. The last frost comes by Apr 11 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 26.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: April, May, September and October. 8.0 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Parsons from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (41%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 21%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Parsons and its neighbors
Every town next door is within a degree of Parsons in January and July, closer than the 5 km grid can tell apart. Tap a town to see its climate.
Climates most like Parsons’, 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Parsons, KS | 24° | 90° | 45" | 7.1" |
| Pevely, MO | 23° | 89° | 43" | 9.2" |
| Mountain Home, AR | 26° | 90° | 48" | 7.8" |
| Columbia, IL | 24° | 89° | 42" | 8.8" |
| Mechanicsville, VA | 28° | 89° | 46" | 8.8" |
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 Parsons averaged 0.5° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in January (+1.9°).
A smaller shift than in 98% 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 Parsons compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Parsons’ place among Kansas’.
Parsons weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Parsons’ center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Parsons 2 Nw, KS. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 44° | 24° | 1.5" | 2.5" | 6 | 3 | 28° – 43° |
| February | 49° | 27° | 1.8" | 0.8" | 6 | 2 | 31° – 47° |
| March | 59° | 37° | 3.0" | 1.2" | 8 | 0 | 42° – 59° |
| April | 69° | 45° | 4.7" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 50° – 63° |
| May | 77° | 56° | 6.7" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 62° – 73° |
| June | 86° | 65° | 5.6" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 70° – 80° |
| July | 90° | 69° | 4.2" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 75° – 87° |
| August | 90° | 68° | 4.2" | 0.0" | 7 | 0 | 72° – 84° |
| September | 82° | 59° | 4.5" | 0.0" | 7 | 0 | 65° – 77° |
| October | 71° | 47° | 3.7" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 52° – 64° |
| November | 58° | 36° | 2.8" | 0.2" | 7 | 0 | 40° – 54° |
| December | 47° | 27° | 2.1" | 2.4" | 6 | 2 | 25° – 43° |
| Year | 68° | 47° | 44.6" | 7.1" | 91 | 8 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. December swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 25° to 43°. June is the most reliable, staying within 9°.
Where Parsons’ 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 Parsons’ center.
- Snow: Parsons 2 Nw, KS.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Parsons 2 Nw, KS, 2.7 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 Parsons’ climate
What is the weather like in Parsons?
A typical July afternoon reaches 90°, a January night drops to 24°, and about 7 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Milder January nights than 59% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 79% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Parsons in winter?
January nights average 24°. About 104 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 28°.
How much snow does Parsons get?
About 7.1 inches in a normal winter at Parsons 2 Nw, KS, most of it in January and December, with snow on the ground about 8 days a year.
How hot does it get in Parsons?
July, with a typical high of 90° and a low of 69°. About 47 days a year reach 90° and 5 reach 100° (Parsons 2 Nw, KS).
When is the first and last frost in Parsons?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 11 and the first fall frost by October 26, about 196 frost-free days, at Parsons 2 Nw, KS.
What growing zone is Parsons in?
Zone 7a on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about 1°.
What is the best time of year to visit Parsons?
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 Parsons getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 0.5° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 98% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Parsons.
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.