Paw Paw Township has warmer summer afternoons than 78% of U.S. towns
Deep winter brings January lows near 22°. The year swings widely: the coldest month’s nights and the warmest month’s afternoons are 68° apart. Its yearly precipitation falls short of 64% of U.S. towns. Tender plants can go out after about April 17; in half of years the first frost comes by October 22.
A year in Paw Paw Township at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Paw Paw Township’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Paw Paw Township’s place in Kansas beside it.
What a year in Paw Paw Township feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 186 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 17 and the first by October 22. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Howard, KS, 7 miles from the town’s center, 110 ft lower.
The 2023 USDA map puts Paw Paw Township’s center in zone 6b: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about 0°. 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 6 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Howard, KS, falls mostly in January. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 39 inches a year; June is the wettest month and January the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 79 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Paw Paw Township
77% 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 Howard, KS.
Living with Paw Paw Township’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
186 frost-free days in zone 6b. The last frost comes by Apr 17 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 22.
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 Paw Paw Township from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (37%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 9%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Paw Paw Township and its neighbors
Every town next door is within a degree of Paw Paw Township in January and July, closer than the 5 km grid can tell apart. Tap a town to see its climate.
Climates most like Paw Paw Township’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Paw Paw Township, KS | 22° | 90° | 39" | 6.4" |
| Washington, MO | 21° | 89° | 43" | 7.9" |
| Columbia, IL | 24° | 89° | 42" | 8.8" |
| Fredericksburg, VA | 25° | 89° | 43" | 11" |
| Washington, DC | 27° | 89° | 44" | 5.8" |
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 Paw Paw Township averaged 0.5° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in January (+1.7°).
A smaller shift than in 97% 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 Paw Paw Township compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Paw Paw Township’s place among Kansas’.
Paw Paw Township weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Paw Paw Township’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Howard, KS. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 43° | 22° | 1.0" | 2.2" | 4 | 4 | 27° – 43° |
| February | 49° | 26° | 1.5" | 0.8" | 5 | 2 | 29° – 46° |
| March | 59° | 35° | 2.7" | 0.9" | 7 | 1 | 40° – 58° |
| April | 68° | 45° | 3.8" | 0.1" | 8 | 0 | 49° – 63° |
| May | 76° | 55° | 5.6" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 60° – 73° |
| June | 85° | 64° | 5.7" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 70° – 78° |
| July | 90° | 69° | 4.1" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 74° – 87° |
| August | 90° | 67° | 3.7" | 0.0" | 6 | 0 | 72° – 85° |
| September | 82° | 58° | 3.7" | 0.0" | 7 | 0 | 66° – 77° |
| October | 70° | 46° | 3.4" | 0.0" | 6 | 0 | 51° – 64° |
| November | 57° | 35° | 2.2" | 0.9" | 5 | 0 | 39° – 53° |
| December | 46° | 26° | 1.7" | 1.5" | 5 | 3 | 25° – 41° |
| Year | 68° | 46° | 39.0" | 6.4" | 79 | 10 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. March swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 40° to 58°. June is the most reliable, staying within 9°.
Where Paw Paw Township’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 Paw Paw Township’s center.
- Snow: Howard, KS.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Howard, KS, 7 miles from the town’s center, 110 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 Paw Paw Township’s climate
What is the weather like in Paw Paw Township?
A typical July afternoon reaches 90°, a January night drops to 22°, and about 6 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Milder January nights than 52% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 78% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Paw Paw Township in winter?
January nights average 22°. About 115 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 27°.
How much snow does Paw Paw Township get?
About 6.4 inches in a normal winter at Howard, KS, most of it in January, with snow on the ground about 10 days a year.
How hot does it get in Paw Paw Township?
July, with a typical high of 90° and a low of 69°. About 50 days a year reach 90° and 8 reach 100° (Howard, KS).
When is the first and last frost in Paw Paw Township?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 17 and the first fall frost by October 22, about 186 frost-free days, at Howard, KS.
What growing zone is Paw Paw Township in?
Zone 6b on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about 0°.
What is the best time of year to visit Paw Paw Township?
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 Paw Paw Township getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 0.5° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 97% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Paw Paw Township.
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.