Pawnee Township is drier than 87% of U.S. towns: 27 inches of precipitation a year
The warmest part of a July day comes in at 90° on average. Expect the heaviest rain or snow in July and the lightest in January. Its January nights bite harder than in 80% of U.S. towns. Garden planting can start around May 1; autumn frost returns near October 5.
A year in Pawnee Township at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Pawnee Township’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Pawnee Township’s place in Kansas beside it.
What a year in Pawnee Township feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 157 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by May 1 and the first by October 5. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Red Cloud, NE, 13 miles from the town’s center, 250 ft lower.
The 2023 USDA map puts Pawnee Township’s center in zone 5b: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −11°. 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 23 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Lebanon, KS, falls mostly in February. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 27 inches a year; July is the wettest month and January the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 71 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Pawnee Township
85% of the work is heating. Months averaging under 55° run from October 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 Red Cloud, NE.
Living with Pawnee Township’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
157 frost-free days in zone 5b. The last frost comes by May 1 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 5.
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 Pawnee Township from natural hazards, hail is the largest share (41%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 5%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Pawnee Township and its neighbors
Washington Township has the coldest January nights next door (15°, 1° colder). Differences under a degree are within what the 5 km grid can tell apart. Tap a town to see its climate.
Climates most like Pawnee 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pawnee Township, KS | 16° | 90° | 27" | 23" |
| South Ogden, UT | 21° | 91° | 22" | 23" |
| Nebraska City, NE | 15° | 87° | 33" | 24" |
| Council Bluffs, IA | 14° | 87° | 33" | 27" |
| Ken Caryl, CO | 19° | 88° | 17" | 34" |
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 Pawnee Township averaged 0.6° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in January (+2.3°).
A smaller shift than in 95% 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 Pawnee Township compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Pawnee Township’s place among Kansas’.
Pawnee Township weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Pawnee Township’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Lebanon, KS. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 38° | 16° | 0.6" | 5.5" | 4 | 6 | 19° – 39° |
| February | 42° | 19° | 0.8" | 7.2" | 4 | 5 | 21° – 40° |
| March | 54° | 29° | 1.4" | 2.6" | 6 | 2 | 33° – 53° |
| April | 64° | 38° | 2.3" | 1.0" | 7 | 0 | 43° – 57° |
| May | 74° | 49° | 4.2" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 55° – 68° |
| June | 85° | 60° | 3.7" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 67° – 77° |
| July | 90° | 65° | 4.3" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 72° – 83° |
| August | 87° | 63° | 3.4" | 0.0" | 7 | 0 | 69° – 82° |
| September | 80° | 54° | 2.2" | 0.0" | 5 | 0 | 60° – 74° |
| October | 67° | 41° | 2.0" | 0.2" | 6 | 0 | 46° – 58° |
| November | 52° | 28° | 1.2" | 1.8" | 4 | 1 | 32° – 47° |
| December | 40° | 19° | 0.9" | 4.3" | 4 | 5 | 21° – 34° |
| Year | 64° | 40° | 26.8" | 22.6" | 71 | 19 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. March swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 33° to 53°. June is the most reliable, staying within 10°.
Where Pawnee 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 Pawnee Township’s center.
- Snow: Lebanon, KS.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Red Cloud, NE, 13 miles from the town’s center, 250 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 Pawnee Township’s climate
What is the weather like in Pawnee Township?
A typical July afternoon reaches 90°, a January night drops to 16°, and about 23 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 80% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 75% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Pawnee Township in winter?
January nights average 16°. About 160 nights a year reach 32° or below and 11 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 19°.
How much snow does Pawnee Township get?
About 23 inches in a normal winter at Lebanon, KS, most of it in February, with snow on the ground about 19 days a year.
How hot does it get in Pawnee Township?
July, with a typical high of 90° and a low of 65°. About 50 days a year reach 90° and 9 reach 100° (Red Cloud, NE).
When is the first and last frost in Pawnee Township?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by May 1 and the first fall frost by October 5, about 157 frost-free days, at Red Cloud, NE.
What growing zone is Pawnee Township in?
Zone 5b on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −11°.
What is the best time of year to visit Pawnee Township?
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 Pawnee Township getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 0.6° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 95% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Pawnee 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.