Pierceville reaches 100° on about 11 days a year, more than 91% of U.S. towns
January mornings start at about 18°. From frosty January to warm July, readings climb 75°. Its yearly precipitation falls short of 90% of U.S. towns. Homes need heating from November to March, the months averaging under 50°.
A year in Pierceville at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Pierceville’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Pierceville’s place in Kansas beside it.
What a year in Pierceville feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 170 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 27 and the first by October 15. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Garden City Rgnl Airport, 4 miles from the town’s center, 100 ft higher.
The 2023 USDA map puts Pierceville’s center in zone 6b: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −4°. 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 Garden City Exp Stn, KS, is heaviest from January through March, about 3 inches a month. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 20 inches a year; July is the wettest month and January the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 65 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Pierceville
80% 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 Garden City Rgnl Airport.
Living with Pierceville’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
170 frost-free days in zone 6b. The last frost comes by Apr 27 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 15.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: May, September and October. 2.4 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Pierceville from natural hazards, drought is the largest share (47%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 10%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Pierceville and its neighbors
Every town next door is within a degree of Pierceville in January and July, closer than the 5 km grid can tell apart. Tap a town to see its climate.
Climates most like Pierceville’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pierceville, KS | 18° | 93° | 20" | 16" |
| Harrisville, UT | 19° | 92° | 20" | 23" |
| Dalhart, TX | 21° | 92° | 16" | 20" |
| McCook, NE | 15° | 92° | 21" | 20" |
| Pueblo, CO | 17° | 93° | 12" | 15" |
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 Pierceville averaged 1.2° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in January (+2.8°).
A smaller shift than in 66% 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 Pierceville compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Pierceville’s place among Kansas’.
Pierceville weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Pierceville’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Garden City Exp Stn, KS. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 46° | 18° | 0.4" | 3.4" | 3 | 5 | 24° – 41° |
| February | 49° | 21° | 0.5" | 3.3" | 3 | 5 | 27° – 43° |
| March | 59° | 30° | 1.1" | 3.2" | 5 | 2 | 38° – 54° |
| April | 68° | 38° | 1.6" | 1.1" | 7 | 0 | 47° – 59° |
| May | 78° | 49° | 2.6" | 0.1" | 8 | 0 | 56° – 70° |
| June | 89° | 60° | 3.2" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 68° – 78° |
| July | 93° | 65° | 3.2" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 75° – 85° |
| August | 91° | 63° | 2.8" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 71° – 82° |
| September | 83° | 54° | 1.4" | 0.0" | 5 | 0 | 63° – 76° |
| October | 71° | 40° | 1.6" | 0.8" | 5 | 0 | 48° – 62° |
| November | 57° | 28° | 0.6" | 1.0" | 3 | 1 | 35° – 49° |
| December | 46° | 19° | 0.7" | 2.7" | 3 | 4 | 25° – 37° |
| Year | 69° | 40° | 19.6" | 15.6" | 65 | 18 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. January swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 24° to 41°. July is the most reliable, staying within 11°.
Where Pierceville’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 Pierceville’s center.
- Snow: Garden City Exp Stn, KS.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Garden City Rgnl Airport, 4 miles from the town’s center, 100 ft higher; 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 Pierceville’s climate
What is the weather like in Pierceville?
A typical July afternoon reaches 93°, a January night drops to 18°, and about 16 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 68% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 91% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Pierceville in winter?
January nights average 18°. About 139 nights a year reach 32° or below and 3 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 24°.
How much snow does Pierceville get?
About 16 inches in a normal winter at Garden City Exp Stn, KS, heaviest from January through March, about 3 inches a month, with snow on the ground about 18 days a year.
How hot does it get in Pierceville?
July, with a typical high of 93° and a low of 65°. About 68 days a year reach 90° and 11 reach 100° (Garden City Rgnl Airport).
When is the first and last frost in Pierceville?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 27 and the first fall frost by October 15, about 170 frost-free days, at Garden City Rgnl Airport.
What growing zone is Pierceville in?
Zone 6b on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −4°.
What is the best time of year to visit Pierceville?
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 Pierceville getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.2° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 66% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Pierceville.
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.