Henry Tilley House · Photo: Ammodramus · CC0Ransom reaches 100° on about 16 days a year, more than 94% of U.S. towns
A typical July afternoon reaches 92°, a January night drops to 19°, and about 19 inches of snow falls in a normal winter.
A year in Ransom at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Ransom’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Ransom’s place in Kansas beside it.
What a year in Ransom feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 167 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 29 and the first by October 13. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Brownell 3nw, KS, 8 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Ransom’s center in zone 6a: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −6°. 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 19 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Ransom 2ne, KS, falls mostly in January, February, March and December. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 23 inches a year; July is the wettest month and January the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 46 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Ransom
81% 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 Brownell 3nw, KS.
Living with Ransom’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
167 frost-free days in zone 6a. The last frost comes by Apr 29 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 13.
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 Ransom from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (35%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 11%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Ransom and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Ransom yet.
Climates most like Ransom’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ransom, KS | 19° | 92° | 23" | 19" |
| Harrisville, UT | 19° | 92° | 20" | 23" |
| Perryton, TX | 22° | 94° | 21" | 14" |
| Woodward, OK | 22° | 95° | 26" | 15" |
| Clovis, NM | 24° | 91° | 17" | 13" |
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 Ransom averaged 0.9° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in March (+2.8°).
A smaller shift than in 84% 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 Ransom compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Ransom’s place among Kansas’.
Ransom weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Ransom’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Ransom 2ne, KS. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 43° | 19° | 0.5" | 3.9" | 2 | 22° – 41° |
| February | 47° | 22° | 0.7" | 4.1" | 2 | 25° – 42° |
| March | 58° | 31° | 1.3" | 4.0" | 3 | 37° – 54° |
| April | 67° | 39° | 1.9" | 1.0" | 4 | 46° – 58° |
| May | 76° | 49° | 3.3" | 0.0" | 6 | 55° – 69° |
| June | 87° | 60° | 3.2" | 0.0" | 6 | 68° – 78° |
| July | 92° | 65° | 3.7" | 0.0" | 6 | 74° – 85° |
| August | 90° | 64° | 3.0" | 0.0" | 5 | 70° – 82° |
| September | 82° | 55° | 1.7" | 0.0" | 4 | 63° – 75° |
| October | 69° | 42° | 1.7" | 0.4" | 4 | 48° – 61° |
| November | 55° | 30° | 0.8" | 2.3" | 2 | 35° – 49° |
| December | 45° | 21° | 0.8" | 3.7" | 2 | 25° – 37° |
| Year | 68° | 41° | 22.5" | 19.4" | 46 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. January swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 22° to 41°. June is the most reliable, staying within 11°.
Where Ransom’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 Ransom’s center.
- Snow: Ransom 2ne, KS.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Brownell 3nw, KS, 8 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 Ransom’s climate
What is the weather like in Ransom?
A typical July afternoon reaches 92°, a January night drops to 19°, and about 19 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 65% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 89% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Ransom in winter?
January nights average 19°. About 146 nights a year reach 32° or below and 5 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 22°.
How much snow does Ransom get?
About 19 inches in a normal winter at Ransom 2ne, KS, most of it in January, February, March and December.
How hot does it get in Ransom?
July, with a typical high of 92° and a low of 65°. About 67 days a year reach 90° and 16 reach 100° (Brownell 3nw, KS).
When is the first and last frost in Ransom?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 29 and the first fall frost by October 13, about 167 frost-free days, at Brownell 3nw, KS.
What growing zone is Ransom in?
Zone 6a on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −6°.
What is the best time of year to visit Ransom?
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 Ransom getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 0.9° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 84% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Ransom.
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.