Photo: Bhall87 · CC BY-SA 3.0Summer arrives in force in Reading, hotter than in 78% of U.S. towns
January mornings start at about 20°. The wettest month is May; the driest is January. Precipitation is light here, less than falls on 72% of U.S. towns. Comfortable outdoor weather, highs of 67–81°, belongs to April, May, September and October.
A year in Reading at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Reading’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Reading’s place in Kansas beside it.
What a year in Reading feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 194 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 13 and the first by October 26. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Osage City, KS, 12 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Reading’s center in zone 6b: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −2°. 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 Miller 4 Ssw, KS, falls mostly in January. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 37 inches a year; May is the wettest month and January the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 73 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Reading
80% 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 Osage City, KS.
Living with Reading’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
194 frost-free days in zone 6b. The last frost comes by Apr 13 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.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Reading from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (47%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 13%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Reading and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Reading yet.
Climates most like Reading’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reading, KS | 20° | 90° | 37" | 16" |
| Boonville, MO | 21° | 88° | 41" | 13" |
| East St. Louis, IL | 24° | 89° | 42" | 14" |
| Cumberland, MD | 23° | 88° | 40" | 29" |
| Martinsburg, WV | 23° | 87° | 40" | 23" |
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 Reading averaged 1.1° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in January (+2.3°).
A smaller shift than in 71% 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 Reading compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Reading’s place among Kansas’.
Reading weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Reading’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Miller 4 Ssw, KS. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 41° | 20° | 0.9" | 5.5" | 4 | 24° – 42° |
| February | 46° | 24° | 1.4" | 4.1" | 4 | 28° – 45° |
| March | 57° | 34° | 2.4" | 1.0" | 6 | 38° – 59° |
| April | 67° | 43° | 3.6" | 0.3" | 8 | 48° – 62° |
| May | 76° | 54° | 5.4" | 0.0" | 10 | 59° – 73° |
| June | 85° | 64° | 4.7" | 0.0" | 7 | 69° – 79° |
| July | 90° | 68° | 4.3" | 0.0" | 8 | 75° – 86° |
| August | 89° | 66° | 4.0" | 0.0" | 7 | 71° – 85° |
| September | 81° | 57° | 3.7" | 0.0" | 6 | 63° – 75° |
| October | 69° | 45° | 3.0" | 0.1" | 6 | 50° – 62° |
| November | 55° | 33° | 2.0" | 1.4" | 4 | 38° – 52° |
| December | 44° | 24° | 1.5" | 3.9" | 4 | 21° – 40° |
| Year | 67° | 44° | 36.8" | 16.3" | 73 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. March swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 38° to 59°. June is the most reliable, staying within 10°.
Where Reading’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 Reading’s center.
- Snow: Miller 4 Ssw, KS.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Osage City, KS, 12 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 Reading’s climate
What is the weather like in Reading?
A typical July afternoon reaches 90°, a January night drops to 20°, and about 16 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 59% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 78% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Reading in winter?
January nights average 20°. About 124 nights a year reach 32° or below and 4 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 24°.
How much snow does Reading get?
About 16 inches in a normal winter at Miller 4 Ssw, KS, most of it in January.
How hot does it get in Reading?
July, with a typical high of 90° and a low of 68°. About 46 days a year reach 90° and 5 reach 100° (Osage City, KS).
When is the first and last frost in Reading?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 13 and the first fall frost by October 26, about 194 frost-free days, at Osage City, KS.
What growing zone is Reading in?
Zone 6b on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −2°.
What is the best time of year to visit Reading?
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 Reading getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.1° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 71% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Reading.
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.