Reserve has colder winter nights than 79% of U.S. towns
The warmest part of a July day comes in at 88° on average. Rain follows the seasons: May brings about 6.8 times as much as January. Precipitation is light here, less than falls on 78% of U.S. towns. Seedlings are safe outdoors from about April 18, with the first autumn frost due around October 17.
A year in Reserve at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Reserve’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Reserve’s place in Kansas beside it.
What a year in Reserve feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 180 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 18 and the first by October 17. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Falls City Brenner Fld, NE, 7 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Reserve’s center in zone 6a: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −9°. 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 22 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Rulo 2w, NE, falls mostly in January. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 34 inches a year; May is the wettest month and January the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 75 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Reserve
82% 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 Falls City Brenner Fld, NE.
Living with Reserve’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
180 frost-free days in zone 6a. The last frost comes by Apr 18 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 17.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: April, May, September and October. 0.1 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Reserve from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (34%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 13%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Reserve and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Reserve yet.
Climates most like Reserve’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reserve, KS | 16° | 88° | 34" | 22" |
| East Peoria, IL | 17° | 86° | 38" | 26" |
| Ottumwa, IA | 14° | 86° | 37" | 24" |
| Kirksville, MO | 17° | 86° | 41" | 19" |
| Napoleon, OH | 19° | 85° | 36" | 25" |
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 Reserve averaged 0.9° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in March (+2.4°).
A smaller shift than in 83% 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 Reserve compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Reserve’s place among Kansas’.
Reserve weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Reserve’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Rulo 2w, NE. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 37° | 16° | 0.7" | 7.4" | 4 | 20° – 38° |
| February | 42° | 21° | 1.1" | 5.7" | 5 | 22° – 41° |
| March | 54° | 31° | 2.1" | 1.6" | 6 | 35° – 58° |
| April | 65° | 41° | 3.6" | 0.6" | 8 | 45° – 59° |
| May | 75° | 53° | 4.8" | 0.0" | 9 | 58° – 73° |
| June | 84° | 63° | 4.7" | 0.0" | 10 | 69° – 78° |
| July | 88° | 67° | 4.6" | 0.0" | 7 | 72° – 83° |
| August | 86° | 64° | 3.7" | 0.0" | 7 | 70° – 80° |
| September | 80° | 55° | 3.3" | 0.0" | 6 | 61° – 74° |
| October | 67° | 43° | 2.7" | 0.4" | 6 | 49° – 60° |
| November | 53° | 31° | 1.7" | 1.0" | 5 | 33° – 51° |
| December | 41° | 21° | 1.3" | 5.4" | 4 | 17° – 37° |
| Year | 64° | 42° | 34.4" | 22.1" | 75 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. March swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 35° to 58°. June is the most reliable, staying within 9°.
Where Reserve’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 Reserve’s center.
- Snow: Rulo 2w, NE.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Falls City Brenner Fld, NE, 7 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 Reserve’s climate
What is the weather like in Reserve?
A typical July afternoon reaches 88°, a January night drops to 16°, and about 22 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 79% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 67% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Reserve in winter?
January nights average 16°. About 131 nights a year reach 32° or below and 8 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 20°.
How much snow does Reserve get?
About 22 inches in a normal winter at Rulo 2w, NE, most of it in January.
How hot does it get in Reserve?
July, with a typical high of 88° and a low of 67°. About 41 days a year reach 90° and 3 reach 100° (Falls City Brenner Fld, NE).
When is the first and last frost in Reserve?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 18 and the first fall frost by October 17, about 180 frost-free days, at Falls City Brenner Fld, NE.
What growing zone is Reserve in?
Zone 6a on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −9°.
What is the best time of year to visit Reserve?
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 Reserve getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 0.9° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 83% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Reserve.
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.