Photo: Bhall87 · CC BY-SA 3.0Rural Township’s winters are colder but less snowy than most of the U.S.
A typical July afternoon reaches 90°, a January night drops to 19°, and about 14 inches of snow falls in a normal winter.
A year in Rural Township at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Rural Township’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Rural Township’s place in Kansas beside it.
What a year in Rural Township feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 177 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 21 and the first by October 17. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Lawrence Muni Airport, 8 miles from the town’s center, 140 ft lower.
The 2023 USDA map puts Rural Township’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 14 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Lecompton, KS, falls mostly in January and December. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 38 inches a year; June is the wettest month and January the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 80 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Rural Township
77% 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 Lawrence Muni Airport.
Living with Rural Township’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
177 frost-free days in zone 6b. The last frost comes by Apr 21 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. 1.2 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Rural Township from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (44%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 18%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Rural Township and its neighbors
Every town next door is within a degree of Rural Township in January and July, closer than the 5 km grid can tell apart. Tap a town to see its climate.
Climates most like Rural 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rural Township, KS | 19° | 90° | 38" | 14" |
| Troy, MO | 21° | 88° | 41" | 16" |
| East St. Louis, IL | 24° | 89° | 42" | 14" |
| Martinsburg, WV | 23° | 87° | 40" | 23" |
| Strasburg, VA | 23° | 87° | 39" | 21" |
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 Rural Township averaged 0.9° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in March (+2.0°).
A smaller shift than in 86% 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 Rural Township compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Rural Township’s place among Kansas’.
Rural Township weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Rural Township’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Lecompton, KS. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 39° | 19° | 0.9" | 4.4" | 5 | 23° – 41° |
| February | 45° | 23° | 1.4" | 3.0" | 5 | 27° – 44° |
| March | 56° | 34° | 2.3" | 1.2" | 6 | 38° – 59° |
| April | 67° | 43° | 3.7" | 0.1" | 9 | 47° – 61° |
| May | 76° | 54° | 5.1" | 0.0" | 9 | 59° – 74° |
| June | 85° | 64° | 5.4" | 0.0" | 8 | 69° – 79° |
| July | 90° | 68° | 4.3" | 0.0" | 7 | 74° – 86° |
| August | 88° | 66° | 4.5" | 0.0" | 8 | 71° – 84° |
| September | 80° | 57° | 3.8" | 0.0" | 7 | 63° – 75° |
| October | 68° | 45° | 3.0" | 0.3" | 7 | 50° – 62° |
| November | 55° | 33° | 1.9" | 0.7" | 5 | 37° – 52° |
| December | 43° | 24° | 1.5" | 4.4" | 5 | 20° – 39° |
| Year | 66° | 44° | 37.7" | 14.1" | 80 |
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 Rural 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 Rural Township’s center.
- Snow: Lecompton, KS.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Lawrence Muni Airport, 8 miles from the town’s center, 140 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 Rural Township’s climate
What is the weather like in Rural Township?
A typical July afternoon reaches 90°, a January night drops to 19°, and about 14 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 62% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 75% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Rural Township in winter?
January nights average 19°. About 123 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 23°.
How much snow does Rural Township get?
About 14 inches in a normal winter at Lecompton, KS, most of it in January and December.
How hot does it get in Rural Township?
July, with a typical high of 90° and a low of 68°. About 52 days a year reach 90° and 7 reach 100° (Lawrence Muni Airport).
When is the first and last frost in Rural Township?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 21 and the first fall frost by October 17, about 177 frost-free days, at Lawrence Muni Airport.
What growing zone is Rural Township 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 Rural Township?
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 Rural Township getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 0.9° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 86% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Rural 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.