Masonic Temple · Photo: User:Smuckola · CC BY-SA 4.0Salina reaches 100° on about 16 days a year, more than 94% of U.S. towns
January mornings start at about 20°. Its yearly precipitation falls short of 85% of U.S. towns. Compared with 1901–2000, the average now sits 1.5° higher. Garden planting can start around April 18; autumn frost returns near October 23.
A year in Salina at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Salina’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Salina’s place in Kansas beside it.
What a year in Salina feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 187 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 18 and the first by October 23. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Salina Muni Airport, 2.1 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Salina’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 18 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Minneapolis, KS, falls mostly in January and December. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 31 inches a year; May is the wettest month and January the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 94 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Salina
75% 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 Salina Muni Airport.
Living with Salina’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
187 frost-free days in zone 6b. 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 23.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: April, May, September and October. 13 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Salina from natural hazards, tornadoes are the largest share (35%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 25%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Salina and its neighbors
Every town next door is within a degree of Salina in January and July, closer than the 5 km grid can tell apart. Tap a town to see its climate.
Climates most like Salina’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Salina, KS | 20° | 93° | 31" | 18" |
| Woodward, OK | 22° | 95° | 26" | 15" |
| Pampa, TX | 24° | 93° | 22" | 16" |
| South Ogden, UT | 21° | 91° | 22" | 23" |
| McCook, NE | 15° | 92° | 21" | 20" |
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 Salina averaged 1.5° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in January (+3.1°).
A bigger shift than in 58% 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 Salina compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Salina’s place among Kansas’.
Salina weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Salina’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Minneapolis, KS. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 42° | 20° | 0.8" | 4.7" | 5 | 7 | 25° – 42° |
| February | 47° | 24° | 1.1" | 3.4" | 6 | 6 | 28° – 44° |
| March | 58° | 33° | 1.9" | 2.2" | 8 | 2 | 38° – 57° |
| April | 68° | 42° | 2.7" | 0.9" | 9 | 0 | 49° – 61° |
| May | 77° | 54° | 5.0" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 59° – 75° |
| June | 88° | 64° | 4.1" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 69° – 82° |
| July | 93° | 69° | 3.9" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 76° – 87° |
| August | 91° | 67° | 3.8" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 72° – 86° |
| September | 83° | 58° | 2.7" | 0.0" | 7 | 0 | 65° – 77° |
| October | 70° | 45° | 2.2" | 0.3" | 7 | 0 | 50° – 63° |
| November | 56° | 32° | 1.3" | 1.6" | 6 | 1 | 36° – 51° |
| December | 44° | 23° | 1.2" | 4.5" | 6 | 6 | 21° – 39° |
| Year | 68° | 44° | 30.6" | 17.6" | 94 | 23 |
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 57°. July is the most reliable, staying within 11°.
Where Salina’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 Salina’s center.
- Snow: Minneapolis, KS.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Salina Muni Airport, 2.1 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 Salina’s climate
What is the weather like in Salina?
A typical July afternoon reaches 93°, a January night drops to 20°, and about 18 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 58% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 91% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Salina in winter?
January nights average 20°. About 116 nights a year reach 32° or below and 2 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 25°.
How much snow does Salina get?
About 18 inches in a normal winter at Minneapolis, KS, most of it in January and December, with snow on the ground about 23 days a year.
How hot does it get in Salina?
July, with a typical high of 93° and a low of 69°. About 68 days a year reach 90° and 16 reach 100° (Salina Muni Airport).
When is the first and last frost in Salina?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 18 and the first fall frost by October 23, about 187 frost-free days, at Salina Muni Airport.
What growing zone is Salina 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 Salina?
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 Salina getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.5° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A bigger shift than 58% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Salina.
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.