Fort Larned National Historic Site · Photo: Nathan King / National Park Service · Public domainSanta Fe Township reaches 100° on about 12 days a year, more than 92% of U.S. towns
January mornings start at about 20°. A year here swings 73° from midwinter lows to midsummer highs. It is a dry place: less rain and snow fall here than on 87% of U.S. towns. Picnics, hikes and garden evenings suit April, May, September and October, with highs of 68–83°.
A year in Santa Fe Township at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Santa Fe Township’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Santa Fe Township’s place in Kansas beside it.
What a year in Santa Fe Township feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 182 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 22 and the first by October 22. Day counts come from NOAA’s station at Larned, KS, 6 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height; frost dates and degree days from Larned #2, KS, 6 miles away.
The 2023 USDA map puts Santa Fe Township’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 15 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Kinsley 2e, KS, falls mostly in January. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 25 inches a year; May is the wettest month and January the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 58 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Santa Fe Township
75% 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 Larned #2, KS.
Living with Santa Fe Township’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
182 frost-free days in zone 6b. The last frost comes by Apr 22 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 22.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: April, May, September and October. 7.1 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Santa Fe Township from natural hazards, drought is the largest share (28%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 9%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Santa Fe Township and its neighbors
Every town next door is within a degree of Santa Fe Township in January and July, closer than the 5 km grid can tell apart. Tap a town to see its climate.
Climates most like Santa Fe 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Santa Fe Township, KS | 20° | 93° | 25" | 15" |
| Pampa, TX | 24° | 93° | 22" | 16" |
| South Ogden, UT | 21° | 91° | 22" | 23" |
| McCook, NE | 15° | 92° | 21" | 20" |
| Elk City, OK | 26° | 95° | 27" | 8.6" |
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 Santa Fe Township averaged 0.9° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in January (+2.8°).
A smaller shift than in 81% 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 Santa Fe Township compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Santa Fe Township’s place among Kansas’.
Santa Fe Township weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Santa Fe Township’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Kinsley 2e, KS. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 44° | 20° | 0.7" | 4.7" | 2 | 24° – 42° |
| February | 48° | 23° | 0.8" | 2.9" | 3 | 28° – 43° |
| March | 58° | 32° | 1.6" | 3.1" | 4 | 38° – 55° |
| April | 68° | 40° | 2.1" | 0.6" | 6 | 47° – 61° |
| May | 77° | 51° | 3.9" | 0.0" | 6 | 56° – 71° |
| June | 88° | 62° | 3.4" | 0.0" | 7 | 69° – 78° |
| July | 93° | 66° | 3.7" | 0.0" | 7 | 76° – 86° |
| August | 90° | 65° | 3.3" | 0.0" | 6 | 71° – 83° |
| September | 83° | 56° | 1.9" | 0.0" | 5 | 65° – 76° |
| October | 70° | 43° | 2.1" | 0.0" | 5 | 50° – 62° |
| November | 56° | 30° | 0.9" | 0.5" | 3 | 36° – 51° |
| December | 45° | 22° | 1.0" | 3.3" | 3 | 26° – 38° |
| Year | 68° | 42° | 25.4" | 15.1" | 58 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. January swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 24° to 42°. June is the most reliable, staying within 10°.
Where Santa Fe 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 Santa Fe Township’s center.
- Snow: Kinsley 2e, KS.
- Frost dates, heating and cooling: Larned #2, KS, 6 miles away.
- Freezing nights, 90° and 100° days: Larned, KS, 6 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 Santa Fe Township’s climate
What is the weather like in Santa Fe Township?
A typical July afternoon reaches 93°, a January night drops to 20°, and about 15 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 62% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 90% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Santa Fe Township in winter?
January nights average 20°. About 122 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 24°.
How much snow does Santa Fe Township get?
About 15 inches in a normal winter at Kinsley 2e, KS, most of it in January.
How hot does it get in Santa Fe Township?
July, with a typical high of 93° and a low of 66°. About 68 days a year reach 90° and 12 reach 100° (Larned #2, KS).
When is the first and last frost in Santa Fe Township?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 22 and the first fall frost by October 22, about 182 frost-free days, at Larned #2, KS.
What growing zone is Santa Fe Township 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 Santa Fe 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 Santa Fe Township getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.0° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 81% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Santa Fe 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.