Photo: SharonPapierdreams · CC BY-SA 4.0Nights turn raw in Seneca each January, colder than in 84% of U.S. towns
High summer brings afternoon highs near 88°. Precipitation is light here, less than falls on 80% of U.S. towns. March has warmed most since 1901–2000, part of a 0.6° rise. Picnics, hikes and garden evenings suit May, September and October, with highs of 67–80°.
A year in Seneca at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Seneca’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Seneca’s place in Kansas beside it.
What a year in Seneca feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 173 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 22 and the first by October 13. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Baileyville, KS, 6 miles from the town’s center, 150 ft higher.
The 2023 USDA map puts Seneca’s center in zone 6a: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −8°. 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 Axtell, KS, falls mostly in February. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 33 inches a year; May is the wettest month and January the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 69 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Seneca
85% of the work is heating. Months averaging under 55° run from October 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 Baileyville, KS.
Living with Seneca’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
173 frost-free days in zone 6a. 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 13.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: May, September and October. 0.4 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Seneca from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (43%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 11%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Seneca and its neighbors
Every town next door is within a degree of Seneca in January and July, closer than the 5 km grid can tell apart. Tap a town to see its climate.
Climates most like Seneca’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Seneca, KS | 15° | 88° | 33" | 14" |
| Chillicothe, IL | 16° | 86° | 37" | 20" |
| Fort Madison, IA | 17° | 86° | 39" | 18" |
| Hannibal, MO | 19° | 87° | 39" | 13" |
| Kearney, NE | 14° | 87° | 26" | 22" |
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 Seneca averaged 0.6° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in March (+2.0°).
A smaller shift than in 96% 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 Seneca compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Seneca’s place among Kansas’.
Seneca weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Seneca’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Axtell, KS. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 37° | 15° | 0.7" | 3.4" | 3 | 20° – 39° |
| February | 42° | 20° | 1.1" | 4.0" | 4 | 22° – 41° |
| March | 54° | 30° | 2.0" | 1.5" | 6 | 34° – 56° |
| April | 65° | 40° | 3.1" | 0.5" | 7 | 44° – 58° |
| May | 75° | 51° | 5.0" | 0.0" | 8 | 58° – 72° |
| June | 84° | 62° | 4.6" | 0.0" | 8 | 68° – 77° |
| July | 88° | 66° | 4.7" | 0.0" | 8 | 72° – 82° |
| August | 87° | 63° | 3.6" | 0.0" | 7 | 69° – 81° |
| September | 80° | 54° | 3.1" | 0.0" | 6 | 60° – 73° |
| October | 67° | 42° | 2.7" | 0.3" | 5 | 48° – 59° |
| November | 53° | 29° | 1.7" | 0.9" | 4 | 33° – 50° |
| December | 41° | 20° | 1.2" | 3.5" | 4 | 18° – 36° |
| Year | 64° | 41° | 33.4" | 14.1" | 69 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. March swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 34° to 56°. June is the most reliable, staying within 9°.
Where Seneca’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 Seneca’s center.
- Snow: Axtell, KS.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Baileyville, KS, 6 miles from the town’s center, 150 ft higher; 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 Seneca’s climate
What is the weather like in Seneca?
A typical July afternoon reaches 88°, a January night drops to 15°, and about 14 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 84% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 69% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Seneca in winter?
January nights average 15°. About 139 nights a year reach 32° or below and 9 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 20°.
How much snow does Seneca get?
About 14 inches in a normal winter at Axtell, KS, most of it in February.
How hot does it get in Seneca?
July, with a typical high of 88° and a low of 66°. About 32 days a year reach 90° and 2 reach 100° (Baileyville, KS).
When is the first and last frost in Seneca?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 22 and the first fall frost by October 13, about 173 frost-free days, at Baileyville, KS.
What growing zone is Seneca in?
Zone 6a on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −8°.
What is the best time of year to visit Seneca?
By one simple rule (highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more), May, September and October. The rule is ours, not NOAA’s; the month table has the numbers to judge by.
Is Seneca getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 0.6° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 96% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Seneca.
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.