Shallow Water School · Photo: Ammodramus · CC0Shallow Water reaches 100° on about 11 days a year, more than 91% of U.S. towns
On a normal January night the air cools to about 17°. A year here swings 76° from midwinter lows to midsummer highs. Its yearly precipitation falls short of 90% of U.S. towns. Plan time outside for May and September, when highs sit at 77–83°.
A year in Shallow Water at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Shallow Water’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Shallow Water’s place in Kansas beside it.
What a year in Shallow Water feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 167 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 30 and the first by October 15. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Scott City, KS, 7 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Shallow Water’s center in zone 6a: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −7°. 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 20 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Scott City, KS, falls mostly in January. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 19 inches a year; July is the wettest month and January the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 66 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Shallow Water
82% 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 Scott City, KS.
Living with Shallow Water’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
167 frost-free days in zone 6a. The last frost comes by Apr 30 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 15.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: May and September.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Shallow Water from natural hazards, hail is the largest share (40%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 16%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Shallow Water and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Shallow Water yet.
Climates most like Shallow Water’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shallow Water, KS | 17° | 93° | 19" | 20" |
| Harrisville, UT | 19° | 92° | 20" | 23" |
| Dalhart, TX | 21° | 92° | 16" | 20" |
| Brush, CO | 14° | 91° | 14" | 23" |
| Weiser, ID | 22° | 94° | 13" | 15" |
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 Shallow Water averaged 1.3° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in March (+3.1°).
A smaller shift than in 56% 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 Shallow Water compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Shallow Water’s place among Kansas’.
Shallow Water weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Shallow Water’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Scott City, KS. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 45° | 17° | 0.4" | 4.5" | 3 | 9 | 22° – 40° |
| February | 49° | 20° | 0.5" | 4.0" | 4 | 7 | 25° – 42° |
| March | 59° | 29° | 1.1" | 3.9" | 5 | 3 | 36° – 52° |
| April | 68° | 37° | 1.6" | 1.8" | 6 | 1 | 46° – 58° |
| May | 77° | 48° | 2.7" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 55° – 69° |
| June | 88° | 59° | 3.0" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 67° – 78° |
| July | 93° | 64° | 3.2" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 74° – 84° |
| August | 90° | 62° | 2.8" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 70° – 81° |
| September | 83° | 53° | 1.4" | 0.0" | 6 | 0 | 62° – 75° |
| October | 70° | 39° | 1.4" | 1.2" | 5 | 1 | 47° – 61° |
| November | 56° | 27° | 0.6" | 1.1" | 3 | 2 | 34° – 48° |
| December | 46° | 19° | 0.5" | 3.1" | 3 | 7 | 24° – 37° |
| Year | 69° | 39° | 19.1" | 19.6" | 66 | 28 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. January swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 22° to 40°. July is the most reliable, staying within 10°.
Where Shallow Water’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 Shallow Water’s center.
- Snow: Scott City, KS.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Scott City, KS, 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 Shallow Water’s climate
What is the weather like in Shallow Water?
A typical July afternoon reaches 93°, a January night drops to 17°, and about 20 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 73% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 91% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Shallow Water in winter?
January nights average 17°. About 154 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 22°.
How much snow does Shallow Water get?
About 20 inches in a normal winter at Scott City, KS, most of it in January, with snow on the ground about 28 days a year.
How hot does it get in Shallow Water?
July, with a typical high of 93° and a low of 64°. About 67 days a year reach 90° and 11 reach 100° (Scott City, KS).
When is the first and last frost in Shallow Water?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 30 and the first fall frost by October 15, about 167 frost-free days, at Scott City, KS.
What growing zone is Shallow Water in?
Zone 6a on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −7°.
What is the best time of year to visit Shallow Water?
By one simple rule (highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more), May and September. The rule is ours, not NOAA’s; the month table has the numbers to judge by.
Is Shallow Water getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.3° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 56% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Shallow Water.
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.