Photo: Jared Winkler · CC BY-SA 4.0Smith Center reaches 100° on about 12 days a year, more than 92% of U.S. towns
In January the night’s low is typically 16°. Its yearly precipitation falls short of 87% of U.S. towns. Warming shows here too: 0.6° more than in 1901–2000, led by January. The heating season runs November to March: each of those months averages under 50°.
A year in Smith Center at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Smith Center’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Smith Center’s place in Kansas beside it.
What a year in Smith Center 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 24 and the first by October 15. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Smith Ctr, KS, 0.4 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Smith Center’s center in zone 6a: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −6°. 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 Smith Ctr, KS, falls mostly in February. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 26 inches a year; July is the wettest month and January the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 84 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Smith Center
81% 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 Smith Ctr, KS.
Living with Smith Center’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 24 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, September and October. 0.0 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Smith Center from natural hazards, tornadoes are the largest share (24%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 15%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Smith Center and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Smith Center yet.
Climates most like Smith Center’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Smith Center, KS | 16° | 91° | 26" | 18" |
| South Ogden, UT | 21° | 91° | 22" | 23" |
| Perryton, TX | 22° | 94° | 21" | 14" |
| Woodward, OK | 22° | 95° | 26" | 15" |
| Sidney, NE | 15° | 89° | 17" | 29" |
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 Smith Center averaged 0.6° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in January (+2.2°).
A smaller shift than in 97% 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 Smith Center compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Smith Center’s place among Kansas’.
Smith Center weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Smith Center’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Smith Ctr, KS. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 39° | 16° | 0.6" | 4.4" | 4 | 8 | 20° – 39° |
| February | 44° | 19° | 0.8" | 5.9" | 4 | 8 | 22° – 41° |
| March | 56° | 29° | 1.4" | 2.3" | 7 | 2 | 35° – 55° |
| April | 66° | 38° | 2.1" | 0.7" | 8 | 0 | 44° – 57° |
| May | 75° | 49° | 4.1" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 56° – 68° |
| June | 86° | 60° | 3.6" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 68° – 78° |
| July | 91° | 65° | 4.4" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 73° – 84° |
| August | 88° | 63° | 3.3" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 70° – 83° |
| September | 81° | 54° | 2.1" | 0.0" | 6 | 0 | 61° – 74° |
| October | 68° | 41° | 1.9" | 0.5" | 6 | 0 | 47° – 58° |
| November | 54° | 28° | 1.1" | 1.5" | 5 | 1 | 33° – 48° |
| December | 42° | 19° | 0.8" | 3.0" | 4 | 6 | 22° – 35° |
| Year | 66° | 40° | 26.2" | 18.3" | 84 | 27 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. March swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 35° to 55°. June is the most reliable, staying within 10°.
Where Smith Center’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 Smith Center’s center.
- Snow: Smith Ctr, KS (NOAA station in town).
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Smith Ctr, KS, 0.4 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 Smith Center’s climate
What is the weather like in Smith Center?
A typical July afternoon reaches 91°, a January night drops to 16°, and about 18 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 79% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 83% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Smith Center in winter?
January nights average 16°. About 136 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 20°.
How much snow does Smith Center get?
About 18 inches in a normal winter at Smith Ctr, KS, most of it in February, with snow on the ground about 27 days a year.
How hot does it get in Smith Center?
July, with a typical high of 91° and a low of 65°. About 61 days a year reach 90° and 12 reach 100° (Smith Ctr, KS).
When is the first and last frost in Smith Center?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 24 and the first fall frost by October 15, about 173 frost-free days, at Smith Ctr, KS.
What growing zone is Smith Center in?
Zone 6a on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −6°.
What is the best time of year to visit Smith Center?
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 Smith Center getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 0.6° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 97% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Smith Center.
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.