Speed reaches 100° on about 15 days a year, more than 93% of U.S. towns
The coldest hours of a January night bottom out at 16° on average. By precipitation alone, it ranks drier than 88% of U.S. towns. March has warmed most since 1901–2000, part of a 1.0° rise. For walks and days out, May and September bring highs of 76–82°.
A year in Speed at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Speed’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Speed’s place in Kansas beside it.
What a year in Speed feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 172 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 26 and the first by October 16. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Phillipsburg #2, KS, 8 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Speed’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 17 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Logan, KS, falls mostly in February. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 24 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 Speed
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 Phillipsburg #2, KS.
Living with Speed’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
172 frost-free days in zone 6a. The last frost comes by Apr 26 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 16.
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 Speed from natural hazards, hail is the largest share (30%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 5%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Speed and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Speed yet.
Climates most like Speed’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Speed, KS | 16° | 93° | 24" | 17" |
| Harrisville, UT | 19° | 92° | 20" | 23" |
| Perryton, TX | 22° | 94° | 21" | 14" |
| Woodward, OK | 22° | 95° | 26" | 15" |
| Brush, CO | 14° | 91° | 14" | 23" |
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 Speed averaged 1.0° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in March (+2.7°).
A smaller shift than in 77% 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 Speed compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Speed’s place among Kansas’.
Speed weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Speed’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Logan, KS. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 42° | 16° | 0.5" | 3.9" | 3 | 9 | 21° – 40° |
| February | 46° | 20° | 0.7" | 5.7" | 3 | 8 | 23° – 42° |
| March | 57° | 29° | 1.4" | 2.4" | 5 | 3 | 35° – 54° |
| April | 67° | 38° | 2.3" | 0.6" | 6 | 1 | 46° – 58° |
| May | 76° | 48° | 3.7" | 0.1" | 9 | 0 | 56° – 68° |
| June | 88° | 60° | 3.1" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 69° – 79° |
| July | 93° | 65° | 3.6" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 73° – 84° |
| August | 90° | 63° | 3.2" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 70° – 82° |
| September | 82° | 53° | 2.0" | 0.0" | 6 | 0 | 61° – 74° |
| October | 69° | 40° | 1.8" | 0.8" | 6 | 0 | 47° – 59° |
| November | 55° | 27° | 0.9" | 1.3" | 4 | 1 | 34° – 48° |
| December | 43° | 19° | 0.7" | 2.3" | 3 | 6 | 22° – 36° |
| Year | 67° | 40° | 23.8" | 17.1" | 69 | 28 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. January swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 21° to 40°. July is the most reliable, staying within 10°.
Where Speed’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 Speed’s center.
- Snow: Logan, KS.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Phillipsburg #2, KS, 8 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 Speed’s climate
What is the weather like in Speed?
A typical July afternoon reaches 93°, a January night drops to 16°, and about 17 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 80% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 90% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Speed in winter?
January nights average 16°. About 140 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 21°.
How much snow does Speed get?
About 17 inches in a normal winter at Logan, KS, most of it in February, with snow on the ground about 28 days a year.
How hot does it get in Speed?
July, with a typical high of 93° and a low of 65°. About 65 days a year reach 90° and 15 reach 100° (Phillipsburg #2, KS).
When is the first and last frost in Speed?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 26 and the first fall frost by October 16, about 172 frost-free days, at Phillipsburg #2, KS.
What growing zone is Speed 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 Speed?
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 Speed getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.0° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 77% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Speed.
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.