Cheyenne County Courthouse · Photo: Smallbones · Public domainSt. Francis reaches 100° on about 12 days a year, more than 92% of U.S. towns
January mornings start at about 17°. Its yearly precipitation falls short of 91% of U.S. towns. The latest 30-year average runs 1.4° warmer than 1901–2000’s, with March up the most. Seedlings are safe outdoors from about April 30, with the first autumn frost due around October 10.
A year in St. Francis at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about St. Francis’ climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with St. Francis’ place in Kansas beside it.
What a year in St. Francis feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 160 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 30 and the first by October 10. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Saint Francis, KS, 0.4 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts St. Francis’ center in zone 5b: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −10°. 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 Saint Francis, KS, is heaviest from January through February, about 5 inches a month. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 18 inches a year; July is the wettest month and January the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 60 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in St. Francis
84% 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 Saint Francis, KS.
Living with St. Francis’ climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
160 frost-free days in zone 5b. 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 10.
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 St. Francis from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (27%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 16%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →St. Francis and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around St. Francis yet.
Climates most like St. Francis’, 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| St. Francis, KS | 17° | 92° | 18" | 20" |
| Harrisville, UT | 19° | 92° | 20" | 23" |
| Dalhart, TX | 21° | 92° | 16" | 20" |
| Pueblo West, CO | 19° | 92° | 12" | 15" |
| Torrington, WY | 14° | 90° | 13" | 31" |
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 St. Francis averaged 1.4° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in March (+3.3°).
A bigger shift than in 50% 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 St. Francis compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with St. Francis’ place among Kansas’.
St. Francis weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at St. Francis’ center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Saint Francis, KS. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 43° | 17° | 0.4" | 4.6" | 3 | 3 | 19° – 39° |
| February | 46° | 19° | 0.5" | 4.5" | 3 | 3 | 24° – 40° |
| March | 57° | 27° | 0.8" | 2.9" | 4 | 1 | 35° – 51° |
| April | 65° | 35° | 1.7" | 1.7" | 6 | 0 | 44° – 56° |
| May | 75° | 46° | 2.6" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 53° – 65° |
| June | 86° | 56° | 2.7" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 67° – 77° |
| July | 92° | 62° | 3.1" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 73° – 81° |
| August | 89° | 60° | 2.7" | 0.0" | 7 | 0 | 70° – 78° |
| September | 81° | 50° | 1.5" | 0.3" | 4 | 0 | 60° – 71° |
| October | 68° | 37° | 1.3" | 0.9" | 4 | 0 | 44° – 57° |
| November | 54° | 26° | 0.6" | 2.0" | 3 | 1 | 32° – 46° |
| December | 44° | 17° | 0.5" | 2.9" | 2 | 3 | 23° – 36° |
| Year | 67° | 38° | 18.2" | 19.8" | 60 | 12 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. January swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 19° to 39°. July is the most reliable, staying within 9°.
Where St. Francis’ 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 St. Francis’ center.
- Snow: Saint Francis, KS (NOAA station in town).
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Saint Francis, 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 St. Francis’ climate
What is the weather like in St. Francis?
A typical July afternoon reaches 92°, a January night drops to 17°, and about 20 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 78% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 86% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in St. Francis in winter?
January nights average 17°. About 162 nights a year reach 32° or below and 7 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 19°.
How much snow does St. Francis get?
About 20 inches in a normal winter at Saint Francis, KS, heaviest from January through February, about 5 inches a month, with snow on the ground about 12 days a year.
How hot does it get in St. Francis?
July, with a typical high of 92° and a low of 62°. About 61 days a year reach 90° and 12 reach 100° (Saint Francis, KS).
When is the first and last frost in St. Francis?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 30 and the first fall frost by October 10, about 160 frost-free days, at Saint Francis, KS.
What growing zone is St. Francis in?
Zone 5b on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −10°.
What is the best time of year to visit St. Francis?
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 St. Francis getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.4° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A bigger shift than 50% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in St. Francis.
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.