Swede Creek Township is drier than 82% of U.S. towns: 33 inches of precipitation a year
Deep winter brings January lows near 17°. Only 73° separates winter nights from summer afternoons. Its July heat outdoes that of 77% of U.S. towns. The frost-free window for a garden runs roughly April 22 to October 20.
A year in Swede Creek Township at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Swede Creek Township’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Swede Creek Township’s place in Kansas beside it.
What a year in Swede Creek Township feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 179 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 22 and the first by October 20. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Tuttle Creek Lake, KS, 20 miles from the town’s center, 220 ft lower.
The 2023 USDA map puts Swede Creek Township’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 14 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Randolph 4 Wnw, KS, falls mostly in January. 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 79 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Swede Creek Township
80% of the work is heating. Months averaging under 55° run from November 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 Tuttle Creek Lake, KS.
Living with Swede Creek Township’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
179 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 20.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: April, May, September and October. 8.6 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Swede Creek Township from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (35%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 11%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Swede Creek Township and its neighbors
Every town next door is within a degree of Swede Creek Township in January and July, closer than the 5 km grid can tell apart. Tap a town to see its climate.
Climates most like Swede Creek Township’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Swede Creek Township, KS | 17° | 90° | 33" | 14" |
| Trenton, MO | 17° | 88° | 39" | 17" |
| Jacksonville, IL | 19° | 87° | 39" | 16" |
| Fort Madison, IA | 17° | 86° | 39" | 18" |
| Holdrege, NE | 15° | 88° | 25" | 25" |
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 Swede Creek Township averaged 0.7° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in January (+2.2°).
A smaller shift than in 92% 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 Swede Creek Township compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Swede Creek Township’s place among Kansas’.
Swede Creek Township weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Swede Creek Township’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Randolph 4 Wnw, KS. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 38° | 17° | 0.7" | 4.6" | 4 | 7 | 22° – 40° |
| February | 44° | 21° | 1.1" | 3.0" | 4 | 4 | 24° – 41° |
| March | 55° | 31° | 2.0" | 1.1" | 6 | 1 | 36° – 56° |
| April | 66° | 41° | 3.2" | 0.5" | 8 | 0 | 46° – 59° |
| May | 75° | 52° | 4.8" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 58° – 72° |
| June | 85° | 62° | 4.8" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 68° – 79° |
| July | 90° | 67° | 4.4" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 73° – 84° |
| August | 88° | 65° | 3.8" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 71° – 83° |
| September | 80° | 55° | 3.0" | 0.0" | 7 | 0 | 62° – 75° |
| October | 68° | 43° | 2.5" | 0.1" | 6 | 0 | 49° – 61° |
| November | 54° | 31° | 1.6" | 1.0" | 5 | 1 | 34° – 50° |
| December | 42° | 21° | 1.2" | 3.4" | 4 | 7 | 19° – 37° |
| Year | 65° | 42° | 33.0" | 13.7" | 79 | 20 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. March swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 36° to 56°. June is the most reliable, staying within 11°.
Where Swede Creek Township’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 Swede Creek Township’s center.
- Snow: Randolph 4 Wnw, KS.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Tuttle Creek Lake, KS, 20 miles from the town’s center, 220 ft lower; 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 Swede Creek Township’s climate
What is the weather like in Swede Creek Township?
A typical July afternoon reaches 90°, a January night drops to 17°, and about 14 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 73% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 77% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Swede Creek Township in winter?
January nights average 17°. About 134 nights a year reach 32° or below and 6 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 22°.
How much snow does Swede Creek Township get?
About 14 inches in a normal winter at Randolph 4 Wnw, KS, most of it in January, with snow on the ground about 20 days a year.
How hot does it get in Swede Creek Township?
July, with a typical high of 90° and a low of 67°. About 45 days a year reach 90° and 6 reach 100° (Tuttle Creek Lake, KS).
When is the first and last frost in Swede Creek Township?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 22 and the first fall frost by October 20, about 179 frost-free days, at Tuttle Creek Lake, KS.
What growing zone is Swede Creek Township 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 Swede Creek Township?
By one simple rule (highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more), April, May, September and October. The rule is ours, not NOAA’s; the month table has the numbers to judge by.
Is Swede Creek Township getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 0.7° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 92% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Swede Creek Township.
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.