Photo: Quintin Soloviev · CC BY 4.0Syracuse reaches 100° on about 14 days a year, more than 93% of U.S. towns
A typical July afternoon reaches 93°, a January night drops to 18°, and about 17 inches of snow falls in a normal winter.
A year in Syracuse at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Syracuse’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Syracuse’s place in Kansas beside it.
What a year in Syracuse feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 162 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by May 1 and the first by October 10. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Syracuse 1ne, KS, 4 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Syracuse’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 17 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Syracuse 1ne, KS, falls mostly in March. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 17 inches a year; July is the wettest month and January the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 58 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Syracuse
82% 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 Syracuse 1ne, KS.
Living with Syracuse’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
162 frost-free days in zone 6a. The last frost comes by May 1 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. 1.2 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Syracuse from natural hazards, drought is the largest share (43%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 12%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Syracuse and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Syracuse yet.
Climates most like Syracuse’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Syracuse, KS | 18° | 93° | 17" | 17" |
| West Haven, UT | 21° | 92° | 18" | 23" |
| Pueblo, CO | 17° | 93° | 12" | 15" |
| Hereford, TX | 23° | 92° | 19" | 14" |
| 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 Syracuse averaged 0.9° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in March (+2.7°).
A smaller shift than in 85% 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 Syracuse compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Syracuse’s place among Kansas’.
Syracuse weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Syracuse’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Syracuse 1ne, KS. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 47° | 18° | 0.3" | 3.3" | 3 | 5 | 20° – 40° |
| February | 50° | 21° | 0.4" | 2.1" | 3 | 4 | 27° – 42° |
| March | 60° | 29° | 0.9" | 3.7" | 4 | 2 | 39° – 53° |
| April | 69° | 37° | 1.4" | 1.3" | 6 | 1 | 47° – 58° |
| May | 78° | 48° | 2.1" | 0.9" | 7 | 0 | 56° – 69° |
| June | 89° | 59° | 2.6" | 0.0" | 7 | 0 | 69° – 79° |
| July | 93° | 64° | 3.1" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 74° – 84° |
| August | 91° | 62° | 2.9" | 0.0" | 7 | 0 | 71° – 81° |
| September | 84° | 53° | 1.2" | 0.0" | 4 | 0 | 63° – 74° |
| October | 71° | 39° | 1.4" | 0.9" | 4 | 1 | 48° – 61° |
| November | 57° | 27° | 0.5" | 1.6" | 3 | 1 | 35° – 48° |
| December | 47° | 19° | 0.5" | 3.1" | 3 | 4 | 25° – 38° |
| Year | 70° | 40° | 17.2" | 16.9" | 58 | 17 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. January swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 20° to 40°. July is the most reliable, staying within 9°.
Where Syracuse’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 Syracuse’s center.
- Snow: Syracuse 1ne, KS.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Syracuse 1ne, KS, 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 Syracuse’s climate
What is the weather like in Syracuse?
A typical July afternoon reaches 93°, a January night drops to 18°, and about 17 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 68% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 92% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Syracuse in winter?
January nights average 18°. About 157 nights a year reach 32° or below and 4 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 20°.
How much snow does Syracuse get?
About 17 inches in a normal winter at Syracuse 1ne, KS, most of it in March, with snow on the ground about 17 days a year.
How hot does it get in Syracuse?
July, with a typical high of 93° and a low of 64°. About 74 days a year reach 90° and 14 reach 100° (Syracuse 1ne, KS).
When is the first and last frost in Syracuse?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by May 1 and the first fall frost by October 10, about 162 frost-free days, at Syracuse 1ne, KS.
What growing zone is Syracuse 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 Syracuse?
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 Syracuse getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 0.9° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 85% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Syracuse.
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.