Photo: Srudisell · CC BY-SA 4.0Topeka’s winters are colder than most of the U.S., with about 17 inches of snow in Topeka Muni Airport
A typical July afternoon reaches 90°, a January night drops to 19°, and about 17 inches of snow falls in a normal winter.
A year in Topeka at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Topeka’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Topeka’s place in Kansas beside it.
What a year in Topeka feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 191 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 12 and the first by October 23. Frost and day counts come from Topeka Muni Airport, Topeka’s official weather station (the one in National Weather Service reports), 5 miles from the city’s center point, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Topeka’s center in zone 6b: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −4°. 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 Topeka Muni Airport, falls mostly in February. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 37 inches a year; May is the wettest month and January the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 98 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Topeka
76% 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 Topeka Muni Airport.
Living with Topeka’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
191 frost-free days in zone 6b. The last frost comes by Apr 12 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 23.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: April, May, September and October. 72 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Topeka from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (55%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 20%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Topeka and its neighbors
Every town next door is within a degree of Topeka in January and July, closer than the 5 km grid can tell apart. Tap a town to see its climate.
Climates most like Topeka’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Topeka, KS | 19° | 90° | 37" | 17" |
| Boonville, MO | 21° | 88° | 41" | 13" |
| East St. Louis, IL | 24° | 89° | 42" | 14" |
| Cumberland, MD | 23° | 88° | 40" | 29" |
| Martinsburg, WV | 23° | 87° | 40" | 23" |
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 Topeka averaged 1.0° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in January (+2.1°).
A smaller shift than in 76% 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. In a city of 126,000 people, part of the change is the city itself: pavement and buildings hold heat (the urban heat island).
How Topeka compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Topeka’s place among Kansas’.
Topeka weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Topeka’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Topeka Muni Airport. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 40° | 19° | 0.9" | 4.6" | 6 | 7 | 23° – 41° |
| February | 46° | 23° | 1.2" | 5.2" | 6 | 5 | 27° – 44° |
| March | 57° | 33° | 2.3" | 1.7" | 8 | 1 | 38° – 58° |
| April | 67° | 43° | 3.8" | 0.1" | 10 | 0 | 48° – 60° |
| May | 76° | 54° | 5.3" | 0.0" | 12 | 0 | 59° – 74° |
| June | 85° | 64° | 5.0" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 69° – 79° |
| July | 90° | 68° | 4.1" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 74° – 86° |
| August | 89° | 66° | 4.4" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 71° – 85° |
| September | 81° | 57° | 3.6" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 63° – 76° |
| October | 69° | 45° | 2.8" | 0.4" | 8 | 0 | 50° – 62° |
| November | 55° | 32° | 1.9" | 1.0" | 6 | 1 | 37° – 51° |
| December | 43° | 23° | 1.5" | 4.1" | 6 | 5 | 20° – 39° |
| Year | 66° | 44° | 36.8" | 17.1" | 98 | 18 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. March swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 38° to 58°. June is the most reliable, staying within 10°.
Where Topeka’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 Topeka’s center.
- Snow: Topeka Muni Airport (the official station).
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Topeka Muni Airport, 5 miles from the city’s center point, at about the same height; the city’s official station.
- 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 Topeka’s climate
What is the weather like in Topeka?
A typical July afternoon reaches 90°, a January night drops to 19°, and about 17 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 64% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 77% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Topeka in winter?
January nights average 19°. About 114 nights a year reach 32° or below and 3 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 23°.
How much snow does Topeka get?
About 17 inches in a normal winter at Topeka Muni Airport, most of it in February, with snow on the ground about 18 days a year.
How hot does it get in Topeka?
July, with a typical high of 90° and a low of 68°. About 50 days a year reach 90° and 6 reach 100° (Topeka Muni Airport).
When is the first and last frost in Topeka?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 12 and the first fall frost by October 23, about 191 frost-free days, at Topeka Muni Airport.
What growing zone is Topeka in?
Zone 6b on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −4°.
What is the best time of year to visit Topeka?
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 Topeka getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.0° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 76% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Topeka.
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.