Oscar Carlson House · Photo: SharonPapierdreams · CC BY-SA 4.0Summer afternoons in Township 8 are warmer than in 78% of U.S. towns
Nights in January average 20°. May is the wettest month here, with about 6.2 times the rain of January. Precipitation is light here, less than falls on 77% of U.S. towns. The frost-free window for a garden runs roughly April 24 to October 14.
A year in Township 8 at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Township 8’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Township 8’s place in Kansas beside it.
What a year in Township 8 feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 173 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 24 and the first by October 14. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Herington, KS, 10 miles from the town’s center, 110 ft lower.
The 2023 USDA map puts Township 8’s center in zone 6b: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −5°. 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 16 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Burdick (diamond Springs), KS, falls mostly in January. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 35 inches a year; May is the wettest month and January the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 87 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Township 8
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 Herington, KS.
Living with Township 8’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
173 frost-free days in zone 6b. The last frost comes by Apr 24 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 14.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: April, May, September and October. 1.9 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Township 8 from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (35%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 22%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Township 8 and its neighbors
Every town next door is within a degree of Township 8 in January and July, closer than the 5 km grid can tell apart. Tap a town to see its climate.
Climates most like Township 8’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Township 8, KS | 20° | 90° | 35" | 16" |
| Warrensburg, MO | 21° | 89° | 41" | 12" |
| 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 Township 8 averaged 0.9° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in January (+2.5°).
A smaller shift than in 82% 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 Township 8 compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Township 8’s place among Kansas’.
Township 8 weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Township 8’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Burdick (diamond Springs), KS. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 40° | 20° | 0.8" | 4.4" | 5 | 8 | 24° – 42° |
| February | 46° | 23° | 1.3" | 3.4" | 5 | 5 | 26° – 44° |
| March | 56° | 33° | 2.3" | 2.1" | 7 | 1 | 38° – 57° |
| April | 66° | 42° | 3.2" | 0.5" | 9 | 0 | 47° – 60° |
| May | 75° | 53° | 5.2" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 58° – 73° |
| June | 85° | 63° | 4.6" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 68° – 79° |
| July | 90° | 68° | 4.5" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 74° – 86° |
| August | 89° | 66° | 4.2" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 71° – 85° |
| September | 81° | 57° | 3.2" | 0.0" | 7 | 0 | 63° – 75° |
| October | 69° | 45° | 2.6" | 0.5" | 7 | 0 | 49° – 62° |
| November | 55° | 32° | 1.7" | 1.0" | 5 | 1 | 37° – 52° |
| December | 43° | 23° | 1.3" | 3.6" | 5 | 5 | 21° – 38° |
| Year | 66° | 44° | 34.9" | 15.5" | 87 | 21 |
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 57°. June is the most reliable, staying within 11°.
Where Township 8’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 Township 8’s center.
- Snow: Burdick (diamond Springs), KS.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Herington, KS, 10 miles from the town’s center, 110 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 Township 8’s climate
What is the weather like in Township 8?
A typical July afternoon reaches 90°, a January night drops to 20°, and about 16 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 60% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 78% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Township 8 in winter?
January nights average 20°. About 129 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 24°.
How much snow does Township 8 get?
About 16 inches in a normal winter at Burdick (diamond Springs), KS, most of it in January, with snow on the ground about 21 days a year.
How hot does it get in Township 8?
July, with a typical high of 90° and a low of 68°. About 47 days a year reach 90° and 7 reach 100° (Herington, KS).
When is the first and last frost in Township 8?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 24 and the first fall frost by October 14, about 173 frost-free days, at Herington, KS.
What growing zone is Township 8 in?
Zone 6b on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −5°.
What is the best time of year to visit Township 8?
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 Township 8 getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 0.9° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 82% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Township 8.
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.