Grant County Courthouse District · Photo: Ammodramus · CC0Ulysses reaches 100° on about 14 days a year, more than 93% of U.S. towns
A typical July afternoon reaches 94°, a January night drops to 19°, and about 18 inches of snow falls in a normal winter.
A year in Ulysses at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Ulysses’ climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Ulysses’ place in Kansas beside it.
What a year in Ulysses feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 171 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 28 and the first by October 16. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Ulysses 3ne, KS, 4 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Ulysses’ 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 18 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Ulysses 3ne, KS, falls mostly in January, March and December. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 18 inches a year; August is the wettest month and February the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 62 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Ulysses
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 Ulysses 3ne, KS.
Living with Ulysses’ climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
171 frost-free days in zone 6b. The last frost comes by Apr 28 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 16.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: May and October. 4.5 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Ulysses from natural hazards, tornadoes are the largest share (25%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 18%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Ulysses and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Ulysses yet.
Climates most like Ulysses’, 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ulysses, KS | 19° | 94° | 18" | 18" |
| West Haven, UT | 21° | 92° | 18" | 23" |
| Hereford, TX | 23° | 92° | 19" | 14" |
| Pueblo, CO | 17° | 93° | 12" | 15" |
| 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 Ulysses averaged 0.9° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in March (+2.7°).
A smaller shift than in 84% 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 Ulysses compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Ulysses’ place among Kansas’.
Ulysses weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Ulysses’ center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Ulysses 3ne, KS. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 47° | 19° | 0.4" | 4.2" | 3 | 4 | 23° – 40° |
| February | 51° | 22° | 0.4" | 3.1" | 3 | 2 | 30° – 43° |
| March | 61° | 30° | 1.0" | 3.8" | 4 | 2 | 39° – 53° |
| April | 69° | 38° | 1.5" | 1.4" | 6 | 0 | 48° – 59° |
| May | 79° | 49° | 2.1" | 0.1" | 7 | 0 | 57° – 71° |
| June | 90° | 60° | 2.7" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 69° – 79° |
| July | 94° | 65° | 2.9" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 75° – 85° |
| August | 91° | 63° | 2.9" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 71° – 82° |
| September | 84° | 54° | 1.3" | 0.0" | 5 | 0 | 64° – 76° |
| October | 72° | 41° | 1.6" | 0.1" | 4 | 0 | 49° – 62° |
| November | 58° | 28° | 0.5" | 1.3" | 3 | 1 | 36° – 49° |
| December | 47° | 20° | 0.6" | 3.8" | 3 | 3 | 27° – 38° |
| Year | 70° | 41° | 17.8" | 17.8" | 62 | 13 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. January swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 23° to 40°. July is the most reliable, staying within 10°.
Where Ulysses’ 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 Ulysses’ center.
- Snow: Ulysses 3ne, KS.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Ulysses 3ne, 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 Ulysses’ climate
What is the weather like in Ulysses?
A typical July afternoon reaches 94°, a January night drops to 19°, and about 18 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 66% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 93% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Ulysses in winter?
January nights average 19°. About 150 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 23°.
How much snow does Ulysses get?
About 18 inches in a normal winter at Ulysses 3ne, KS, most of it in January, March and December, with snow on the ground about 13 days a year.
How hot does it get in Ulysses?
July, with a typical high of 94° and a low of 65°. About 73 days a year reach 90° and 14 reach 100° (Ulysses 3ne, KS).
When is the first and last frost in Ulysses?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 28 and the first fall frost by October 16, about 171 frost-free days, at Ulysses 3ne, KS.
What growing zone is Ulysses 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 Ulysses?
By one simple rule (highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more), May and October. The rule is ours, not NOAA’s; the month table has the numbers to judge by.
Is Ulysses getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 0.9° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 84% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Ulysses.
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.