Valley Center reaches 100° on about 11 days a year, more than 91% of U.S. towns
The coldest hours of a January night bottom out at 22° on average. The gap between a January night and a July afternoon is 71°. It is a dry place: less rain and snow fall here than on 78% of U.S. towns. Radiators earn their keep from November to March, the months that average under 50°.
A year in Valley Center at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Valley Center’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Valley Center’s place in Kansas beside it.
What a year in Valley Center feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 198 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 10 and the first by October 27. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Wichita Jabara Airport, 10 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Valley Center’s center in zone 7a: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about 1°. 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 13 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Wichita, KS, falls mostly in February. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 34 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 Valley Center
73% of the work is heating. Months averaging under 55° run from November through March.
Degree days add up how far each day’s average falls below (heating) or rises above (cooling) 65° over a year. NOAA normals at Wichita Jabara Airport.
Living with Valley Center’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
198 frost-free days in zone 7a. The last frost comes by Apr 10 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 27.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: April, May, September and October. 0.8 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Valley Center from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (39%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 34%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Valley Center and its neighbors
Every town next door is within a degree of Valley Center in January and July, closer than the 5 km grid can tell apart. Tap a town to see its climate.
Climates most like Valley Center’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Valley Center, KS | 22° | 92° | 34" | 13" |
| Moore, OK | 28° | 93° | 36" | 6.7" |
| Kansas City, MO | 20° | 89° | 39" | 11" |
| East St. Louis, IL | 24° | 89° | 42" | 14" |
| Beatrice, NE | 15° | 88° | 31" | 19" |
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 Valley Center averaged 1.0° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in January (+2.6°).
A smaller shift than in 79% 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 Valley Center compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Valley Center’s place among Kansas’.
Valley Center weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Valley Center’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Wichita, KS. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 44° | 22° | 0.8" | 2.7" | 5 | 3 | 28° – 43° |
| February | 49° | 25° | 1.3" | 3.6" | 5 | 3 | 30° – 46° |
| March | 59° | 35° | 2.3" | 2.1" | 7 | 1 | 40° – 58° |
| April | 68° | 44° | 3.1" | 0.2" | 8 | 0 | 50° – 63° |
| May | 77° | 55° | 5.2" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 60° – 74° |
| June | 87° | 65° | 5.0" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 70° – 80° |
| July | 92° | 69° | 4.2" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 76° – 88° |
| August | 91° | 68° | 4.0" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 73° – 87° |
| September | 83° | 59° | 2.8" | 0.0" | 7 | 0 | 65° – 78° |
| October | 71° | 47° | 2.9" | 0.2" | 7 | 0 | 51° – 64° |
| November | 57° | 34° | 1.7" | 0.8" | 5 | 1 | 39° – 53° |
| December | 46° | 25° | 1.3" | 3.1" | 5 | 3 | 24° – 40° |
| Year | 69° | 46° | 34.4" | 12.7" | 87 | 12 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. March swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 40° to 58°. June is the most reliable, staying within 10°.
Where Valley Center’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 Valley Center’s center.
- Snow: Wichita, KS.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Wichita Jabara Airport, 10 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 Valley Center’s climate
What is the weather like in Valley Center?
A typical July afternoon reaches 92°, a January night drops to 22°, and about 13 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 51% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 89% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Valley Center in winter?
January nights average 22°. About 102 nights a year reach 32° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 28°.
How much snow does Valley Center get?
About 13 inches in a normal winter at Wichita, KS, most of it in February, with snow on the ground about 12 days a year.
How hot does it get in Valley Center?
July, with a typical high of 92° and a low of 69°. About 57 days a year reach 90° and 11 reach 100° (Wichita Jabara Airport).
When is the first and last frost in Valley Center?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 10 and the first fall frost by October 27, about 198 frost-free days, at Wichita Jabara Airport.
What growing zone is Valley Center in?
Zone 7a on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about 1°.
What is the best time of year to visit Valley Center?
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 Valley Center getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.0° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 79% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Valley Center.
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.