Afternoon heat in Vassar beats that of 76% of U.S. towns
Midwinter brings lows of about 21°. It is a dry place: less rain and snow fall here than on 71% of U.S. towns. The latest 30-year average runs 1.1° warmer than 1901–2000’s, with January up the most. Seedlings are safe outdoors from about April 8, with the first autumn frost due around October 31.
A year in Vassar at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Vassar’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Vassar’s place in Kansas beside it.
What a year in Vassar feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 205 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 8 and the first by October 31. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Pomona Lake, KS, 2.4 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Vassar’s center in zone 6b: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −2°. 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 10 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Overbrook 5 Se, KS, falls mostly in January. 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 73 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Vassar
75% 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 Pomona Lake, KS.
Living with Vassar’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
205 frost-free days in zone 6b. The last frost comes by Apr 8 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 31.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: April, May, September and October. 8.7 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Vassar from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (31%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 31%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Vassar and its neighbors
Every town next door is within a degree of Vassar in January and July, closer than the 5 km grid can tell apart. Tap a town to see its climate.
Climates most like Vassar’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vassar, KS | 21° | 90° | 37" | 9.9" |
| Boonville, MO | 21° | 88° | 41" | 13" |
| Granite City, IL | 23° | 89° | 42" | 11" |
| Fredericksburg, VA | 25° | 89° | 43" | 11" |
| Hamilton, OH | 22° | 87° | 43" | 9.7" |
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 Vassar averaged 1.1° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in January (+2.4°).
A smaller shift than in 69% 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 Vassar compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Vassar’s place among Kansas’.
Vassar weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Vassar’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Overbrook 5 Se, KS. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 40° | 21° | 0.9" | 3.6" | 3 | 24° – 41° |
| February | 46° | 24° | 1.4" | 2.6" | 4 | 29° – 46° |
| March | 57° | 34° | 2.3" | 0.5" | 6 | 38° – 59° |
| April | 67° | 44° | 3.7" | 0.0" | 7 | 49° – 62° |
| May | 76° | 54° | 5.4" | 0.0" | 9 | 59° – 74° |
| June | 85° | 64° | 5.0" | 0.0" | 8 | 69° – 79° |
| July | 90° | 68° | 4.1" | 0.0" | 7 | 74° – 86° |
| August | 89° | 66° | 4.1" | 0.0" | 7 | 70° – 85° |
| September | 81° | 57° | 3.7" | 0.0" | 6 | 63° – 76° |
| October | 69° | 46° | 2.9" | 0.3" | 7 | 50° – 62° |
| November | 55° | 34° | 2.1" | 0.9" | 4 | 38° – 53° |
| December | 44° | 25° | 1.5" | 2.0" | 4 | 21° – 41° |
| Year | 66° | 45° | 37.2" | 9.9" | 73 |
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 59°. June is the most reliable, staying within 10°.
Where Vassar’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 Vassar’s center.
- Snow: Overbrook 5 Se, KS.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Pomona Lake, KS, 2.4 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 Vassar’s climate
What is the weather like in Vassar?
A typical July afternoon reaches 90°, a January night drops to 21°, and about 10 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 55% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 76% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Vassar in winter?
January nights average 21°. About 110 nights a year reach 32° or below and 2 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 24°.
How much snow does Vassar get?
About 9.9 inches in a normal winter at Overbrook 5 Se, KS, most of it in January.
How hot does it get in Vassar?
July, with a typical high of 90° and a low of 68°. About 47 days a year reach 90° and 6 reach 100° (Pomona Lake, KS).
When is the first and last frost in Vassar?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 8 and the first fall frost by October 31, about 205 frost-free days, at Pomona Lake, KS.
What growing zone is Vassar in?
Zone 6b on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −2°.
What is the best time of year to visit Vassar?
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 Vassar getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.1° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 69% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Vassar.
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.