Photo: SharonPapierdreams · CC BY-SA 4.0Midwinter lows in Vermillion sink below those of 82% of U.S. towns
July afternoons average 89°. It is a dry place: less rain and snow fall here than on 81% of U.S. towns. Warming shows here too: 0.6° more than in 1901–2000, led by January. Homes need heating from November to March, the months averaging under 50°.
A year in Vermillion at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Vermillion’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Vermillion’s place in Kansas beside it.
What a year in Vermillion feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 180 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 20 and the first by October 18. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Frankfort 6ne, KS, 6 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Vermillion’s center in zone 6a: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −8°. 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 Lillis, KS, is heaviest from January through February, about 5 inches a month. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 33 inches a year; May is the wettest month and January the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 82 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Vermillion
84% of the work is heating. Months averaging under 55° run from October 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 Frankfort 6ne, KS.
Living with Vermillion’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
180 frost-free days in zone 6a. The last frost comes by Apr 20 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 18.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: May, September and October.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Vermillion from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (45%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 7%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Vermillion and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Vermillion yet.
Climates most like Vermillion’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vermillion, KS | 16° | 89° | 33" | 17" |
| Chillicothe, IL | 16° | 86° | 37" | 20" |
| Fort Madison, IA | 17° | 86° | 39" | 18" |
| Kearney, NE | 14° | 87° | 26" | 22" |
| Hannibal, MO | 19° | 87° | 39" | 13" |
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 Vermillion averaged 0.6° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in January (+2.0°).
A smaller shift than in 97% 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 Vermillion compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Vermillion’s place among Kansas’.
Vermillion weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Vermillion’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Lillis, KS. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 37° | 16° | 0.7" | 4.4" | 4 | 10 | 21° – 39° |
| February | 43° | 20° | 1.1" | 4.8" | 5 | 6 | 22° – 41° |
| March | 54° | 30° | 2.0" | 1.5" | 6 | 2 | 35° – 55° |
| April | 65° | 40° | 3.2" | 0.5" | 8 | 0 | 44° – 58° |
| May | 75° | 51° | 4.9" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 57° – 72° |
| June | 84° | 62° | 4.7" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 68° – 79° |
| July | 89° | 66° | 4.6" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 72° – 83° |
| August | 87° | 63° | 3.6" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 69° – 81° |
| September | 80° | 54° | 3.1" | 0.0" | 7 | 0 | 61° – 73° |
| October | 68° | 42° | 2.6" | 0.4" | 7 | 0 | 48° – 60° |
| November | 53° | 29° | 1.7" | 1.0" | 5 | 1 | 33° – 50° |
| December | 41° | 20° | 1.1" | 4.3" | 4 | 8 | 18° – 36° |
| Year | 65° | 41° | 33.2" | 16.9" | 82 | 26 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. March swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 35° to 55°. July is the most reliable, staying within 11°.
Where Vermillion’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 Vermillion’s center.
- Snow: Lillis, KS.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Frankfort 6ne, KS, 6 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 Vermillion’s climate
What is the weather like in Vermillion?
A typical July afternoon reaches 89°, a January night drops to 16°, and about 17 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 82% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 71% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Vermillion in winter?
January nights average 16°. About 142 nights a year reach 32° or below and 6 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 21°.
How much snow does Vermillion get?
About 17 inches in a normal winter at Lillis, KS, heaviest from January through February, about 5 inches a month, with snow on the ground about 26 days a year.
How hot does it get in Vermillion?
July, with a typical high of 89° and a low of 66°. About 35 days a year reach 90° and 2 reach 100° (Frankfort 6ne, KS).
When is the first and last frost in Vermillion?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 20 and the first fall frost by October 18, about 180 frost-free days, at Frankfort 6ne, KS.
What growing zone is Vermillion in?
Zone 6a on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −8°.
What is the best time of year to visit Vermillion?
By one simple rule (highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more), May, September and October. The rule is ours, not NOAA’s; the month table has the numbers to judge by.
Is Vermillion getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 0.6° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 97% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Vermillion.
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.