Wathena Fruit Growers' Association Building · Photo: Kristi Bender · CC BY-SA 3.0Wathena’s winters are colder but less snowy than most of the U.S.
A typical July afternoon reaches 88°, a January night drops to 18°, and about 21 inches of snow falls in a normal winter.
A year in Wathena at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Wathena’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Wathena’s place in Kansas beside it.
What a year in Wathena 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 19 and the first by October 17. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at St Joseph Rosecrans Airport, 0.8 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Wathena’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 21 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Troy 3n, KS, is heaviest from January through February, about 6 inches a month. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 36 inches a year; July is the wettest month and January the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 101 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Wathena
81% 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 St Joseph Rosecrans Airport.
Living with Wathena’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 19 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 17.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: April, May, September and October. 0.0 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Wathena from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (37%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 16%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Wathena and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Wathena yet.
Climates most like Wathena’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wathena, KS | 18° | 88° | 36" | 21" |
| Quincy, IL | 19° | 87° | 39" | 17" |
| Keokuk, IA | 18° | 86° | 40" | 23" |
| Troy, MO | 21° | 88° | 41" | 16" |
| Martinsburg, WV | 23° | 87° | 40" | 23" |
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 Wathena averaged 0.6° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in March (+2.1°).
A smaller shift than in 96% 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 Wathena compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Wathena’s place among Kansas’.
Wathena weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Wathena’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Troy 3n, KS. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 37° | 18° | 0.9" | 5.5" | 7 | 11 | 21° – 40° |
| February | 43° | 22° | 1.2" | 5.9" | 6 | 8 | 23° – 42° |
| March | 55° | 33° | 2.1" | 2.2" | 9 | 3 | 37° – 58° |
| April | 66° | 42° | 3.6" | 0.8" | 11 | 0 | 46° – 59° |
| May | 76° | 53° | 4.9" | 0.1" | 12 | 0 | 59° – 74° |
| June | 84° | 63° | 4.6" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 70° – 78° |
| July | 88° | 67° | 5.1" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 73° – 83° |
| August | 87° | 65° | 3.9" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 70° – 81° |
| September | 80° | 56° | 3.5" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 62° – 73° |
| October | 67° | 44° | 3.0" | 0.3" | 8 | 0 | 49° – 60° |
| November | 53° | 32° | 1.9" | 1.3" | 6 | 1 | 35° – 51° |
| December | 41° | 22° | 1.5" | 5.0" | 6 | 7 | 18° – 39° |
| Year | 65° | 43° | 36.3" | 21.1" | 101 | 30 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. March swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 37° to 58°. June is the most reliable, staying within 8°.
Where Wathena’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 Wathena’s center.
- Snow: Troy 3n, KS.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: St Joseph Rosecrans Airport, 0.8 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 Wathena’s climate
What is the weather like in Wathena?
A typical July afternoon reaches 88°, a January night drops to 18°, and about 21 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 71% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 68% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Wathena in winter?
January nights average 18°. About 126 nights a year reach 32° or below and 7 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 21°.
How much snow does Wathena get?
About 21 inches in a normal winter at Troy 3n, KS, heaviest from January through February, about 6 inches a month, with snow on the ground about 30 days a year.
How hot does it get in Wathena?
July, with a typical high of 88° and a low of 67°. About 39 days a year reach 90° and 2 reach 100° (St Joseph Rosecrans Airport).
When is the first and last frost in Wathena?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 19 and the first fall frost by October 17, about 180 frost-free days, at St Joseph Rosecrans Airport.
What growing zone is Wathena 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 Wathena?
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 Wathena getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 0.6° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 96% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Wathena.
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.