Whitewater reaches 100° on about 11 days a year, more than 91% of U.S. towns
January nights here settle around 21°. Rain follows the seasons: May brings about 6.7 times as much as January. Precipitation is light here, less than falls on 75% of U.S. towns. The heating season runs November to March: each of those months averages under 50°.
A year in Whitewater at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Whitewater’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Whitewater’s place in Kansas beside it.
What a year in Whitewater feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 193 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 14 and the first by October 25. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Newton, KS, 12 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Whitewater’s center in zone 7a: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about 0°. 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 9 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Potwin, KS, falls mostly in December. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 36 inches a year; May is the wettest month and January the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 69 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Whitewater
74% 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 Newton, KS.
Living with Whitewater’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
193 frost-free days in zone 7a. The last frost comes by Apr 14 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 25.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: April, May, September and October.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Whitewater from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (39%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 15%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Whitewater and its neighbors
Every town next door is within a degree of Whitewater in January and July, closer than the 5 km grid can tell apart. Tap a town to see its climate.
Climates most like Whitewater’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Whitewater, KS | 21° | 92° | 36" | 9.1" |
| Kansas City, MO | 20° | 89° | 39" | 11" |
| Midwest City, OK | 28° | 93° | 37" | 6.7" |
| Columbia, IL | 24° | 89° | 42" | 8.8" |
| Fredericksburg, VA | 25° | 89° | 43" | 11" |
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 Whitewater averaged 0.9° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in January (+2.4°).
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 Whitewater compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Whitewater’s place among Kansas’.
Whitewater weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Whitewater’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Potwin, KS. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 43° | 21° | 0.8" | 2.2" | 3 | 2 | 27° – 43° |
| February | 47° | 25° | 1.3" | 2.2" | 4 | 1 | 29° – 45° |
| March | 58° | 35° | 2.4" | 1.1" | 6 | 1 | 39° – 57° |
| April | 68° | 44° | 3.2" | 0.3" | 7 | 0 | 49° – 62° |
| May | 76° | 54° | 5.4" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 59° – 73° |
| June | 86° | 64° | 5.2" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 69° – 80° |
| July | 92° | 69° | 4.3" | 0.0" | 7 | 0 | 75° – 88° |
| August | 90° | 67° | 4.1" | 0.0" | 7 | 0 | 72° – 86° |
| September | 82° | 58° | 3.2" | 0.0" | 6 | 0 | 65° – 78° |
| October | 70° | 46° | 2.9" | 0.1" | 5 | 0 | 50° – 64° |
| November | 56° | 34° | 1.7" | 0.5" | 4 | 0 | 38° – 53° |
| December | 45° | 25° | 1.2" | 2.7" | 4 | 2 | 23° – 40° |
| Year | 68° | 45° | 35.6" | 9.1" | 69 | 6 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. March swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 39° to 57°. June is the most reliable, staying within 10°.
Where Whitewater’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 Whitewater’s center.
- Snow: Potwin, KS.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Newton, KS, 12 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 Whitewater’s climate
What is the weather like in Whitewater?
A typical July afternoon reaches 92°, a January night drops to 21°, and about 9 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 52% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 85% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Whitewater in winter?
January nights average 21°. About 115 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 27°.
How much snow does Whitewater get?
About 9.1 inches in a normal winter at Potwin, KS, most of it in December, with snow on the ground about 6 days a year.
How hot does it get in Whitewater?
July, with a typical high of 92° and a low of 69°. About 62 days a year reach 90° and 11 reach 100° (Newton, KS).
When is the first and last frost in Whitewater?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 14 and the first fall frost by October 25, about 193 frost-free days, at Newton, KS.
What growing zone is Whitewater in?
Zone 7a on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about 0°.
What is the best time of year to visit Whitewater?
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 Whitewater 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 Whitewater.
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.