Photo: Eric Friedebach · CC BY 2.0Zenda reaches 100° on about 13 days a year, more than 93% of U.S. towns
January mornings start at about 22°. A year here swings 71° from midwinter lows to midsummer highs. Its yearly precipitation falls short of 84% of U.S. towns. The frost-free window for a garden runs roughly April 15 to October 21.
A year in Zenda at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Zenda’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Zenda’s place in Kansas beside it.
What a year in Zenda feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 187 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 15 and the first by October 21. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Kingman, KS, 16 miles from the town’s center, 110 ft lower.
The 2023 USDA map puts Zenda’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 11 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Zenda, KS, falls mostly in February and December. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 32 inches a year; May is the wettest month and January the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 57 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Zenda
76% 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 Kingman, KS.
Living with Zenda’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
187 frost-free days in zone 7a. The last frost comes by Apr 15 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 21.
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 Zenda from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (22%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 25%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Zenda and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Zenda yet.
Climates most like Zenda’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Zenda, KS | 22° | 93° | 32" | 11" |
| Elk City, OK | 26° | 95° | 27" | 8.6" |
| Pampa, TX | 24° | 93° | 22" | 16" |
| South Ogden, UT | 21° | 91° | 22" | 23" |
| Kansas City, MO | 20° | 89° | 39" | 11" |
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 Zenda averaged 0.8° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in January (+2.7°).
A smaller shift than in 88% 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 Zenda compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Zenda’s place among Kansas’.
Zenda weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Zenda’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Zenda, KS. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 45° | 22° | 0.9" | 2.1" | 3 | 28° – 44° |
| February | 49° | 25° | 1.2" | 3.3" | 4 | 30° – 45° |
| March | 59° | 35° | 2.3" | 1.4" | 5 | 40° – 57° |
| April | 69° | 43° | 2.9" | 0.1" | 6 | 50° – 63° |
| May | 78° | 54° | 4.6" | 0.0" | 7 | 60° – 74° |
| June | 88° | 64° | 4.5" | 0.0" | 7 | 71° – 82° |
| July | 93° | 68° | 3.6" | 0.0" | 6 | 76° – 89° |
| August | 91° | 67° | 3.6" | 0.0" | 7 | 73° – 85° |
| September | 83° | 58° | 2.6" | 0.0" | 4 | 66° – 79° |
| October | 71° | 46° | 2.8" | 0.1" | 5 | 51° – 63° |
| November | 57° | 33° | 1.4" | 0.9" | 3 | 38° – 52° |
| December | 46° | 24° | 1.4" | 3.4" | 3 | 26° – 40° |
| Year | 69° | 45° | 31.6" | 11.3" | 57 |
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 57°. June is the most reliable, staying within 11°.
Where Zenda’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 Zenda’s center.
- Snow: Zenda, KS (NOAA station in town).
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Kingman, KS, 16 miles from the town’s center, 110 ft lower; 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 Zenda’s climate
What is the weather like in Zenda?
A typical July afternoon reaches 93°, a January night drops to 22°, and about 11 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Milder January nights than 51% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 91% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Zenda in winter?
January nights average 22°. About 117 nights a year reach 32° or below and 1 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 28°.
How much snow does Zenda get?
About 11 inches in a normal winter at Zenda, KS, most of it in February and December.
How hot does it get in Zenda?
July, with a typical high of 93° and a low of 68°. About 67 days a year reach 90° and 13 reach 100° (Kingman, KS).
When is the first and last frost in Zenda?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 15 and the first fall frost by October 21, about 187 frost-free days, at Kingman, KS.
What growing zone is Zenda 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 Zenda?
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 Zenda getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 0.8° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 88% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Zenda.
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.