Photo: TheWhitePelican · CC BY 3.0Quapaw has warmer summer afternoons than 82% of U.S. towns
Deep winter brings January lows near 26°. May is the wettest month, February the driest. In January, nights here are milder than in 65% of U.S. towns. The frost-free window for a garden runs roughly April 6 to October 27.
A year in Quapaw at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Quapaw’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Quapaw’s place in Oklahoma beside it.
What a year in Quapaw feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 203 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 6 and the first by October 27. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Miami, OK, 7 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Quapaw’s center in zone 7a: 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 7 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Columbus, KS, falls mostly in January and December. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 45 inches a year; May is the wettest month and February the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 102 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Quapaw
70% 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 Miami, OK.
Living with Quapaw’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
203 frost-free days in zone 7a. The last frost comes by Apr 6 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 27.
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 Quapaw from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (44%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 18%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Quapaw and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Quapaw yet.
Climates most like Quapaw’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Quapaw, OK | 26° | 91° | 45" | 7.2" |
| East Highland Park, VA | 28° | 90° | 46" | 8.8" |
| Cape Girardeau, MO | 26° | 89° | 48" | 7.5" |
| Pocahontas, AR | 28° | 90° | 50" | 6.3" |
| Fruitland, MD | 27° | 89° | 46" | 8.0" |
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 Quapaw averaged 0.7° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in January (+1.8°).
A smaller shift than in 94% 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 Quapaw compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Quapaw’s place among Oklahoma’s.
Quapaw weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Quapaw’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Columbus, KS. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 46° | 26° | 2.0" | 2.3" | 7 | 4 | 31° – 46° |
| February | 51° | 29° | 2.0" | 1.1" | 6 | 1 | 32° – 48° |
| March | 60° | 38° | 3.3" | 1.3" | 10 | 1 | 43° – 60° |
| April | 70° | 47° | 4.8" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 52° – 65° |
| May | 78° | 56° | 6.4" | 0.0" | 12 | 0 | 63° – 74° |
| June | 86° | 66° | 5.2" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 71° – 81° |
| July | 91° | 70° | 3.7" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 75° – 87° |
| August | 90° | 68° | 4.0" | 0.0" | 7 | 0 | 73° – 84° |
| September | 83° | 60° | 4.4" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 67° – 79° |
| October | 71° | 48° | 4.0" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 53° – 65° |
| November | 59° | 38° | 3.3" | 0.2" | 8 | 0 | 42° – 56° |
| December | 49° | 29° | 2.4" | 2.3" | 7 | 3 | 26° – 46° |
| Year | 70° | 48° | 45.4" | 7.2" | 102 | 8 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. December swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 26° to 46°. June is the most reliable, staying within 10°.
Where Quapaw’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 Quapaw’s center.
- Snow: Columbus, KS.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Miami, OK, 7 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 Quapaw’s climate
What is the weather like in Quapaw?
A typical July afternoon reaches 91°, a January night drops to 26°, and about 7 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Milder January nights than 65% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 82% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Quapaw in winter?
January nights average 26°. About 89 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 31°.
How much snow does Quapaw get?
About 7.2 inches in a normal winter at Columbus, KS, most of it in January and December, with snow on the ground about 8 days a year.
How hot does it get in Quapaw?
July, with a typical high of 91° and a low of 70°. About 57 days a year reach 90° and 5 reach 100° (Miami, OK).
When is the first and last frost in Quapaw?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 6 and the first fall frost by October 27, about 203 frost-free days, at Miami, OK.
What growing zone is Quapaw in?
Zone 7a 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 Quapaw?
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 Quapaw getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 0.7° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 94% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Quapaw.
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.