Photo: katsrcool (Kool Cats Photography) from Edmond, OK, USA · CC BY 2.0Ripley reaches 100° on about 14 days a year, more than 93% of U.S. towns
Nights in January average 26°. Precipitation is light here, less than falls on 71% of U.S. towns. Decade by decade the climate has edged up, 0.6° above 1901–2000. Keep the boiler serviced for the months from November to February, which average under 50°.
A year in Ripley at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Ripley’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Ripley’s place in Oklahoma beside it.
What a year in Ripley feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 217 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 1 and the first by November 5. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Cushing, OK, 8 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Ripley’s center in zone 7a: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about 5°. 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 6 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Ingalls 1n, OK, falls mostly in December. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 37 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 Ripley
65% 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 Cushing, OK.
Living with Ripley’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
217 frost-free days in zone 7a. The last frost comes by Apr 1 in half of years, so many gardeners wait a week or two past that to set out tomatoes. The first fall frost comes by Nov 5.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: April, May and October.
Parks & trails →Cold waves are 34% of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Ripley from natural hazards, the largest share. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Ripley and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Ripley yet.
Climates most like Ripley’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ripley, OK | 26° | 94° | 37" | 6.2" |
| Gainesville, TX | 32° | 95° | 39" | 2.6" |
| Hutchinson, KS | 21° | 93° | 31" | 6.9" |
| Carl Junction, MO | 25° | 90° | 45" | 7.8" |
| Lancaster, SC | 31° | 91° | 43" | 2.6" |
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 Ripley averaged 0.6° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in January (+2.2°).
A smaller shift than in 95% 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 Ripley compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Ripley’s place among Oklahoma’s.
Ripley weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Ripley’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Ingalls 1n, OK. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 50° | 26° | 1.4" | 1.2" | 4 | 0 | 32° – 48° |
| February | 54° | 30° | 1.6" | 1.6" | 4 | 0 | 36° – 50° |
| March | 64° | 39° | 2.6" | 1.3" | 6 | 0 | 45° – 61° |
| April | 73° | 48° | 3.9" | 0.0" | 7 | 0 | 53° – 67° |
| May | 80° | 57° | 5.1" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 64° – 75° |
| June | 88° | 66° | 4.7" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 72° – 84° |
| July | 94° | 71° | 3.4" | 0.0" | 5 | 0 | 78° – 91° |
| August | 93° | 69° | 3.5" | 0.0" | 6 | 0 | 74° – 88° |
| September | 85° | 61° | 3.6" | 0.0" | 6 | 0 | 69° – 80° |
| October | 74° | 49° | 3.4" | 0.0" | 6 | 0 | 54° – 67° |
| November | 62° | 38° | 2.2" | 0.0" | 6 | 0 | 43° – 57° |
| December | 51° | 29° | 1.9" | 2.1" | 5 | 0 | 29° – 45° |
| Year | 72° | 49° | 37.2" | 6.2" | 69 | 1 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. March swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 45° to 61°. May is the most reliable, staying within 11°.
Where Ripley’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 Ripley’s center.
- Snow: Ingalls 1n, OK.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Cushing, OK, 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 Ripley’s climate
What is the weather like in Ripley?
A typical July afternoon reaches 94°, a January night drops to 26°, and about 6 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Milder January nights than 66% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 93% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Ripley in winter?
January nights average 26°. About 76 nights a year reach 32° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 32°.
How much snow does Ripley get?
About 6.2 inches in a normal winter at Ingalls 1n, OK, most of it in December, with snow on the ground about 1 days a year.
How hot does it get in Ripley?
July, with a typical high of 94° and a low of 71°. About 69 days a year reach 90° and 14 reach 100° (Cushing, OK).
When is the first and last frost in Ripley?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 1 and the first fall frost by November 5, about 217 frost-free days, at Cushing, OK.
What growing zone is Ripley in?
Zone 7a on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about 5°.
What is the best time of year to visit Ripley?
By one simple rule (highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more), April, May and October. The rule is ours, not NOAA’s; the month table has the numbers to judge by.
Is Ripley getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 0.6° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 95% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Ripley.
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.