Seward reaches 100° on about 14 days a year, more than 93% of U.S. towns
The coldest hours of a January night bottom out at 26° on average. The wettest month is May; the driest is January. It is a dry place: less rain and snow fall here than on 76% of U.S. towns. Garden planting can start around April 3; autumn frost returns near November 4.
A year in Seward at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Seward’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Seward’s place in Oklahoma beside it.
What a year in Seward feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 214 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 3 and the first by November 4. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Guthrie 4wsw Mesonet, OK, 4 miles from the town’s center, 100 ft higher.
The 2023 USDA map puts Seward’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 7 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Guthrie 5s, OK, falls mostly in January. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 35 inches a year; May is the wettest month and January the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 75 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Seward
64% 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 Guthrie 4wsw Mesonet, OK.
Living with Seward’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
214 frost-free days in zone 7a. The last frost comes by Apr 3 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 4.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: April, May and October.
Parks & trails →Cold waves are 29% of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Seward from natural hazards, the largest share. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Seward and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Seward yet.
Climates most like Seward’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Seward, OK | 26° | 95° | 35" | 7.1" |
| Hutchinson, KS | 21° | 93° | 31" | 6.9" |
| Bridgeport, TX | 32° | 96° | 34" | 1.8" |
| Oakhurst, CA | 34° | 95° | 29" | 2.5" |
| 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 Seward averaged 1.0° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in January (+2.4°).
A smaller shift than in 79% 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 Seward compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Seward’s place among Oklahoma’s.
Seward weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Seward’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Guthrie 5s, OK. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 50° | 26° | 1.2" | 2.4" | 4 | 2 | 33° – 48° |
| February | 54° | 30° | 1.5" | 1.7" | 5 | 2 | 36° – 51° |
| March | 64° | 40° | 2.6" | 1.1" | 6 | 1 | 45° – 61° |
| April | 73° | 48° | 3.9" | 0.0" | 7 | 0 | 54° – 67° |
| May | 80° | 58° | 4.8" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 65° – 75° |
| June | 89° | 67° | 4.7" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 74° – 85° |
| July | 95° | 71° | 3.2" | 0.0" | 5 | 0 | 79° – 91° |
| August | 94° | 70° | 3.3" | 0.0" | 7 | 0 | 75° – 89° |
| September | 86° | 62° | 3.2" | 0.0" | 7 | 0 | 70° – 82° |
| October | 74° | 50° | 3.2" | 0.0" | 6 | 0 | 55° – 68° |
| November | 62° | 38° | 2.1" | 0.1" | 5 | 0 | 43° – 57° |
| December | 51° | 29° | 1.7" | 1.8" | 6 | 2 | 30° – 45° |
| Year | 73° | 49° | 35.2" | 7.1" | 75 | 6 |
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 10°.
Where Seward’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 Seward’s center.
- Snow: Guthrie 5s, OK.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Guthrie 4wsw Mesonet, OK, 4 miles from the town’s center, 100 ft higher; 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 Seward’s climate
What is the weather like in Seward?
A typical July afternoon reaches 95°, a January night drops to 26°, and about 7 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Milder January nights than 67% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 94% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Seward in winter?
January nights average 26°. About 75 nights a year reach 32° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 33°.
How much snow does Seward get?
About 7.1 inches in a normal winter at Guthrie 5s, OK, most of it in January, with snow on the ground about 6 days a year.
How hot does it get in Seward?
July, with a typical high of 95° and a low of 71°. About 78 days a year reach 90° and 14 reach 100° (Guthrie 4wsw Mesonet, OK).
When is the first and last frost in Seward?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 3 and the first fall frost by November 4, about 214 frost-free days, at Guthrie 4wsw Mesonet, OK.
What growing zone is Seward 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 Seward?
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 Seward getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.0° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 79% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Seward.
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.