Climate · Crystal Plains

Crystal Plains, KS climate

Crystal Plains has chilly winters and warm summers. A typical July afternoon reaches 91°, a January night drops to 17°, and about 23 inches of snow falls in a normal winter.

NOAA 1991-2020 climate normals Updated once a decade
July high
91°
992nd hottest of 1,996 Kansas towns
January low
17°
307th coldest of 1,996 Kansas towns
Rain + melted snow
26 in
501st driest of 1,996 Kansas towns
Snow a winter
23 in
123rd snowiest of 1,996 Kansas towns
A normal year

What a year in Crystal Plains feels like

Winter

42° / 19°
Typical high / low · 8 days with an inch or more of snow

Spring

65° / 39°
Typical high / low · Last frost around Apr 24

Summer

89° / 63°
Typical high / low · 61 days reach 90° in a normal year

Fall

67° / 41°
Typical high / low · First frost around Oct 15
Best months to be outsideMaySepOctHighs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more
Month by month

Crystal Plains weather by month

Average highs, lows, rain and snow for every month, from NOAA’s 1991–2020 normals.

MonthHighLowRain + meltSnowWet daysSnow on ground30-yr range
January39°17°0.6" 5.5"46 20° – 39°
February44°20°0.8" 7.2"45 22° – 41°
March56°30°1.4" 2.6"62 35° – 55°
April66°39°2.2" 1.0"70 45° – 58°
May75°49°4.1" 090 56° – 68°
June86°60°3.6" 080 68° – 78°
July91°66°4.4" 080 73° – 84°
August88°64°3.4" 070 70° – 83°
September81°54°2.2" 050 62° – 75°
October68°41°1.9" 0.2"60 47° – 59°
November54°29°1.1" 1.8"41 33° – 48°
December42°20°0.9" 4.3"45 22° – 36°
Year66°41°26.5"22.6"7119

“Wet days” have at least 0.01" of rain or melted snow. “Snow on ground” counts days with 1" or more. The 30-year range is the coldest and warmest that month’s average temperature got between 1991 and 2020.

Rain & snow

Rain and snow in Crystal Plains

Crystal Plains gets 26 inches of rain and melted snow a year. July is the wettest month and January the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 71 days a year. Snow covers the ground about 19 days of the year.

26 in
Rain + melted snow a year
Less rain than 80% of U.S. towns
23 in
Snow in a normal winter
Less snow than 54% of U.S. towns
19 days
With 1"+ of snow on the ground
Fewer than 60% of U.S. towns

Rain + melted snow by month

Inches of water
4.4"

Snowfall by month

Inches of snow
7.2"
Frost & the growing season

About 173 frost-free days a year

In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 24 and the first one by October 15. That leaves about 173 frost-free days for gardens, shorter than 57% of U.S. towns.

136
nights at or below 32° in a normal year
5
nights below 0° in a normal year
61
days that reach 90° in a normal year

Freezing nights by month

Average nights at or below 32°

90° days by month

Average days at 90° or more
Heating & cooling

Heating and cooling a home in Crystal Plains

Engineers use “degree days” to estimate how hard a furnace or air conditioner works. In Crystal Plains, 81% of that work is heating and 19% is cooling, so the furnace matters far more than the air conditioner.

81%heating
5,645 heating degree daysLess heating than 53% of U.S. towns
1,342 cooling degree daysMore cooling than 74% of U.S. towns

Degree days measure how far each day’s average temperature falls below or rises above 65°, added up over a year. Source: NOAA station normals.

Around Crystal Plains

Crystal Plains and its neighbors

Crystal Plains borders 4 towns with climate data. January nights across them vary by 0.7°. Webster has the coldest January nights (16°) and Garfield the hottest July afternoons (92°). Crystal Plains’s January low is 17° and its July high 91°.

Harvey: January low 16°, July high 92°Harlan: January low 16°, July high 92°Center: January low 16°, July high 91°Odessa: January low 17°, July high 91°Oak: January low 16°, July high 91°Lincoln: January low 17°, July high 91°Bethany: January low 17°, July high 92°Cora: January low 16°, July high 90°Banner: January low 17°, July high 92°Webster: January low 16°, July high 91°Garfield: January low 17°, July high 92°Blaine: January low 17°, July high 91°Crystal Plains: January low 17°, July high 91° Crystal PlainsBannerWebsterGarfieldBlaine
ColderMilder16° to 17°
Webster16.3° −0.6°
Banner16.5° −0.4°
Blaine16.5° −0.4°
Crystal Plains16.9°
Garfield17.0° +0.1°

Temperatures and rain come from NOAA’s 5 km grid, so each town gets its own value.

Compared with other towns

How Crystal Plains compares

Summer heat91° July high
Hotter than 84% of U.S. towns992nd hottest of 1,996 Kansas towns
Winter cold17° January low
Colder than 62% of U.S. towns307th coldest of 1,996 Kansas towns
Precipitation26" a year
Drier than 80% of U.S. towns501st driest of 1,996 Kansas towns
Snow23" a winter
Less snow than 54% of U.S. towns123rd snowiest of 1,996 Kansas towns
Growing season173 frost-free days
Shorter than 57% of U.S. towns452nd shortest of 1,996 Kansas towns

Compared with every U.S. town and city on TownTapestry, each counted once.

Then and now

Warmer than it used to be

+0.6°1991–2020 average vs. the 20th century (1901–2000)

The last 30 years in Crystal Plains averaged 0.6° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in January (+2.5°). The shift is smaller than in 92% of U.S. towns.

❄️ Winter+1.7° now 30°, was 29°
🌷 Spring+0.6° now 52°, was 52°
☀️ Summer−0.0° now 76°, was 76°
🍂 Fall+0.2° now 54°, was 54°

Change by month1991–2020 average minus 1901–2000 average, at Crystal Plains’s spot on NOAA’s grid

Year to year

How much a month can swing

A normal is an average, and real years wander around it. March swings the most: between 1991 and 2020 its average temperature ranged from 35° to 55°. June is the most reliable, staying within 10°.

Coldest to warmest month in 30 yearsNormal
Questions

Common questions about Crystal Plains’s climate

What is the coldest month in Crystal Plains?

January, with a typical high of 39° and a low of 17°.

What is the hottest month in Crystal Plains?

July, with a typical high of 91° and a low of 66°. About 61 days a year reach 90°.

How much snow does Crystal Plains get?

About 23 inches in a normal winter, most of it in February.

When is the first frost in Crystal Plains?

In half of years the first 32° night comes by October 15, and the last spring frost by April 24.

What is the rainiest month in Crystal Plains?

July, with 4.4 inches of rain and melted snow. The year totals 26 inches.

Temperatures and rainfall come from NOAA’s gridded climate normals for Crystal Plains itself (about a 3-mile square). Snow, frost dates and day counts come from NOAA’s weather station at Lebanon, KS (10 mi, snow) and Smith Ctr, KS (8 mi, frost, heat and degree days). Normals are 30-year averages, not a forecast. Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020 and 1901–2000.

The coffee’s on

Where to, neighbor?

You’re in Crystal Plains, KSSmith CountyView boundary

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Boundary source: https://tigerweb.geo.census.gov/arcgis/rest/services/TIGERweb/Places_CouSub_ConCity_SubMCD/MapServer/15 · 2025-01-01