Downs, KS climate
Downs has chilly winters and hot summers. A typical July afternoon reaches 92°, a January night drops to 17°, and about 18 inches of snow falls in a normal winter.
NOAA 1991-2020 climate normals Updated once a decadeWhat a year in Downs feels like
Winter
Spring
Summer
Fall
Downs weather by month
Average highs, lows, rain and snow for every month, from NOAA’s 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 40° | 17° | 0.6" | 4.5" | 3 | 5 | 21° – 39° |
| February | 45° | 20° | 0.7" | 5.8" | 4 | 5 | 23° – 42° |
| March | 57° | 30° | 1.4" | 1.7" | 5 | 2 | 35° – 55° |
| April | 67° | 39° | 2.2" | 0.5" | 8 | 0 | 45° – 58° |
| May | 76° | 50° | 3.9" | 0 | 9 | 0 | 56° – 69° |
| June | 88° | 61° | 3.5" | 0 | 8 | 0 | 69° – 78° |
| July | 92° | 66° | 4.2" | 0 | 9 | 0 | 74° – 85° |
| August | 90° | 64° | 3.4" | 0 | 8 | 0 | 71° – 84° |
| September | 82° | 54° | 2.3" | 0 | 6 | 0 | 62° – 75° |
| October | 69° | 41° | 1.9" | 0.3" | 5 | 0 | 48° – 59° |
| November | 55° | 28° | 1.1" | 1.6" | 4 | 1 | 33° – 49° |
| December | 43° | 20° | 0.9" | 3.5" | 4 | 4 | 22° – 37° |
| Year | 67° | 41° | 26.1" | 17.9" | 73 | 17 |
“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 and snow in Downs
Downs 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 73 days a year. Snow covers the ground about 17 days of the year.
About 168 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 29 and the first one by October 15. That leaves about 168 frost-free days for gardens, shorter than 63% of U.S. towns.
Heating and cooling a home in Downs
Engineers use “degree days” to estimate how hard a furnace or air conditioner works. In Downs, 82% of that work is heating and 18% is cooling, so the furnace matters far more than the air conditioner.
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.
How Downs compares
Compared with every U.S. town and city on TownTapestry, each counted once.
Warmer than it used to be
The last 30 years in Downs averaged 0.7° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in January (+2.6°). The shift is smaller than in 87% of U.S. towns.
Change by month1991–2020 average minus 1901–2000 average, at Downs’s spot on NOAA’s grid
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°.
Common questions about Downs’s climate
What is the coldest month in Downs?
January, with a typical high of 40° and a low of 17°.
What is the hottest month in Downs?
July, with a typical high of 92° and a low of 66°. About 57 days a year reach 90°.
How much snow does Downs get?
About 18 inches in a normal winter, most of it in February.
When is the first frost in Downs?
In half of years the first 32° night comes by October 15, and the last spring frost by April 29.
What is the rainiest month in Downs?
July, with 4.2 inches of rain and melted snow. The year totals 26 inches.
Temperatures and rainfall come from NOAA’s gridded climate normals for Downs itself (about a 3-mile square). Snow, frost dates and day counts come from NOAA’s weather station at Cawker City, KS (6 mi, snow) and Glen Elder Lake, KS (12 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.