The Highlands, KS climate
The Highlands has chilly winters and hot summers. A typical July afternoon reaches 92°, a January night drops to 21°, and about 12 inches of snow falls in a normal winter.
NOAA 1991-2020 climate normals Updated once a decadeWhat a year in The Highlands feels like
Winter
Spring
Summer
Fall
The Highlands 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 | 43° | 21° | 0.8" | 3.5" | 5 | 3 | 26° – 43° |
| February | 48° | 24° | 1.2" | 1.9" | 5 | 2 | 29° – 45° |
| March | 58° | 34° | 2.2" | 2.3" | 7 | 1 | 39° – 57° |
| April | 67° | 43° | 2.6" | 0.3" | 9 | 0 | 48° – 62° |
| May | 77° | 53° | 4.9" | 0 | 10 | 0 | 58° – 73° |
| June | 88° | 64° | 4.4" | 0 | 8 | 0 | 70° – 80° |
| July | 92° | 68° | 3.9" | 0 | 9 | 0 | 76° – 88° |
| August | 90° | 67° | 3.7" | 0 | 8 | 0 | 72° – 85° |
| September | 82° | 58° | 2.4" | 0 | 6 | 0 | 66° – 77° |
| October | 70° | 45° | 2.5" | 0 | 6 | 0 | 50° – 62° |
| November | 56° | 33° | 1.4" | 0.7" | 5 | 1 | 37° – 52° |
| December | 45° | 23° | 1.1" | 3.1" | 5 | 2 | 24° – 38° |
| Year | 68° | 44° | 31.0" | 11.8" | 82 | 9 |
“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 The Highlands
The Highlands gets 31 inches of rain and melted snow a year. May is the wettest month and January the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 82 days a year. Snow covers the ground about 9 days of the year.
About 180 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 21 and the first one by October 18. That leaves about 180 frost-free days for gardens, longer than 53% of U.S. towns.
Heating and cooling a home in The Highlands
Engineers use “degree days” to estimate how hard a furnace or air conditioner works. In The Highlands, 75% of that work is heating and 25% is cooling.
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.
The Highlands and its neighbors
The Highlands borders 2 towns with climate data. January nights across them vary by 0.4°. Grant has both the coldest January nights (20°) and the hottest July afternoons (93°). The Highlands’s January low is 21° and its July high 92°.
Temperatures and rain come from NOAA’s 5 km grid, so each town gets its own value.
How The Highlands 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 The Highlands averaged 0.9° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in January (+2.5°). The shift is smaller than in 79% of U.S. towns.
Change by month1991–2020 average minus 1901–2000 average, at The Highlands’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 39° to 57°. June is the most reliable, staying within 10°.
Common questions about The Highlands’s climate
What is the coldest month in The Highlands?
January, with a typical high of 43° and a low of 21°.
What is the hottest month in The Highlands?
July, with a typical high of 92° and a low of 68°. About 67 days a year reach 90°.
How much snow does The Highlands get?
About 12 inches in a normal winter, most of it in January.
When is the first frost in The Highlands?
In half of years the first 32° night comes by October 18, and the last spring frost by April 21.
What is the rainiest month in The Highlands?
May, with 4.9 inches of rain and melted snow. The year totals 31 inches.
Temperatures and rainfall come from NOAA’s gridded climate normals for The Highlands itself (about a 3-mile square). Snow, frost dates and day counts come from NOAA’s weather station at Inman 5sw, KS (6 mi, snow) and Hutchinson Municipal Airport, 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.