PlainClimate
NOAA 1991–2020 normals Incorporated place · exact Census match 1 NOAA station · Primary-station record

Centralia, KS Climate: Temperature & Rain by Month

Annual temperature and rainfall from NOAA NCEI's 1991–2020 normals →; comfort score computed by PlainClimate

30-year climate normals (1991-2020) from Centralia's primary NOAA station, CENTRALIA.

The climate verdict for Centralia

Centralia, Kansas has a mixed annual climate rather than one dominant extreme. Its NOAA normal shows an annual average of 54°F. Its climate comfort score of 63/100 (good) lands mid-pack nationally, exceeding 46% of station-mapped location scores.

54°F
annual average temperature (NOAA normal)
63/100
comfort score, above 46% of station-mapped location scores
35.9"
annual precipitation · 33" snow
183 days
growing season, frost-free days

Centralia: NOAA 1991-2020 normals describe a typical year, not a forecast. Method: /methodology.

Normals record plate

Sheet USC00141408 · Centralia, KS 54°F mean · 35.9" precip

TEMP-COOL · RANK-MID · PHOTO-FINISH · PRCP-MID · SWING-WIDE · COMF-MID · LOAD-HEAT · STN-1 · BOOK-FULL

Nearest mean-temperature peer: St Joseph Rosecrans, MO (+ 0 °F mean)

Instrument codes from this station's NOAA 1991–2020 normals, mean temperature, corpus warmth rank, photo-finish peer station, precipitation band, seasonal swing, comfort composite, degree-day load, and field book, not a livability rating.

Mean-temperature neighbourhood

Nationwide NOAA normal poles and nearest peers, not a reprint of every KS station list.

Climate Living Index · Centralia

Centralia: 60/100 · grade C

Centralia publishes 5 of 6 Living Index dimensions (NOAA annual/seasonal normals · NOAA daily multivariate normals); 1 missing weight rescale to 100.

C
60/100Climate Living Index

PlainClimate-derived for Centralia, not an official NOAA rating. Rankings still use Comfort Score 63/100 (separate formula). Breakpoints and limits.

Centralia Living Index dimension scores
DimensionStation valueScore
Precipitation balance 35.9 in · 0.9 from 35 in 94/100 · A
Normal heat + freeze calendar 130 calendar days 59/100 · C
Annual temperature balance 53.7°F · 13.8° from 67.5°F 55/100 · C
Frost-free season 183 days/year 52/100 · D
Snowfall burden 33.4 inches/year 35/100 · F

Centralia · 2026-08-04 · NOAA NCEI Climate Normals · method · Comfort Score method.

Centralia is a continental Köppen climate: Dfa

Coldest-month mean 27.4°F and warmest-month mean 78.2°F place this station in continental, no dry season, hot summer climates (Dfa). Class Dfa is the Peel et al. (2007) label for this station's monthly mean temperature and precipitation normals: continental, specifically continental, no dry season, hot summer.

Köppen code
Dfa
Group
Continental
Warmest month
78.2°F
Coldest month
27.4°F

Source: official public datasets monthly normals (1991–2020) at the city’s primary station. This is a station classification, not a mapped regional consensus.

National standing · heating-led station

Where Centralia sits across the climate record

Three NOAA fields for Centralia's primary station, temperature, precipitation, and seasonal swing, are ranked against every station-mapped normal that carries the same field.

Annual temperature
56th percentile warmth
Mid-pack annual mean versus 6,861 station normals.
Annual precipitation
49th percentile wetness
Neither arid nor torrential versus 6,352 station totals.
Seasonal temperature swing
Wider than 83%
Warmest-to-coldest month gap for Centralia is large versus 6,861 complete station-years.

How Centralia compares across U.S. station-mapped locations

Centralia's comfort score vs. all station-mapped locations

PlainClimate composite comfort index (1–100), NOAA 1991–2020 normals

63 46th percentile score exceeds 46% of 6,189 station-mapped location scores

0–10: 0 station-mapped locations (0%). Below this entry. 10–20: 0 station-mapped locations (0%). Below this entry. 20–30: 96 station-mapped locations (2%). Below this entry. 30–40: 280 station-mapped locations (5%). Below this entry. 40–50: 1,113 station-mapped locations (18%). Below this entry. 50–60: 1,329 station-mapped locations (21%). Below this entry. 60–70: 1,236 station-mapped locations (20%). This entry sits in this band. 70–80: 650 station-mapped locations (11%). Above this entry. 80–90: 921 station-mapped locations (15%). Above this entry. 90–100: 564 station-mapped locations (9%). Above this entry. This location 0 100 every station-mapped location, bucketed by value
  1. 0–10: 0 station-mapped locations (0%). Below this entry.
  2. 10–20: 0 station-mapped locations (0%). Below this entry.
  3. 20–30: 96 station-mapped locations (2%). Below this entry.
  4. 30–40: 280 station-mapped locations (5%). Below this entry.
  5. 40–50: 1,113 station-mapped locations (18%). Below this entry.
  6. 50–60: 1,329 station-mapped locations (21%). Below this entry.
  7. 60–70: 1,236 station-mapped locations (20%). This entry sits in this band.
  8. 70–80: 650 station-mapped locations (11%). Above this entry.
  9. 80–90: 921 station-mapped locations (15%). Above this entry.
  10. 90–100: 564 station-mapped locations (9%). Above this entry.

Source NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, PlainClimate comfort index · 1991–2020

Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more station-mapped locations. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.

Monthly Temperatures

Average daily high and low temperatures by month

Month Avg High Avg Low Mean
January 38°F (3°C) 17°F (-8°C) 27°F (-3°C)
February 43°F (6°C) 21°F (-6°C) 32°F (0°C)
March 55°F (13°C) 30°F (-1°C) 43°F (6°C)
April 66°F (19°C) 41°F (5°C) 53°F (12°C)
May 75°F (24°C) 53°F (12°C) 64°F (18°C)
June 84°F (29°C) 63°F (17°C) 74°F (23°C)
July 89°F (32°C) 67°F (20°C) 78°F (26°C)
August 87°F (31°C) 65°F (18°C) 76°F (24°C)
September 80°F (27°C) 56°F (13°C) 68°F (20°C)
October 68°F (20°C) 44°F (7°C) 56°F (13°C)
November 53°F (12°C) 31°F (0°C) 42°F (6°C)
December 41°F (5°C) 22°F (-6°C) 31°F (0°C)

The year, day by day

Summer here tops out rather than builds: the warmest normal high is 90°F around July 20, short of 90°F on every date, while 130 dates carry a normal low at or below freezing, the coldest 16°F near January 21.

Normal daily high and low temperature for Centralia, January through December Peaks 90°F around July 20. Bottoms 16°F around January 21. 10 30 50 70 90 freezing JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Normal daily high and low across the calendar year. NOAA 1991–2020 daily normals, CENTRALIA.

The freezing stretch

The normal low stays at or below 32°F into March 21, then returns to freezing around November 13, covering 130 dates in all.

Derived from the normal daily minimum. This is a different measure from the 50%-probability frost dates shown elsewhere on this page, which come from NOAA’s frost product.

Where the wet dates fall

The likeliest wet date is May 3, when 38% of years recorded at least a hundredth of an inch. The driest is January 12 at 16%. Summed across the calendar, that is about 97 wet dates a year.

The widest day

March 31 carries the biggest normal gap between afternoon and dawn, 25°F between the normal high and the normal low.

Look up any date

Any date's 1991–2020 normal for Centralia.

Monthly Precipitation

Average monthly rainfall and snowfall

January 0.8"

Snow: 9.5"

5.3 days with precipitation

February 1.1"

Snow: 6.8"

5.7 days with precipitation

March 2.1"

Snow: 5.2"

7.2 days with precipitation

April 3.3"

Snow: 1.7"

10.1 days with precipitation

May 5.1"

Snow: 0.1"

11.3 days with precipitation

June 4.6"

10.1 days with precipitation

July 5.5"

10.9 days with precipitation

August 4.3"

9.6 days with precipitation

September 3.8"

8.6 days with precipitation

October 2.4"

Snow: 0.8"

7.2 days with precipitation

November 1.5"

Snow: 3.6"

6.5 days with precipitation

December 1.2"

Snow: 5.7"

4.7 days with precipitation

Centralia runs a summer-peaked wet season

40% of Centralia's yearly precipitation falls in June, July and August alone, against the 25% an evenly spread year would give those three months. The wettest month is July at 5.5", on a wide 50.8°F gap between its warmest and coldest month. Warm-season convection and, across the Southwest, the North American monsoon produce this shape: rain arrives in short heavy bursts during the hottest part of the year rather than as long cool-season soaking.

Shares are computed from this station's own 1991-2020 monthly precipitation normals. A summer-peaked label means the June-August share reaches 35%; it describes timing across an average year, not any single season, and says nothing about how heavy an individual storm can be.

When it rains in Centralia, it arrives in quantity

35.9" of precipitation falls across only about 97 wet days here, averaging 0.37 inches each. Fewer days carry more water: the year's total is delivered in comparatively heavy events rather than persistent damp.

Days with measurable precipitation
about 97 a year, 27% of all days
Average depth per wet day
0.37 inches
Most wet days
May, about 11
Fewest wet days
December, about 5

A wet day is one recording at least 0.01 inches. These are 1991-2020 normals: they describe an average year, and a per-day average is not a forecast of any individual storm.

Winter brings real snow to Centralia

Centralia averages 33.4 inches of snowfall a year, with January the snowiest month on the normals, spread across roughly 14 days that record measurable snow. That is depth accumulating on the ground, which is why it can exceed the annual precipitation figure: precipitation counts the liquid the snow melts down to, and fresh snow is mostly air.

NOAA 1991-2020 normals. The ten-to-one ratio is a convention, not a measurement: real ratios vary with temperature, so treat the share as an order of magnitude rather than an exact split.

Frost Dates & Growing Season

First Fall Freeze

October 19

50% probability date

Last Spring Freeze

April 19

50% probability date

Growing Season

183 days

Heating & Cooling Degree Days

Annual totals indicate energy demand for heating and cooling

Heating Degree Days

5,375

Higher = more heating needed

Cooling Degree Days

1,304

Higher = more cooling needed

Warmest Month

July

Coldest Month

January

Nationwide similar cities

Other rankable U.S. places outside KS closest to Centralia on two NOAA annual-normal axes (mean temperature and annual precipitation). Chip rows use distinct link sets.

Closest by average temperature

Nearest out-of-state peers by annual mean temperature (54°F here).

Closest by annual precipitation

Nearest out-of-state peers by annual precipitation (35.9" here), excluding temperature-peer places.

Kansas climate overview →

Snow and freeze rhythm

When cold and snow define Centralia

heating led · moderate · mid swing

Centralia's energy balance leans toward cold weather: 5,375 annual heating degree days against 1,304 for cooling. Its 50.8°F seasonal range still makes the monthly rows more useful than the annual average alone.

Centralia's frost-free season lasts about 183 days, a middle-length window whose endpoints matter more than the annual average. It describes freeze probability, not year-specific planting conditions.

  1. 1. Centralia coldest normal

    January

    The monthly mean of 27°F (-3°C) sits near freezing, so cold nights and above-freezing afternoons share the same month.

  2. 2. Centralia typical freeze period

    January through December

    The station reports average freezing days from January through December.

  3. 3. Centralia snow peak

    January

    Centralia averages 33.4 inches of snow a year, with January the snowiest month on the normals.

Questions about Centralia's climate

How much snow does Centralia get?
Centralia averages 33.4 inches of snow a year, most of it in January, within 35.9 inches of total precipitation. Snowfall is depth on the ground; the precipitation total counts its liquid equivalent, so the two are not additive.
How many days above 90°F does Centralia get?
Centralia averages about 36 days a year at or above 90°F, concentrated in July and the months either side of it. That is a count of days reaching the threshold, not a measure of how far above it they go.
How much energy does heating and cooling require in Centralia?
Centralia has 5,375 heating degree days and 1,304 cooling degree days annually, a heating-dominated climate. Degree-day definitions: reading weather data.

Data Sources

Data source: NOAA U.S. Climate Normals v1.0.1 (1991-2020). All figures on this page are from Centralia's primary station: CENTRALIA (USC00141408). For informational purposes only.

Place identity: U.S. Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer places. The 2024 Census Gazetteer identifies the exact name-and-state match as an incorporated place (GEOID 2012425). Match rule for Centralia: exact normalized name + state only, no fuzzy expansion, so nearby differently spelled facilities stay unmatched.

Data sourced from official public datasets. See our methodology for details. Retrieved and formatted by PlainClimate

On this page every temperature, precipitation, and derived score for Centralia comes from its primary NOAA station record. No figure on this page is typed in by an editor - each value is rendered from NOAA 1991-2020 U.S. Climate Normals. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of 1991–2020 normals.