Lawrence, Kansas climate: Normal weather by month, frost dates and records
Lawrence's normal year runs from 18°F January nights to 91°F July afternoons, with 35.6 inches of precipitation a year. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a yearly mean of 12.9°C, January lows of −8°C, July highs of 33°C, 904 mm of precipitation a year.
- NOAA stationLawrence Municipal Airport
- Station IDUSW00003997
- Location39.01°N 95.21°W
- Elevation832 ft (254 m)
- From the center4 miles
- Population97,271
On October 23, the normal high in Lawrence is 66°F and the normal low 41°F, and the chance of measurable rain or snow is 27%.
Normals describe a typical year at the station, not a forecast. The National Weather Service forecast for Lawrence.
- Jan 41° 18°
- Feb 46° 22°
- Mar 58° 32°
- Apr 68° 42°
- May 77° 53°
- Jun 86° 64°
- Jul 91° 67°
- Aug 90° 65°
- Sep 82° 55°
- Oct 69° 44°
- Nov 56° 31°
- Dec 44° 22°
Each month: normal high (large) and low, °F. Fill: the month's normal mean, colder blue to hotter red.
What is the weather like in Lawrence each month?
July is the warmest month, with normal highs of 91°F; January the coldest, with normal lows of 18°F. The most precipitation falls in June (4.77 in), the least in January (0.87 in).
Each month has its own page with the day-by-day normals, the month's records and its recent years:
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Wet days | 90°F days | Freezing nights | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 41°F | 18°F | 29.3°F | 0.87 | 5 | <1 | 28 | 9 h 40 min |
| February | 46°F | 22°F | 34.3°F | 1.30 | 6 | <1 | 23 | 10 h 40 min |
| March | 58°F | 32°F | 45.1°F | 2.20 | 9 | <1 | 17 | 11 h 50 min |
| April | 68°F | 42°F | 54.8°F | 4.03 | 10 | <1 | 5 | 13 h 10 min |
| May | 77°F | 53°F | 65.2°F | 4.74 | 13 | 2 | 1 | 14 h 20 min |
| June | 86°F | 64°F | 75.1°F | 4.77 | 12 | 11 | <1 | 14 h 50 min |
| July | 91°F | 67°F | 79.0°F | 3.94 | 10 | 17 | <1 | 14 h 40 min |
| August | 90°F | 65°F | 77.5°F | 4.05 | 10 | 15 | <1 | 13 h 40 min |
| September | 82°F | 55°F | 68.6°F | 3.57 | 10 | 6 | <1 | 12 h 30 min |
| October | 69°F | 44°F | 56.5°F | 2.89 | 9 | 1 | 5 | 11 h 20 min |
| November | 56°F | 31°F | 43.4°F | 1.84 | 6 | <1 | 17 | 10 h 10 min |
| December | 44°F | 22°F | 33.4°F | 1.38 | 6 | <1 | 27 | 9 h 30 min |
| Year (annual) | 67°F | 43°F | 55.2°F | 35.58 | 106 | 52 | 123 |
The same normals in °C and millimetres
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 5°C | −8°C | −1.5°C | 22 mm |
| February | 8°C | −5°C | 1.3°C | 33 mm |
| March | 14°C | 0°C | 7.3°C | 56 mm |
| April | 20°C | 5°C | 12.7°C | 102 mm |
| May | 25°C | 12°C | 18.4°C | 120 mm |
| June | 30°C | 18°C | 23.9°C | 121 mm |
| July | 33°C | 20°C | 26.1°C | 100 mm |
| August | 32°C | 18°C | 25.3°C | 103 mm |
| September | 28°C | 13°C | 20.3°C | 91 mm |
| October | 21°C | 6°C | 13.6°C | 73 mm |
| November | 13°C | 0°C | 6.3°C | 47 mm |
| December | 7°C | −5°C | 0.8°C | 35 mm |
NOAA publishes no 1991-2020 snowfall normal for this station. Lawrence's own co-op station Lawrence station does: 10 inches of snow in a normal year (see the other stations below).
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USW00003997; annual normals. Wet days: 0.01 inch or more; 90°F days and freezing nights: NOAA's day counts. Daylight: sunrise to sunset on the 15th, computed from the latitude.
When is the best weather to visit Lawrence?
Normal highs sit between 65°F and 85°F in April, May, September and October. Of those, October has the fewest days with rain (9).
That is a measurement, not a recommendation: it counts the months whose normal afternoon high sits between 65°F and 85°F, where a light layer is enough by day.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USW00003997.
When is the last frost in Lawrence?
In Lawrence, the last spring frost (32°F) comes after April 21 in half of years and after May 6 in one year in ten; the first autumn frost comes before October 17 in half of years and before September 29 in one year in ten.
Frost-free in half of yearsFrost in 1 to 9 years out of 10Frost most years
- Last spring frost, half of years after
- April 211 year in 10 after May 6; 9 in 10 after April 5
- First autumn frost, half of years before
- October 171 year in 10 before September 29; 9 in 10 before October 31
NOAA puts the median frost-free season at 177 days, and the season without a hard freeze (28°F) at 198 days.
A hard freeze (28°F) comes after April 10 in half of springs and before October 27 in half of autumns.
The USDA's 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Lawrence in zone 6b across its 5 ZIP code areas (6b in 66049, the largest). By the map's own method, the average of each year's coldest night over 1991-2020, Lawrence's NOAA station is in zone 6a: the coldest night of a typical year reaches −8°F (23 complete years); the map interpolates between stations and terrain, so the station and the ZIP area can differ by half a zone.
Frost dates for every NOAA station in Kansas · Frost dates by ZIP code
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals (frost probabilities), station USW00003997; USDA 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map, ZIP listings: PRISM Group, Oregon State University, https://prism.oregonstate.edu, accessed October 8, 2026; the station zone: ACIS daily lows, 1991-2020. A 10% date means one year in ten has a frost after it in spring or before it in autumn.
What hardiness zone is each Lawrence ZIP code in?
The USDA's 2023 map gives each ZIP code area one zone. Lawrence's 5 ZIP code areas are all in zone 6b. Each ZIP's frost dates are in the frost tool.
Source: USDA 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map, ZIP listings: PRISM Group, Oregon State University, https://prism.oregonstate.edu, accessed October 8, 2026; ZIP areas in the place: Census Bureau 2020 ZCTA-to-place relationship file. A ZIP area counts when at least a tenth of its land (and 0.5 km²) lies in the place.
How hot and how cold does it get in Lawrence?
In a normal year in Lawrence, 52 days a year reach 90°F (7 of them 100°F or more), 123 nights fall to 32°F or colder and 106 days bring measurable precipitation.
- Days at 90°F or more
- 52a normal year
- Days at 100°F or more
- 7a normal year
- Nights at 32°F or colder
- 123a normal year
- Days that stay below freezing
- 21high of 32°F or less
- Days with 0.01 inch of precipitation
- 106a normal year
The highest temperature in this station's record (since 1996) is 112°F, on August 24, 2023; the lowest is −22°F, on February 16, 2021.
The wettest calendar year on that record is 2021, with 45.91 in.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals, station USW00003997; records: ACIS (NOAA Regional Climate Centers), station USW00003997. Records use complete months only; a month missing more than three days is left out.
How sunny is Lawrence?
Over a year 77% of the sunlight that would reach the ground under clear skies gets through the clouds in the area around Lawrence, 4.3 kWh per square metre a day. July is the sunniest month (83%) and March the cloudiest (70%). Among the 459 U.S. places of 50,000 or more, that ranks tied 243rd (with 32 others) in sunshine.
| Month | Share of clear-sky sunshine | Sunshine, kWh/m² a day |
|---|---|---|
| January | 71% | 2.2 |
| February | 72% | 3.0 |
| March | 70% | 3.9 |
| April | 71% | 5.0 |
| May | 74% | 5.8 |
| June | 81% | 6.6 |
| July | 83% | 6.5 |
| August | 82% | 5.8 |
| September | 82% | 4.8 |
| October | 77% | 3.5 |
| November | 76% | 2.5 |
| December | 72% | 1.9 |
Source: NASA POWER solar climatology, 2001-2020 (CERES SYN1deg). Satellite-based, for the 1-degree cell (about 100 km across) around the station, so it describes the area rather than the airport.
How much heating and cooling does Lawrence need?
A normal year in Lawrence brings 5,005 heating degree days, 7% fewer than the median U.S. place (5,373), and 1,463 cooling degree days, 61% more than the median (908). Six months need 300 or more heating degree days, a monthly mean of about 55°F or colder. For gardens and crops, NOAA counts 4,125 growing degree days a year above 50°F.
| Month | Heating | Cooling |
|---|---|---|
| January | 1,106 | 0 |
| February | 858 | 0 |
| March | 621 | 4 |
| April | 327 | 20 |
| May | 105 | 112 |
| June | 6 | 307 |
| July | 0 | 434 |
| August | 2 | 389 |
| September | 57 | 165 |
| October | 294 | 31 |
| November | 648 | 2 |
| December | 979 | 0 |
| Year (annual) | 5,005 | 1,463 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USW00003997. A degree day is one degree of a day's mean temperature below 65°F (heating) or above it (cooling); utilities use them to estimate energy use.
Has Lawrence been warmer than normal lately?
2025 averaged 55.0°F, 0.3°F below the 1991-2020 normal of 55.2°F. 1 of the 3 complete years since 2021 ran warmer than the normal.
| Year | Mean | Against normal | Precip. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 56.5°F | +1.3°F | 45.91 |
| 2022 | 54.9°F | −0.3°F | 28.10 |
| 2025 | 55.0°F | −0.3°F | 28.69 |
Source: observed years: ACIS, station USW00003997. A year counts only with all twelve months complete.
How does Lawrence's climate compare?
Lawrence is warmer than 80 of the other 136 places with their own NOAA record in Kansas, and wetter than 90. Across the 7,247 U.S. stations with normals, its annual mean of 55.2°F is warmer than 61%.
In the Köppen classification computed from these normals, Lawrence is Dfa: continental, no dry season, hot summer. What the classes mean.
Places with the most similar year elsewhere
Measured month by month on the normal high, low and precipitation, among places of 20,000 or more people in other states:
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 normals for every station PlainClimate covers. Similarity: the root-mean-square difference of the 36 monthly figures, precipitation weighted so an inch counts like 6°F.
Which places near Lawrence share this climate record?
2 places have no NOAA station with 1991-2020 normals of their own, and this station is the nearest full record. A place's own climate can differ from these figures, by several degrees where it sits much higher or lower than the station, nearer the coast, or inside a large city's heat; for the larger places the next nearest records are named with their yearly mean, so the spread around them is visible, and places of 50,000 or more have their own page with NOAA's gridded normals.
- Eudora, KS6,564 people · 8 mi SE
- Tonganoxie, KS6,195 people · 10 mi NE
Source: Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer (place centers) and Vintage 2024 population estimates. Distance and direction from the station to each place's center.
What do Lawrence's other NOAA stations record?
One more NOAA station keeps 1991-2020 normals in or near Lawrence. This page uses Lawrence Municipal Airport; the other differs by site and elevation:
| Station | From the center | Elevation | Year | Jan low | Jul high | Precip. | Snow | Last frost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lawrence station USC00144559 | 1 mi E | 1,050 ft | 54.9°F | 19°F | 89°F | 39.4 | 10 | April 12 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 normals for each station. Last frost: the median last spring date of 32°F.
Questions about Lawrence's climate
What is the coldest month in Lawrence?
January, with a normal high of 41°F and a normal low of 18°F. The warmest is July (91°F by day, 67°F at night).
Does it snow in Lawrence?
Yes. NOAA publishes no 1991-2020 snowfall normal for Lawrence's NOAA station; Lawrence's own co-op station Lawrence station records 10 inches of snow in a normal year.
What is the rainiest month in Lawrence?
June, with 4.77 in of precipitation in a normal year; the driest is January with 0.87 in.
What plant hardiness zone is Lawrence in?
The USDA's 2023 map puts Lawrence in zone 6b across its 5 ZIP code areas (6b in 66049, the largest). By the same method at Lawrence's NOAA station, the coldest night of a typical year reaches −8°F (23 years, 1991-2020): zone 6a.
How late can frost come in Lawrence?
In half of years the last 32°F night comes after April 21; in one year in ten it comes after May 6. Waiting until May 6 leaves about a one-in-ten chance of a later frost.
Nearby and next
- Lawrence in OctoberThis month day by day, its records and recent years
- Kansas climateThe statewide normals and every place in the state
- Clinton Lake, KS8 miles from this station, 54.2°F a year
- Perry, KS13 miles from this station, 53.8°F a year
- Oskaloosa, KS16 miles from this station, 54.5°F a year
- Bonner Springs, KS17 miles from this station, 53.6°F a year
- Compare two placesMonth by month, side by side
Download these normals (CSV) · JSON · How these figures are made