Medicine Lodge, Kansas climate: Normal weather by month, frost dates and records
Medicine Lodge's normal year runs from 22°F January nights to 94°F July afternoons, with 27.8 inches of precipitation and 9 inches of snow a year. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a yearly mean of 14.4°C, January lows of −6°C, July highs of 35°C, 705 mm of precipitation a year.
- NOAA stationMedicine Lodge
- Station IDUSW00003957
- Location37.28°N 98.55°W
- Elevation1,535 ft (468 m)
- Population1,708
On October 23, the normal high in Medicine Lodge is 69°F and the normal low 42°F, and the chance of measurable rain or snow is 20%.
Normals describe a typical year at the station, not a forecast. The National Weather Service forecast for Medicine Lodge.
- Jan 46° 22°
- Feb 50° 26°
- Mar 60° 35°
- Apr 70° 44°
- May 79° 55°
- Jun 90° 65°
- Jul 94° 70°
- Aug 92° 68°
- Sep 84° 59°
- Oct 72° 45°
- Nov 58° 33°
- Dec 47° 24°
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 Medicine Lodge each month?
July is the warmest month, with normal highs of 94°F; January the coldest, with normal lows of 22°F. The most precipitation falls in June (3.93 in), the least in January (0.80 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. | Snow | Wet days | 90°F days | Freezing nights | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 46°F | 22°F | 34.1°F | 0.80 | 2.1 | 4 | <1 | 28 | 9 h 50 min |
| February | 50°F | 26°F | 38.0°F | 1.03 | 4.0 | 6 | <1 | 22 | 10 h 50 min |
| March | 60°F | 35°F | 47.5°F | 2.03 | 0.8 | 7 | <1 | 12 | 11 h 50 min |
| April | 70°F | 44°F | 56.9°F | 2.43 | 0.1 | 8 | 1 | 4 | 13 h 10 min |
| May | 79°F | 55°F | 67.0°F | 3.65 | 0.0 | 9 | 6 | <1 | 14 h 10 min |
| June | 90°F | 65°F | 77.6°F | 3.93 | 0.0 | 9 | 17 | <1 | 14 h 40 min |
| July | 94°F | 70°F | 82.0°F | 3.13 | 0.0 | 7 | 24 | <1 | 14 h 30 min |
| August | 92°F | 68°F | 80.0°F | 3.51 | 0.0 | 9 | 20 | <1 | 13 h 40 min |
| September | 84°F | 59°F | 71.7°F | 2.61 | 0.0 | 6 | 10 | <1 | 12 h 30 min |
| October | 72°F | 45°F | 58.5°F | 2.44 | 0.0 | 7 | 1 | 3 | 11 h 20 min |
| November | 58°F | 33°F | 45.6°F | 1.10 | 0.3 | 4 | <1 | 15 | 10 h 10 min |
| December | 47°F | 24°F | 35.5°F | 1.09 | 2.1 | 5 | <1 | 27 | 9 h 40 min |
| Year (annual) | 70°F | 45°F | 57.9°F | 27.75 | 9.4 | 80 | 79 | 110 |
The same normals in °C and millimetres
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 8°C | −6°C | 1.2°C | 20 mm | 5 cm |
| February | 10°C | −4°C | 3.3°C | 26 mm | 10 cm |
| March | 16°C | 2°C | 8.6°C | 52 mm | 2 cm |
| April | 21°C | 7°C | 13.8°C | 62 mm | 0 cm |
| May | 26°C | 13°C | 19.4°C | 93 mm | 0 cm |
| June | 32°C | 18°C | 25.3°C | 100 mm | 0 cm |
| July | 35°C | 21°C | 27.8°C | 80 mm | 0 cm |
| August | 34°C | 20°C | 26.7°C | 89 mm | 0 cm |
| September | 29°C | 15°C | 22.1°C | 66 mm | 0 cm |
| October | 22°C | 7°C | 14.7°C | 62 mm | 0 cm |
| November | 15°C | 0°C | 7.6°C | 28 mm | 1 cm |
| December | 8°C | −4°C | 1.9°C | 28 mm | 5 cm |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USW00003957; 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 Medicine Lodge?
Normal highs sit between 65°F and 85°F in April, May, September and October. Of those, September has the fewest days with rain (6).
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 USW00003957.
When is the last frost in Medicine Lodge?
In Medicine Lodge, the last spring frost (32°F) comes after April 13 in half of years and after April 29 in one year in ten; the first autumn frost comes before October 23 in half of years and before October 10 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 131 year in 10 after April 29; 9 in 10 after March 31
- First autumn frost, half of years before
- October 231 year in 10 before October 10; 9 in 10 before November 4
NOAA puts the median frost-free season at 191 days, and the season without a hard freeze (28°F) at 211 days.
A hard freeze (28°F) comes after April 2 in half of springs and before October 31 in half of autumns.
The USDA's 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Medicine Lodge in zone 7a in ZIP code 67104, the nearest ZIP area. By the map's own method, the average of each year's coldest night over 1991-2020, Medicine Lodge's NOAA station is in zone 7a: the coldest night of a typical year reaches 0°F (21 complete years).
Frost dates for every NOAA station in Kansas · Frost dates by ZIP code
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals (frost probabilities), station USW00003957; 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.
How hot and how cold does it get in Medicine Lodge?
In a normal year in Medicine Lodge, 79 days a year reach 90°F (20 of them 100°F or more), 110 nights fall to 32°F or colder and 80 days bring measurable precipitation.
- Days at 90°F or more
- 79a normal year
- Days at 100°F or more
- 20a normal year
- Nights at 32°F or colder
- 110a normal year
- Days that stay below freezing
- 14high of 32°F or less
- Days with 0.01 inch of precipitation
- 80a normal year
- Days with 1 inch of snow or more
- 3a normal year
The highest temperature in this station's record (since 1998) is 115°F, on August 24, 2024; the lowest is −17°F, on February 10, 2011.
The wettest calendar year on that record is 2018, with 41.29 in; the snowiest season is 2013–14, with 28.5 inches.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals, station USW00003957; records: ACIS (NOAA Regional Climate Centers), station USW00003957. Records use complete months only; a month missing more than three days is left out.
How humid and windy is Medicine Lodge, and how clear are its skies?
The summer (June-August) dew point averages 63°F. The muggiest month is July, with an average dew point of 64°F; the driest air comes in December (22°F). March is the windiest month (11.2 mph on average).
| Month | Dew point | Humidity | Afternoon humidity | Wind | Clear or few clouds | Overcast |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 22°F | 62% | 40% | 8.8 mph | – | – |
| February | 26°F | 57% | 38% | 10.2 mph | – | – |
| March | 37°F | 58% | 38% | 11.2 mph | – | – |
| April | 46°F | 61% | 41% | 10.6 mph | – | – |
| May | 58°F | 63% | 43% | 9.2 mph | – | – |
| June | 63°F | 58% | 38% | 9.3 mph | – | – |
| July | 64°F | 57% | 37% | 8.1 mph | – | – |
| August | 61°F | 59% | 37% | 8.0 mph | – | – |
| September | 49°F | 58% | 36% | 9.0 mph | – | – |
| October | 36°F | 59% | 36% | 8.9 mph | – | – |
| November | 26°F | 62% | 40% | 9.1 mph | – | – |
| December | 22°F | 65% | 44% | 8.5 mph | – | – |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 hourly normals, station USW00003957. Monthly averages of all hours; afternoon humidity at 3 p.m. local standard time; sky as the share of hours NOAA's observations rate clear or few clouds (a dash where NOAA publishes no sky value).
How sunny is Medicine Lodge?
Over a year 81% of the sunlight that would reach the ground under clear skies gets through the clouds in the area around Medicine Lodge, 4.8 kWh per square metre a day. July is the sunniest month (87%) and February the cloudiest (75%).
| Month | Share of clear-sky sunshine | Sunshine, kWh/m² a day |
|---|---|---|
| January | 77% | 2.6 |
| February | 75% | 3.4 |
| March | 76% | 4.5 |
| April | 77% | 5.6 |
| May | 79% | 6.3 |
| June | 86% | 7.1 |
| July | 87% | 7.0 |
| August | 86% | 6.1 |
| September | 84% | 5.1 |
| October | 81% | 3.9 |
| November | 81% | 2.9 |
| December | 77% | 2.3 |
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 Medicine Lodge need?
A normal year in Medicine Lodge brings 4,389 heating degree days, 18% fewer than the median U.S. place (5,373), and 1,820 cooling degree days, 2.0 times the median (908). Five months need 300 or more heating degree days, a monthly mean of about 55°F or colder. For gardens and crops, NOAA counts 4,649 growing degree days a year above 50°F.
| Month | Heating | Cooling |
|---|---|---|
| January | 958 | 0 |
| February | 756 | 0 |
| March | 549 | 4 |
| April | 271 | 28 |
| May | 81 | 142 |
| June | 3 | 379 |
| July | 0 | 526 |
| August | 0 | 465 |
| September | 31 | 234 |
| October | 243 | 42 |
| November | 583 | 1 |
| December | 914 | 0 |
| Year (annual) | 4,389 | 1,820 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USW00003957. 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 Medicine Lodge been warmer than normal lately?
2025 averaged 60.6°F, 2.7°F above the 1991-2020 normal of 57.9°F. 4 of the 4 complete years since 2022 ran warmer than the normal.
| Year | Mean | Against normal | Precip. | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 58.2°F | +0.3°F | 18.72 | 6.4 |
| 2023 | 59.2°F | +1.3°F | 30.78 | 8.0 |
| 2024 | 62.6°F | +4.7°F | 31.42 | 5.0 |
| 2025 | 60.6°F | +2.7°F | 29.27 | 11.9 |
Source: observed years: ACIS, station USW00003957. A year counts only with all twelve months complete.
How does Medicine Lodge's climate compare?
Medicine Lodge is warmer than 131 of the other 136 places with their own NOAA record in Kansas, and wetter than 52. Across the 7,247 U.S. stations with normals, its annual mean of 57.9°F is warmer than 69%.
In the Köppen classification computed from these normals, Medicine Lodge is Cfa: temperate, 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 Medicine Lodge share this climate record?
4 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.
- Sharon, KS143 people · 8 mi E
- Isabel, KS64 people · 13 mi N
- Nashville, KS50 people · 13 mi NE
- Lake City, KS0 people · 16 mi W
Source: Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer (place centers) and Vintage 2024 population estimates. Distance and direction from the station to each place's center.
Questions about Medicine Lodge's climate
What is the coldest month in Medicine Lodge?
January, with a normal high of 46°F and a normal low of 22°F. The warmest is July (94°F by day, 70°F at night).
Does it snow in Medicine Lodge?
Yes: 9 inches in a normal year, falling on 5 days with 0.1 inch or more, the most in February (4.0 inches).
What is the rainiest month in Medicine Lodge?
June, with 3.93 in of precipitation in a normal year; the driest is January with 0.80 in.
What plant hardiness zone is Medicine Lodge in?
The USDA's 2023 map puts Medicine Lodge in zone 7a in ZIP code 67104, the nearest ZIP area. By the same method at Medicine Lodge's NOAA station, the coldest night of a typical year reaches 0°F (21 years, 1991-2020): zone 7a.
How late can frost come in Medicine Lodge?
In half of years the last 32°F night comes after April 13; in one year in ten it comes after April 29. Waiting until April 29 leaves about a one-in-ten chance of a later frost.
Nearby and next
- Medicine Lodge in OctoberThis month day by day, its records and recent years
- Kansas climateThe statewide normals and every place in the state
- Kiowa, KS19 miles from this station, 57.8°F a year
- Pratt, KS30 miles from this station, 55.2°F a year
- Wilmore (16 mi SE), KS30 miles from this station, 55.3°F a year
- Anthony, KS30 miles from this station, 57.4°F a year
- Compare two placesMonth by month, side by side
Download these normals (CSV) · JSON · How these figures are made