Oskaloosa, KS Climate: Temperature & Rain by Month
Average temperature and precipitation from NOAA NCEI 1991–2020 normals →, with a derived climate comfort score
30-year climate normals (1991-2020) from Oskaloosa's primary NOAA station, OSKALOOSA 4 NE.
The climate verdict for Oskaloosa
Oskaloosa, Kansas has a mixed annual climate rather than one dominant extreme. Its NOAA normal shows an annual average of 55°F. Its climate comfort score of 68/100 (good) lands mid-pack nationally, exceeding 56% of station-mapped location scores.
- 55°F
- average temperature, NOAA 1991-2020 normal
- 68/100
- comfort score, above 56% of station-mapped location scores
- 38.3"
- annual precipitation · 16" snow
- 189 days
- frost-free growing season
Oskaloosa: NOAA 1991-2020 normals describe a typical year, not a forecast. Method: /methodology.
Normals record plate
Sheet USC00146100 · Oskaloosa, KS 55°F mean · 38.3" precip
TEMP-COOL · RANK-MID · PHOTO-FINISH · PRCP-MID · SWING-WIDE · COMF-MID · LOAD-HEAT · STN-1 · BOOK-FULL
- TEMP-COOL 55°F
- RANK-MID #4,048
- PHOTO-FINISH ≈ Garden City
- PRCP-MID 38.3"
- SWING-WIDE 51°F
- COMF-MID 68/100
- LOAD-HEAT 5,193 HDD
- STN-1 USC00146100
- BOOK-FULL 6/6 fields
Nearest mean-temperature peer: Garden City Exp Stn, KS (+ 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.
- Oskaloosa (this station) 55°F
- Hot Salt Lake City, UT 55°F
- Near Garden City, KS 55°F
- Near Wamego, KS 55°F
- Near Jetmore, KS 55°F
Climate Living Index · Oskaloosa
Oskaloosa: 60/100 · grade C
Oskaloosa publishes 5 of 6 Living Index dimensions (NOAA annual/seasonal normals · NOAA daily multivariate normals); 1 missing weight rescale to 100.
PlainClimate-derived for Oskaloosa, not an official NOAA rating. Rankings still use Comfort Score 68/100 (separate formula). Breakpoints and limits.
| Dimension | Station value | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Precipitation balance | 38.3 in · 3.3 from 35 in | 88/100 · A |
| Annual temperature balance | 54.5°F · 13.0° from 67.5°F | 58/100 · C |
| Frost-free season | 189 days/year | 56/100 · C |
| Snowfall burden | 16.4 inches/year | 54/100 · D |
| Normal heat + freeze calendar | 147 calendar days | 49/100 · D |
Oskaloosa · 2026-08-04 · NOAA NCEI Climate Normals · method · Comfort Score method.
Oskaloosa is a continental Köppen climate: Dfa
Coldest-month mean 28.0°F and warmest-month mean 79.0°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
- 79.0°F
- Coldest month
- 28.0°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 Oskaloosa sits across the climate record
Three NOAA fields for Oskaloosa's primary station, temperature, precipitation, and seasonal swing, are ranked against every station-mapped normal that carries the same field.
- Annual temperature
- 59th percentile warmth
- Mid-pack annual mean versus 6,861 station normals.
- Annual precipitation
- 54th percentile wetness
- Neither arid nor torrential versus 6,352 station totals.
- Seasonal temperature swing
- Wider than 84%
- Warmest-to-coldest month gap for Oskaloosa is large versus 6,861 complete station-years.
How Oskaloosa compares across U.S. station-mapped locations
Oskaloosa's comfort score vs. all station-mapped locations
PlainClimate composite comfort index (1–100), NOAA 1991–2020 normals
68 Top 44% score exceeds 56% 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.
Source NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, PlainClimate comfort index · 1991–2020
Monthly Temperatures
Average daily high and low temperatures by month
| Month | Avg High | Avg Low | Mean | Precip | Snow | Freeze Days | 90°F+ Days |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 38°F (3°C) | 18°F (-8°C) | 28°F (-2°C) | 1.0" | 4.7" | 27.9 | 0.0 |
| February | 45°F (7°C) | 22°F (-5°C) | 33°F (1°C) | 1.3" | 4.5" | 21.6 | 0.0 |
| March | 56°F (13°C) | 31°F (0°C) | 44°F (6°C) | 2.5" | 1.6" | 15.3 | 0.0 |
| April | 66°F (19°C) | 42°F (6°C) | 54°F (12°C) | 3.5" | 0.1" | 4.5 | 0.0 |
| May | 76°F (24°C) | 54°F (12°C) | 65°F (18°C) | 5.3" | 0.0" | 0.2 | 0.8 |
| June | 85°F (30°C) | 64°F (18°C) | 74°F (24°C) | 5.4" | 0.0" | 0.0 | 5.3 |
| July | 90°F (32°C) | 68°F (20°C) | 79°F (26°C) | 4.5" | 0.0" | 0.0 | 13.9 |
| August | 88°F (31°C) | 66°F (19°C) | 77°F (25°C) | 4.8" | 0.0" | 0.0 | 13.5 |
| September | 80°F (27°C) | 57°F (14°C) | 68°F (20°C) | 3.4" | 0.0" | 0.0 | 3.0 |
| October | 68°F (20°C) | 44°F (7°C) | 56°F (13°C) | 2.9" | 0.5" | 3.1 | 0.3 |
| November | 54°F (12°C) | 32°F (0°C) | 43°F (6°C) | 2.0" | 1.1" | 14.4 | 0.0 |
| December | 42°F (5°C) | 22°F (-5°C) | 32°F (0°C) | 1.8" | 3.9" | 26.1 | 0.0 |
The year, day by day
Oskaloosa works both ends of the calendar. Normal highs climb to 91°F by July 22 and hold at or above 90°F on 23 dates, then normal lows drop to freezing or below on 124 dates, bottoming at 17°F around January 16.
When the heat sits
Normal highs reach 90°F from July 14 through August 5, covering 23 dates. The broader mild season, normal highs of 70°F or more, runs April 30 to October 12.
This counts calendar dates whose 1991–2020 normal high reaches 90°F. It is a smaller number than the 90°F+ day counts in the monthly table above, which measure how often the threshold was actually crossed in a typical year. A date can average 88°F and still exceed 90°F in half of all years.
The freezing stretch
The normal low stays at or below 32°F into March 18, then returns to freezing around November 16, covering 124 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 June 2, when 32% of years recorded at least a hundredth of an inch. The driest is January 19 at 12%. Summed across the calendar, that is about 79 wet dates a year.
The widest day
March 28 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 Oskaloosa.
Monthly Precipitation
Average monthly rainfall and snowfall
Snow: 4.7"
4.0 days with precipitation
Snow: 4.5"
4.0 days with precipitation
Snow: 1.6"
6.4 days with precipitation
Snow: 0.1"
8.4 days with precipitation
9.3 days with precipitation
9.4 days with precipitation
8.0 days with precipitation
7.1 days with precipitation
7.3 days with precipitation
Snow: 0.5"
6.2 days with precipitation
Snow: 1.1"
4.8 days with precipitation
Snow: 3.9"
3.9 days with precipitation
Oskaloosa runs a summer-peaked wet season
38% of Oskaloosa'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 June at 5.4", on a wide 51°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.
- Wettest three months: June, May, August, taking 40% of the annual total between them.
- Driest month: January at 1.0".
- Winter share: 11% falls in December, January and February.
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 Oskaloosa, it arrives in quantity
38.3" of precipitation falls across only about 79 wet days here, averaging 0.49 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 79 a year, 22% of all days
- Average depth per wet day
- 0.49 inches
- Most wet days
- June, about 9
- Fewest wet days
- December, about 4
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 Oskaloosa
Oskaloosa averages 16.4 inches of snowfall a year, with January the snowiest month on the normals, spread across roughly 7 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.
- Annual snowfall: 16.4 inches of depth.
- Days recording measurable snow: about 7 a year.
- At a rough ten-to-one melt ratio, snow accounts for on the order of 4% of the year's precipitation.
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 22
50% probability date
Last Spring Freeze
April 16
50% probability date
Growing Season
189 days
Heating & Cooling Degree Days
Annual totals indicate energy demand for heating and cooling
Heating Degree Days
5,193
Higher = more heating needed
Cooling Degree Days
1,394
Higher = more cooling needed
Warmest Month
July
Coldest Month
January
Nationwide similar cities
Other rankable U.S. places outside KS closest to Oskaloosa 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 (55°F here).
- Big Stone Gap, VA 55°F · 0.0°F off
- Crossville, TN 55°F · 0.0°F off
- Estell Manor, NJ 55°F · 0.0°F off
- Fredericktown, MO 55°F · 0.0°F off
Closest by annual precipitation
Nearest out-of-state peers by annual precipitation (38.3" here), excluding temperature-peer places.
- Virden, IL 38.4" · 0.0" off
- Caledonia, MN 38.3" · 0.0" off
- Maryville, MO 38.4" · 0.0" off
- Dublin, TX 38.4" · 0.0" off
Snow and freeze rhythm
When cold and snow define Oskaloosa
heating led · moderate · mid swing
Oskaloosa's energy balance leans toward cold weather: 5,193 annual heating degree days against 1,394 for cooling. Its 51.0°F seasonal range still makes the monthly rows more useful than the annual average alone.
Oskaloosa's frost-free season lasts about 189 days, a middle-length window whose endpoints matter more than the annual average. It describes freeze probability, not year-specific planting conditions.
-
1. Oskaloosa coldest normal
January
The monthly mean of 28°F (-2°C) sits near freezing, so cold nights and above-freezing afternoons share the same month.
-
2. Oskaloosa typical freeze period
January through December
The station reports average freezing days from January through December.
-
3. Oskaloosa snow peak
January
Oskaloosa averages 16.4 inches of snow a year, with January the snowiest month on the normals.
Questions about Oskaloosa's climate
How much snow does Oskaloosa get? ▼
How many days above 90°F does Oskaloosa get? ▼
How much energy does heating and cooling require in Oskaloosa? ▼
Data Sources
Data source: NOAA U.S. Climate Normals v1.0.1 (1991-2020). All figures on this page are from Oskaloosa's primary station: OSKALOOSA 4 NE (USC00146100). 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 2053375). Match rule for Oskaloosa: exact normalized name + state only, no fuzzy expansion, so nearby differently spelled facilities stay unmatched.
On this page every temperature, precipitation, and derived score for Oskaloosa 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.