Salina, Kansas climate: Normal weather by month, frost dates and records
Salina's normal year runs from 20°F January nights to 93°F July afternoons, with 29.7 inches of precipitation a year. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a yearly mean of 13.2°C, January lows of −7°C, July highs of 34°C, 754 mm of precipitation a year.
- NOAA stationSalina Municipal Airport
- Station IDUSW00003919
- Location38.80°N 97.65°W
- Elevation1,269 ft (387 m)
- Population46,109
On October 23, the normal high in Salina is 66°F and the normal low 42°F, and the chance of measurable rain or snow is 21%.
Normals describe a typical year at the station, not a forecast. The National Weather Service forecast for Salina.
- Jan 41° 20°
- Feb 46° 24°
- Mar 57° 33°
- Apr 67° 42°
- May 77° 53°
- Jun 88° 64°
- Jul 93° 69°
- Aug 90° 67°
- Sep 82° 58°
- Oct 69° 45°
- Nov 55° 32°
- Dec 43° 23°
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 Salina each month?
July is the warmest month, with normal highs of 93°F; January the coldest, with normal lows of 20°F. The most precipitation falls in May (5.04 in), the least in January (0.71 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 | 20°F | 30.8°F | 0.71 | 5 | <1 | 28 | 9 h 40 min |
| February | 46°F | 24°F | 34.9°F | 0.87 | 5 | <1 | 23 | 10 h 40 min |
| March | 57°F | 33°F | 45.3°F | 1.82 | 7 | <1 | 15 | 11 h 50 min |
| April | 67°F | 42°F | 54.6°F | 2.72 | 9 | 1 | 4 | 13 h 10 min |
| May | 77°F | 53°F | 65.1°F | 5.04 | 11 | 3 | <1 | 14 h 20 min |
| June | 88°F | 64°F | 76.2°F | 3.75 | 10 | 15 | <1 | 14 h 50 min |
| July | 93°F | 69°F | 80.9°F | 3.92 | 10 | 22 | <1 | 14 h 40 min |
| August | 90°F | 67°F | 78.6°F | 3.71 | 8 | 18 | <1 | 13 h 40 min |
| September | 82°F | 58°F | 70.1°F | 2.65 | 7 | 8 | <1 | 12 h 30 min |
| October | 69°F | 45°F | 57.0°F | 2.16 | 7 | 1 | 3 | 11 h 20 min |
| November | 55°F | 32°F | 43.6°F | 1.22 | 5 | <1 | 15 | 10 h 10 min |
| December | 43°F | 23°F | 32.9°F | 1.12 | 5 | <1 | 27 | 9 h 30 min |
| Year (annual) | 67°F | 44°F | 55.8°F | 29.69 | 89 | 68 | 116 |
The same normals in °C and millimetres
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 5°C | −7°C | −0.7°C | 18 mm |
| February | 8°C | −5°C | 1.6°C | 22 mm |
| March | 14°C | 1°C | 7.4°C | 46 mm |
| April | 19°C | 6°C | 12.6°C | 69 mm |
| May | 25°C | 12°C | 18.4°C | 128 mm |
| June | 31°C | 18°C | 24.6°C | 95 mm |
| July | 34°C | 21°C | 27.2°C | 100 mm |
| August | 32°C | 19°C | 25.9°C | 94 mm |
| September | 28°C | 15°C | 21.2°C | 67 mm |
| October | 21°C | 7°C | 13.9°C | 55 mm |
| November | 13°C | 0°C | 6.4°C | 31 mm |
| December | 6°C | −5°C | 0.5°C | 28 mm |
NOAA publishes no 1991-2020 snowfall normal for this station. The nearest record that keeps one, Kanopolis (21 miles away), gets 12 inches of snow in a normal year; elevation and distance can change that.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USW00003919; 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 Salina?
Normal highs sit between 65°F and 85°F in April, May, September and October. Of those, September has the fewest days with rain (7).
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 USW00003919.
When is the last frost in Salina?
In Salina, the last spring frost (32°F) comes after April 18 in half of years and after May 1 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 181 year in 10 after May 1; 9 in 10 after April 3
- 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 187 days, and the season without a hard freeze (28°F) at 207 days.
A hard freeze (28°F) comes after April 7 in half of springs and before November 1 in half of autumns.
The USDA's 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Salina in zone 6b in ZIP code 67401. By the map's own method, the average of each year's coldest night over 1991-2020, Salina's NOAA station is in zone 6b: the coldest night of a typical year reaches −3°F (26 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 USW00003919; 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 Salina?
In a normal year in Salina, 68 days a year reach 90°F (16 of them 100°F or more), 116 nights fall to 32°F or colder and 89 days bring measurable precipitation.
- Days at 90°F or more
- 68a normal year
- Days at 100°F or more
- 16a normal year
- Nights at 32°F or colder
- 116a normal year
- Days that stay below freezing
- 20high of 32°F or less
- Days with 0.01 inch of precipitation
- 89a normal year
The highest temperature in Salina's official record (kept by the National Weather Service since 1900) is 118°F, on August 13, 1936; the lowest is −31°F, on February 13, 1905.
The wettest calendar year on that record is 1993, with 58.08 in; the snowiest season is 1959–60, with 52.2 inches.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals, station USW00003919; records: ACIS (NOAA Regional Climate Centers), NWS threaded record SLNthr. Records use complete months only; a month missing more than three days is left out.
How humid and windy is Salina, 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 65°F; the driest air comes in December (21°F). March is the windiest month (12.5 mph on average), and July has the most clear or nearly clear hours (81%).
| Month | Dew point | Humidity | Afternoon humidity | Wind | Clear or few clouds | Overcast |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 22°F | 66% | 47% | 10.1 mph | 69% | 24% |
| February | 25°F | 60% | 41% | 11.6 mph | 68% | 24% |
| March | 37°F | 60% | 41% | 12.5 mph | 66% | 24% |
| April | 47°F | 64% | 46% | 11.5 mph | 63% | 25% |
| May | 58°F | 65% | 45% | 10.1 mph | 70% | 16% |
| June | 63°F | 59% | 40% | 11.1 mph | 80% | 8% |
| July | 65°F | 60% | 42% | 9.6 mph | 81% | 8% |
| August | 62°F | 61% | 41% | 9.4 mph | 81% | 9% |
| September | 49°F | 60% | 39% | 10.4 mph | 80% | 13% |
| October | 36°F | 61% | 40% | 10.6 mph | 74% | 19% |
| November | 27°F | 65% | 46% | 10.5 mph | 75% | 19% |
| December | 21°F | 69% | 51% | 10.3 mph | 70% | 24% |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 hourly normals, station USW00003919. 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 Salina?
Over a year 79% of the sunlight that would reach the ground under clear skies gets through the clouds in the area around Salina, 4.5 kWh per square metre a day. July is the sunniest month (85%) and February the cloudiest (73%).
| Month | Share of clear-sky sunshine | Sunshine, kWh/m² a day |
|---|---|---|
| January | 75% | 2.4 |
| February | 73% | 3.2 |
| March | 73% | 4.3 |
| April | 75% | 5.4 |
| May | 76% | 6.1 |
| June | 84% | 6.9 |
| July | 85% | 6.7 |
| August | 85% | 6.0 |
| September | 83% | 4.9 |
| October | 79% | 3.7 |
| November | 79% | 2.7 |
| December | 75% | 2.1 |
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 Salina need?
A normal year in Salina brings 4,931 heating degree days, 8% fewer than the median U.S. place (5,373), and 1,624 cooling degree days, 79% 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 4,300 growing degree days a year above 50°F.
| Month | Heating | Cooling |
|---|---|---|
| January | 1,062 | 0 |
| February | 841 | 0 |
| March | 615 | 3 |
| April | 329 | 17 |
| May | 109 | 112 |
| June | 6 | 340 |
| July | 0 | 495 |
| August | 1 | 423 |
| September | 48 | 199 |
| October | 282 | 34 |
| November | 643 | 1 |
| December | 995 | 0 |
| Year (annual) | 4,931 | 1,624 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USW00003919. 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 Salina been warmer than normal lately?
2025 averaged 56.8°F, 1.0°F above the 1991-2020 normal of 55.8°F. 5 of the 5 complete years since 2021 ran warmer than the normal.
| Year | Mean | Against normal | Precip. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 57.4°F | +1.6°F | 26.11 |
| 2022 | 56.3°F | +0.5°F | 27.37 |
| 2023 | 57.8°F | +2.0°F | 23.35 |
| 2024 | 58.5°F | +2.7°F | 22.11 |
| 2025 | 56.8°F | +1.0°F | 28.44 |
Over 68 complete years from 1954 to 2025, the station's annual mean temperature rose at a fitted 3.5°F per century (+0.20°C per decade). A fitted rate summarizes the whole record; single years swing well above and below it.
Source: observed years: ACIS, station USW00003919; trend: NOAA GHCN-Monthly v4. A year counts only with all twelve months complete.
How does Salina's climate compare?
Salina is warmer than 96 of the other 136 places with their own NOAA record in Kansas, and wetter than 61. Across the 7,247 U.S. stations with normals, its annual mean of 55.8°F is warmer than 63%.
In the Köppen classification computed from these normals, Salina 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 Salina share this climate record?
3 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.
- New Cambria, KS108 people · 9 mi NE
- Kipp, KS81 people · 10 mi E
- Bavaria, KS21 people · 6 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 Salina's climate
What is the coldest month in Salina?
January, with a normal high of 41°F and a normal low of 20°F. The warmest is July (93°F by day, 69°F at night).
Does it snow in Salina?
Yes. NOAA publishes no 1991-2020 snowfall normal for Salina's NOAA station; the nearest record that keeps one, Kanopolis (21 miles away), records 12 inches of snow in a normal year.
What is the rainiest month in Salina?
May, with 5.04 in of precipitation in a normal year; the driest is January with 0.71 in.
What plant hardiness zone is Salina in?
The USDA's 2023 map puts Salina in zone 6b in ZIP code 67401. By the same method at Salina's NOAA station, the coldest night of a typical year reaches −3°F (26 years, 1991-2020): zone 6b.
How late can frost come in Salina?
In half of years the last 32°F night comes after April 18; in one year in ten it comes after May 1. Waiting until May 1 leaves about a one-in-ten chance of a later frost.
Nearby and next
- Salina in OctoberThis month day by day, its records and recent years
- Kansas climateThe statewide normals and every place in the state
- Smolan, KS4 miles from this station, 54.7°F a year
- Kanopolis, KS21 miles from this station, 54.8°F a year
- Minneapolis, KS22 miles from this station, 55.0°F a year
- Abilene, KS25 miles from this station, 57.5°F a year
- Compare two placesMonth by month, side by side
Download these normals (CSV) · JSON · How these figures are made