Tallgrass Prairie National Park, Kansas climate: Climate normals at a NOAA weather station
Tallgrass Prairie National Park's normal year runs from 19°F January nights to 92°F July afternoons, with 33.5 inches of precipitation and 12 inches of snow a year. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a yearly mean of 13.3°C, January lows of −7°C, July highs of 33°C, 852 mm of precipitation a year.
- NOAA stationTallgrass Prairie National Park
- Station IDUSC00148061
- Location38.43°N 96.56°W
- Elevation1,250 ft (381 m)
On October 23, the normal high in Tallgrass Prairie National Park is 68°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 Tallgrass Prairie National Park.
- Jan 43° 19°
- Feb 47° 23°
- Mar 58° 32°
- Apr 68° 43°
- May 76° 54°
- Jun 86° 64°
- Jul 92° 69°
- Aug 91° 67°
- Sep 82° 57°
- Oct 71° 44°
- Nov 57° 33°
- Dec 45° 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 at Tallgrass Prairie National Park each month?
July is the warmest month, with normal highs of 92°F; January the coldest, with normal lows of 19°F. The most precipitation falls in May (4.96 in), the least in January (0.76 in).
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Snow | Wet days | 90°F days | Freezing nights | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 43°F | 19°F | 30.5°F | 0.76 | 3.4 | 4 | <1 | 29 | 9 h 50 min |
| February | 47°F | 23°F | 35.0°F | 1.37 | 2.0 | 5 | <1 | 24 | 10 h 40 min |
| March | 58°F | 32°F | 45.2°F | 2.44 | 1.0 | 7 | <1 | 16 | 11 h 50 min |
| April | 68°F | 43°F | 55.5°F | 3.15 | 0.1 | 8 | <1 | 4 | 13 h 10 min |
| May | 76°F | 54°F | 65.3°F | 4.96 | 0.0 | 10 | 2 | <1 | 14 h 10 min |
| June | 86°F | 64°F | 74.7°F | 4.41 | 0.0 | 8 | 9 | <1 | 14 h 50 min |
| July | 92°F | 69°F | 80.2°F | 4.30 | 0.0 | 7 | 19 | <1 | 14 h 40 min |
| August | 91°F | 67°F | 78.7°F | 3.78 | 0.0 | 7 | 17 | <1 | 13 h 40 min |
| September | 82°F | 57°F | 69.7°F | 3.02 | 0.0 | 6 | 7 | <1 | 12 h 30 min |
| October | 71°F | 44°F | 57.5°F | 2.61 | 0.1 | 7 | 1 | 3 | 11 h 20 min |
| November | 57°F | 33°F | 45.2°F | 1.55 | 1.1 | 4 | <1 | 14 | 10 h 10 min |
| December | 45°F | 23°F | 34.3°F | 1.20 | 4.0 | 4 | <1 | 27 | 9 h 30 min |
| Year (annual) | 68°F | 44°F | 56.0°F | 33.55 | 11.7 | 77 | 55 | 117 |
The same normals in °C and millimetres
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 6°C | −7°C | −0.8°C | 19 mm | 9 cm |
| February | 8°C | −5°C | 1.7°C | 35 mm | 5 cm |
| March | 15°C | 0°C | 7.3°C | 62 mm | 3 cm |
| April | 20°C | 6°C | 13.1°C | 80 mm | 0 cm |
| May | 25°C | 12°C | 18.5°C | 126 mm | 0 cm |
| June | 30°C | 18°C | 23.7°C | 112 mm | 0 cm |
| July | 33°C | 20°C | 26.8°C | 109 mm | 0 cm |
| August | 33°C | 19°C | 25.9°C | 96 mm | 0 cm |
| September | 28°C | 14°C | 20.9°C | 77 mm | 0 cm |
| October | 21°C | 7°C | 14.2°C | 66 mm | 0 cm |
| November | 14°C | 1°C | 7.3°C | 39 mm | 3 cm |
| December | 7°C | −5°C | 1.3°C | 30 mm | 10 cm |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00148061; 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.
Which months are mildest at Tallgrass Prairie National Park?
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 USC00148061.
When is the last frost at Tallgrass Prairie National Park?
In Tallgrass Prairie National Park, the last spring frost (32°F) comes after April 15 in half of years and after May 1 in one year in ten; the first autumn frost comes before October 22 in half of years and before October 4 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 151 year in 10 after May 1; 9 in 10 after April 2
- First autumn frost, half of years before
- October 221 year in 10 before October 4; 9 in 10 before November 3
NOAA puts the median frost-free season at 188 days, and the season without a hard freeze (28°F) at 208 days.
A hard freeze (28°F) comes after April 6 in half of springs and before October 31 in half of autumns.
The USDA's 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Tallgrass Prairie National Park in zone 6b in ZIP code 66869, the nearest ZIP area. By the map's own method, the average of each year's coldest night over 1991-2020, the station is in zone 6b: the coldest night of a typical year reaches −4°F (19 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 USC00148061; 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 at Tallgrass Prairie National Park?
In a normal year in Tallgrass Prairie National Park, 55 days a year reach 90°F (10 of them 100°F or more), 117 nights fall to 32°F or colder and 77 days bring measurable precipitation.
- Days at 90°F or more
- 55a normal year
- Days at 100°F or more
- 10a normal year
- Nights at 32°F or colder
- 117a normal year
- Days that stay below freezing
- 22high of 32°F or less
- Days with 0.01 inch of precipitation
- 77a normal year
- Days with 1 inch of snow or more
- 5a normal year
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals, station USC00148061.
How sunny is it at Tallgrass Prairie National Park?
Over a year 78% of the sunlight that would reach the ground under clear skies gets through the clouds at Tallgrass Prairie National Park, 4.4 kWh per square metre a day. July is the sunniest month (84%) and March the cloudiest (72%).
| Month | Share of clear-sky sunshine | Sunshine, kWh/m² a day |
|---|---|---|
| January | 74% | 2.4 |
| February | 72% | 3.1 |
| March | 72% | 4.1 |
| April | 73% | 5.2 |
| May | 75% | 5.9 |
| June | 83% | 6.8 |
| July | 84% | 6.6 |
| August | 84% | 5.9 |
| September | 82% | 4.8 |
| October | 79% | 3.6 |
| November | 78% | 2.6 |
| December | 73% | 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 many heating and cooling degree days does Tallgrass Prairie National Park record?
A normal year at Tallgrass Prairie National Park brings 4,808 heating degree days, 11% fewer than the median U.S. place (5,373), and 1,559 cooling degree days, 72% 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 | 1,068 | 0 |
| February | 840 | 0 |
| March | 618 | 4 |
| April | 308 | 23 |
| May | 100 | 110 |
| June | 7 | 299 |
| July | 0 | 470 |
| August | 1 | 424 |
| September | 50 | 191 |
| October | 270 | 36 |
| November | 596 | 2 |
| December | 952 | 0 |
| Year (annual) | 4,808 | 1,559 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00148061. 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.
Have recent years at Tallgrass Prairie National Park been warmer than normal?
2023 averaged 58.2°F, 2.2°F above the 1991-2020 normal of 56.0°F. 2 of the 3 complete years since 2021 ran warmer than the normal.
| Year | Mean | Against normal | Precip. | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 57.5°F | +1.5°F | 33.68 | 15.0 |
| 2022 | 55.8°F | −0.2°F | 38.48 | – |
| 2023 | 58.2°F | +2.2°F | 29.47 | 6.0 |
Source: observed years: ACIS, station USC00148061. A year counts only with all twelve months complete.
How does Tallgrass Prairie National Park's climate compare?
Tallgrass Prairie National Park is warmer than 106 of the 137 places with their own NOAA record in Kansas, and wetter than 77. Across the 7,247 U.S. stations with normals, its annual mean of 56.0°F is warmer than 64%.
In the Köppen classification computed from these normals, Tallgrass Prairie National Park 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.
Questions about Tallgrass Prairie National Park's climate
What is the coldest month at Tallgrass Prairie National Park?
January, with a normal high of 43°F and a normal low of 19°F. The warmest is July (92°F by day, 69°F at night).
Does it snow at Tallgrass Prairie National Park?
Yes: 12 inches in a normal year, falling on 6 days with 0.1 inch or more, the most in December (4.0 inches).
What is the rainiest month at Tallgrass Prairie National Park?
May, with 4.96 in of precipitation in a normal year; the driest is January with 0.76 in.
What plant hardiness zone is Tallgrass Prairie National Park in?
The USDA's 2023 map puts Tallgrass Prairie National Park in zone 6b in ZIP code 66869, the nearest ZIP area. By the same method at the station, the coldest night of a typical year reaches −4°F (19 years, 1991-2020): zone 6b.
How late can frost come at Tallgrass Prairie National Park?
In half of years the last 32°F night comes after April 15; 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
- Kansas climateThe statewide normals and every place in the state
- Cottonwood Falls, KS4 miles from this station, 54.7°F a year
- Council Grove, KS17 miles from this station, 55.5°F a year
- Emporia, KS21 miles from this station, 55.7°F a year
- Florence, KS24 miles from this station, 54.9°F a year
- Compare two placesMonth by month, side by side
Download these normals (CSV) · JSON · How these figures are made