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Kansas City weather by month: averages, rainfall & climate trends

Planted at the centre of the continent, far from any moderating ocean, Kansas City earns its reputation for extremes: blazing summers, brutal cold snaps, spring tornadoes and rivers that have flooded catastrophically more than once. Kansas City weather by month: average temperatures, rainfall, extremes and how the climate has changed since 1940.

Today vs average

+1.6°Fhigh near average

67° / 43°Today
66° / 46°Average
see today in detail →

How it's changed

+3.1°Faverage temperature, 2016–2025 vs 1940–1949average temperature vs 1940–4981frost days a year now (2016–2025) · 101 in the 1940sfrost days a year · 101 in the 1940s71days above 86°F a year now (2016–2025) · 49 in the 1940sdays above 86°F · 49 in the 1940s+3.1°F vs the 1940s · see how it's changed →
Weather by montha typical year, averaged over the full recordJanuary, rain 1.7 incheshigh 39°low 22°February, rain 1.9 incheshigh 44°low 26°March, rain 3.4 incheshigh 55°low 35°April, rain 4.5 incheshigh 66°low 46°May, rain 5.3 incheshigh 75°low 56°June, rain 4.9 incheshigh 84°low 66°July, rain 3.5 incheshigh 89°low 70°August, rain 3.4 incheshigh 87°low 68°September, rain 3.7 incheshigh 80°low 60°October, rain 3.4 incheshigh 68°low 49°November, rain 2.4 incheshigh 54°low 37°December, rain 1.9 incheshigh 43°low 27°wettest month May, 5.3 inches · 39.9 inches a yearsee month by month →

Right now

What it's doing today vs the historical average for this date.
Overcast

Right now

63.7°

60°feels like
48%humidity
44°dew point
4 mphfrom SE
UV index3.5
sunrise07:32sunset18:34day length11h 02m
TodayOvercast67°43°
TueClear72°45°
WedClear74°52°
ThuClear77°58°
FriClear79°60°
SatPartly cloudy79°61°
SunOvercast73°62°

On this date: October 19

Today (forecast)
67° / 43°
Average for October 19
66° / 46°

High near average · +1.6°F

  • Highest since 1940: 84.6° · 1963
  • Lowest since 1940: 22.3° · 2022
  • One year ago: 67° / 45°

Every October 19 in history, coldest to hottest

▲ Daily highs▼ Daily lows

Dots show daily highs (top) and lows (bottom) for each October 19 on record (n = 87). Outlined dots are today's forecast.

Area we sample

Each city's history comes from one ERA5 grid cell, about 28 km across, shown by the dashed box. Near mountains or coasts, conditions can vary across the cell.

Location & data

Historical weather for Kansas City is sampled from the ECMWF ERA5 reanalysis at 39.10°N, 94.58°W, with daily records since 1940.

Coordinates
39.10°N, 94.58°W
Time zone
America/Chicago
Period
1940–2026
Data source
ERA5 (ECMWF)

Last 30 days

23 of the last 31 days were warmer than the historical average for that date. Average difference: +5.3°F.

Each bar is one day, from morning low to afternoon high. Warm-colored bars are days whose mean ran above average; cool bars ran below. The dot inside the bar is the daily mean. The shaded band is the typical 10–90% range expected for that date. Average = the day's mean temperature averaged across every year of record (1940–2026) for that calendar date.

This date over the years

One dot per year, showing the mean temperature on this calendar date. Dots are warmer or cooler than the long-term average (dashed line); the shaded band is the typical 10–90% range, and the highlighted dot is today's forecast. Based on ERA5 reanalysis: modelled estimates, not station readings.

Weather by month

Average temperatures and rainfall for each month: a typical year, from the full record.

Climate overview

Kansas City occupies the centre of the North American continent, far from any large body of water, with a climate that straddles the boundary between humid continental and humid subtropical. In practice this means extreme seasonal swings: muggy Gulf-moisture summers and bitterly cold winters when Arctic air sweeps unobstructed across the flat Great Plains. The city lies within the zone where cold polar air and warm Gulf air collide in spring (the corridor colloquially known as Tornado Alley), making severe weather a recurring feature of the season.

Notable tornado outbreaks have included the Ruskin Heights tornado of 1957, a major outbreak sequence in May 2003, and the Lawrence-Linwood tornado of 2019. The Missouri and Kansas rivers that meet at the city's heart have also shaped its flood history, with catastrophic inundations recorded in 1844, 1951 and 1993. Ice storms and extended Arctic cold snaps round out a roster of extreme weather that makes Kansas City's climate unusually varied.

The warmest month is July, with typical afternoon highs of 88.5°F and nights around 70.2°F. On about 70 nights a year, the temperature never drops below 68°F. The coolest month is January, when afternoons reach about 38.6°F and overnight lows sit around 21.7°F. Frost shows up on around 80 mornings a year.

Kansas City picks up roughly 39.9 inches a year, with a peak of 5.3 inches in May and as little as 1.7 inches in January.

Over the full record (since 1940), the annual mean temperature in Kansas City has risen by 3.1°F between its first decade and its last. Days above 86°F have grown noticeably more frequent, from around 50 a year in the first decade to about 70 in the last.

Sources:en.wikipedia.orgbritannica.comweather.gov

Climate graph (climograph)

July is the warmest month, January the coolest: a yearly swing of 50°F. Wettest month: May (~5.3 in). Whole year averages ~39.9 inches of rain.

Bars = average monthly rainfall (right axis). Lines = average daily high and low (left axis). Average = each month's value averaged across every year of record (1940–2026).

Rainy days by month

About 87 rainy days a year: most in May (~11), fewest in January (~5).

Bars = average number of days with ≥ 0.08 in per month. Hover for the monthly rainfall total.

Monthly wind

Average daily peak wind at 10 m, by month.

Monthly solar energy

Average daily incoming solar energy in megajoules per square metre: the record's own proxy for how sunny the month is.

Kansas City month by month: what to expect

Typical conditions for each month, averaged across the full record (since 1940). Daylight is the time from sunrise to sunset. Highest and Lowest are the most extreme values in the ERA5 dataset (modelled since 1940), so they can differ from official weather-station readings.

MonthAvg highAvg lowRainRainy daysDaylightHighestLowest
January38.6°21.7°1.7 in59.5 h72.8° (2013)−20.7° (1968)
February43.9°25.9°1.9 in510.5 h78.5° (1972)−15.6° (2021)
March54.9°35.3°3.4 in811.7 h85.2° (1986)−11.3° (1948)
April66.5°46.1°4.5 in1013.0 h90.6° (1987)15.9° (1975)
May75.1°56.4°5.3 in1114.1 h94.8° (1956)30.0° (1976)
June84.2°66.2°4.9 in1014.7 h103.8° (1980)46.1° (1990)
July88.5°70.2°3.5 in714.5 h108.4° (1954)50.3° (1972)
August87.3°68.3°3.4 in713.5 h106.2° (2011)47.4° (1950)
September79.6°59.9°3.7 in712.2 h101.3° (1954)31.9° (1942)
October68.4°48.9°3.4 in710.9 h92.8° (2006)20.6° (1993)
November53.9°36.7°2.4 in69.8 h79.8° (2016)1.2° (1952)
December42.6°26.6°1.9 in59.3 h72.9° (2021)−25.2° (1989)

How it's changed

Year-by-year signals from 1940 to today.

Climate stripes

Annual mean shifted from 1940–1949 to 2016–2025 by +3.1°F.

Each vertical stripe is one year. Color encodes how much that year's annual mean differed from the long-term average. Average = each year's annual mean compared to the average of all years (1940–2026). cooler ← → warmer

Annual mean temperature

Long-term trend: +0.31°F per decade.

One point per year, showing the temperature averaged across the whole year. The dashed line is the least-squares long-term trend. Based on ERA5 reanalysis: modelled estimates, not station readings.

Seasonal warming

Mar–May is warming fastest: +0.51°F per decade.

Each faint line is one three-month period's average per year; the bold dashed line is its long-term trend. Different parts of the year often warm at different rates. Based on ERA5 reanalysis: modelled estimates, not station readings.

Hot days vs frost days

Days ≥ 86°F per year: 48.8 early in the record → 71.0 recently. Frost days: 101 → 81.

Thin lines are raw yearly counts; thick lines are the smoothed trend that removes year-to-year noise. The hot-day threshold is auto-picked per city so the line actually moves. Average = a centered 5-year rolling average to smooth weather noise.

Yearly hot & cold extremes

Hottest day since 1940 in 1954, coldest in 1989: 108.4°F / −25.2°F.

One point per year: the single hottest and coldest day recorded that year.

Annual rainfall

~39.9 in/year on average. Last decade: +4% vs that average. Long-term trend: +0.71 in per decade.

One bar per year of total rainfall. Dashed line is the long-term average. Average = the average annual rainfall across every year of record (1940–2026).

Day-by-day grid

Each tiny square is one calendar day across the full record, about 30,000 days per city. Use the mode switch above the chart: Anomaly colors each day by how far it ran from the historical average for that date (red = warmer, blue = cooler), Daily mean temp shows the absolute mean temperature for the day (useful to see seasons and heatwaves), and Precipitation shows daily rainfall (useful to spot wet/dry seasons and droughts). Average = the long-term average for that calendar date (1940–2026).

Frequently asked questions about Kansas City

Which is the warmest month in Kansas City?
On long-term average, the warmest month in Kansas City is July (mean daily temperature of about 78.8°F) and the coolest is January (about 28.6°F).
How does today's temperature in Kansas City compare to the historical average?
On October 19, 2026, Kansas City is forecast to reach a high of 67.5°F and a low of 42.8°F. The long-term average for this date (the full record since 1940) is a high of 65.9°F and a low of 45.9°F, so today's high is 1.6°F warmer than that average.
How much has Kansas City warmed since 1940?
Comparing the first decade of the record (1940–1949) with the most recent (2016–2025), the annual mean temperature in Kansas City is about 3.1°F warmer.
How much does it rain in Kansas City?
Kansas City receives about 39.9 inches of precipitation per year on long-term average, with May typically the wettest month.
What is the average temperature in Kansas City?
Over the full record (since 1940), the annual mean temperature in Kansas City is about 55.0°F. The warmest month is July and the coolest is January.
What are the average temperatures in Kansas City by month?
Average daily highs and lows for each month in Kansas City (°F, full record since 1940): January 39°/22°, February 44°/26°, March 55°/35°, April 66°/46°, May 75°/56°, June 84°/66°, July 89°/70°, August 87°/68°, September 80°/60°, October 68°/49°, November 54°/37°, December 43°/27°.
What is the weather like in Kansas City in summer?
In summer, June through August, Kansas City is hot. Daytime highs sit at 84–89°F and nights at 66–70°F; July is the warmest month. Rain falls on about 8 days a month, adding up to around 3.9 inches.
What is the weather like in Kansas City in winter?
In winter, December through February, Kansas City is cold. Afternoons run 39–44°F and nights 22–27°F; January is the coldest month. Rain is steady at around 1.8 inches a month, spread over roughly 5 days. No season is drier.
What is the weather like in Kansas City in spring?
In spring, March through May, Kansas City is wet and mild. March starts at 55°F by day and 35°F at night; by May it is 75°F and 56°F. Rain picks up through the season: 8 rainy days and 3.4 inches in March, 11 days and 5.3 inches in May.
What is the weather like in Kansas City in autumn?
In autumn, September through November, Kansas City is mild. September is still 80°F by day and 60°F at night; by November it is down to 54°F and 37°F. Rain eases through the season: 7 rainy days and 3.7 inches in September, 6 days and 2.4 inches in November.
How many days a year does it rain in Kansas City?
On long-term average, Kansas City has about 87 days a year with at least 0.08 inches of rain or snow. The annual total is roughly 39.9 inches.

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