Kansas City, Missouri climate: Normal weather by month, frost dates and records
Kansas City's normal year runs from 20°F January nights to 88°F July afternoons, with 39.3 inches of precipitation and 18 inches of snow a year. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a yearly mean of 12.6°C, January lows of −7°C, July highs of 31°C, 998 mm of precipitation a year.
- NOAA stationKansas City International Airport
- Station IDUSW00003947
- Location39.30°N 94.73°W
- Elevation1,005 ft (306 m)
- From the center15 miles
- Population516,032
On October 23, the normal high in Kansas City is 64°F and the normal low 43°F, and the chance of measurable rain or snow is 25%.
Normals describe a typical year at the station, not a forecast. The National Weather Service forecast for Kansas City.
- Jan 38° 20°
- Feb 44° 24°
- Mar 55° 34°
- Apr 66° 44°
- May 75° 54°
- Jun 84° 64°
- Jul 88° 68°
- Aug 87° 66°
- Sep 79° 58°
- Oct 67° 46°
- Nov 54° 34°
- Dec 42° 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 Kansas City each month?
July is the warmest month, with normal highs of 88°F; January the coldest, with normal lows of 20°F. The most precipitation falls in May (5.32 in), the least in January (1.16 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 | 38°F | 20°F | 29.0°F | 1.16 | 4.9 | 7 | <1 | 27 | 9 h 40 min |
| February | 44°F | 24°F | 33.6°F | 1.48 | 5.9 | 7 | <1 | 22 | 10 h 40 min |
| March | 55°F | 34°F | 44.5°F | 2.36 | 1.7 | 10 | <1 | 14 | 11 h 50 min |
| April | 66°F | 44°F | 54.6°F | 4.05 | 0.3 | 11 | <1 | 3 | 13 h 10 min |
| May | 75°F | 54°F | 64.6°F | 5.32 | 0.0 | 12 | 1 | <1 | 14 h 20 min |
| June | 84°F | 64°F | 74.1°F | 5.25 | 0.0 | 10 | 7 | <1 | 14 h 50 min |
| July | 88°F | 68°F | 78.2°F | 4.58 | 0.0 | 9 | 13 | <1 | 14 h 40 min |
| August | 87°F | 66°F | 76.7°F | 4.24 | 0.0 | 8 | 12 | <1 | 13 h 40 min |
| September | 79°F | 58°F | 68.4°F | 4.04 | 0.0 | 8 | 3 | <1 | 12 h 30 min |
| October | 67°F | 46°F | 56.4°F | 3.25 | 0.3 | 8 | <1 | 2 | 11 h 10 min |
| November | 54°F | 34°F | 43.6°F | 2.00 | 1.1 | 7 | <1 | 13 | 10 h |
| December | 42°F | 24°F | 33.1°F | 1.57 | 4.0 | 7 | <1 | 25 | 9 h 30 min |
| Year (annual) | 65°F | 45°F | 54.7°F | 39.30 | 18.2 | 104 | 36 | 107 |
The same normals in °C and millimetres
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 4°C | −7°C | −1.7°C | 29 mm | 12 cm |
| February | 6°C | −5°C | 0.9°C | 38 mm | 15 cm |
| March | 13°C | 1°C | 6.9°C | 60 mm | 4 cm |
| April | 19°C | 7°C | 12.6°C | 103 mm | 1 cm |
| May | 24°C | 12°C | 18.1°C | 135 mm | 0 cm |
| June | 29°C | 18°C | 23.4°C | 133 mm | 0 cm |
| July | 31°C | 20°C | 25.7°C | 116 mm | 0 cm |
| August | 31°C | 19°C | 24.8°C | 108 mm | 0 cm |
| September | 26°C | 14°C | 20.2°C | 103 mm | 0 cm |
| October | 20°C | 8°C | 13.6°C | 83 mm | 1 cm |
| November | 12°C | 1°C | 6.4°C | 51 mm | 3 cm |
| December | 6°C | −5°C | 0.6°C | 40 mm | 10 cm |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USW00003947; 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 Kansas City?
Normal highs sit between 65°F and 85°F in April, May, June, September and October. Of those, October has the fewest days with rain (8).
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 USW00003947.
When is the last frost in Kansas City?
In Kansas City, 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 24 in half of years and before October 9 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 30
- First autumn frost, half of years before
- October 241 year in 10 before October 9; 9 in 10 before November 5
NOAA puts the median frost-free season at 193 days, and the season without a hard freeze (28°F) at 213 days.
A hard freeze (28°F) comes after April 1 in half of springs and before November 1 in half of autumns.
The USDA's 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Kansas City in zones 6a to 7a across its 50 ZIP code areas (6b in 64153, the largest). By the map's own method, the average of each year's coldest night over 1991-2020, Kansas City's NOAA station is in zone 6a: the coldest night of a typical year reaches −5°F (30 complete years); the map interpolates between stations and terrain, so the station and the ZIP area can differ by half a zone.
Frost dates for every NOAA station in Missouri · Frost dates by ZIP code
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals (frost probabilities), station USW00003947; 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.
What hardiness zone is each Kansas City ZIP code in?
The USDA's 2023 map gives each ZIP code area one zone. Kansas City's 50 ZIP code areas run from zone 6a to 7a: 5 in 6a, 40 in 6b and 5 in 7a. Each ZIP's frost dates are in the frost tool.
| ZIP code | Zone | Land in Kansas City |
|---|---|---|
| 64053 | 6b | 1.4 km² |
| 64101 | 7a | 1.1 km² |
| 64102 | 7a | 0.9 km² |
| 64105 | 6b | 2.1 km² |
| 64106 | 6b | 4.2 km² |
| 64108 | 7a | 9.5 km² |
| 64109 | 6b | 5.5 km² |
| 64110 | 6b | 7.7 km² |
| 64111 | 6b | 7.0 km² |
| 64112 | 6b | 3.8 km² |
| 64113 | 6b | 6.5 km² |
| 64114 | 6b | 18.3 km² |
| 64116 | 6b | 16.8 km² |
| 64117 | 6b | 14.6 km² |
| 64118 | 6b | 18.2 km² |
| 64119 | 6b | 28.7 km² |
| 64120 | 6b | 20.5 km² |
| 64123 | 6b | 4.7 km² |
| 64124 | 6b | 4.4 km² |
| 64125 | 6b | 4.0 km² |
| 64126 | 6b | 4.9 km² |
| 64127 | 6b | 10.8 km² |
| 64128 | 6b | 7.8 km² |
| 64129 | 7a | 26.8 km² |
| 64130 | 7a | 18.4 km² |
| 64131 | 6b | 22.1 km² |
| 64132 | 6b | 27.9 km² |
| 64133 | 6b | 28.9 km² |
| 64134 | 6b | 30.9 km² |
| 64136 | 6b | 11.1 km² |
| 64137 | 6b | 14.9 km² |
| 64138 | 6b | 23.9 km² |
| 64139 | 6b | 11.7 km² |
| 64145 | 6b | 14.4 km² |
| 64146 | 6b | 13.8 km² |
| 64147 | 6b | 8.5 km² |
| 64149 | 6b | 22.6 km² |
| 64151 | 6b | 29.2 km² |
| 64153 | 6b | 70.1 km² |
| 64154 | 6b | 33.5 km² |
| 64155 | 6b | 37.8 km² |
| 64156 | 6a | 28.0 km² |
| 64157 | 6a | 27.4 km² |
| 64158 | 6b | 6.0 km² |
| 64161 | 6b | 38.5 km² |
| 64163 | 6b | 21.4 km² |
| 64164 | 6b | 15.8 km² |
| 64165 | 6a | 10.3 km² |
| 64166 | 6a | 3.7 km² |
| 64167 | 6a | 1.0 km² |
Source: USDA 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map, ZIP listings: PRISM Group, Oregon State University, https://prism.oregonstate.edu, accessed October 8, 2026; ZIP areas in the place: Census Bureau 2020 ZCTA-to-place relationship file. A ZIP area counts when at least a tenth of its land (and 0.5 km²) lies in the place.
How hot and how cold does it get in Kansas City?
In a normal year in Kansas City, 36 days a year reach 90°F (3 of them 100°F or more), 107 nights fall to 32°F or colder and 104 days bring measurable precipitation.
- Days at 90°F or more
- 36a normal year
- Days at 100°F or more
- 3a normal year
- Nights at 32°F or colder
- 107a normal year
- Days that stay below freezing
- 26high of 32°F or less
- Days with 0.01 inch of precipitation
- 104a normal year
- Days with 1 inch of snow or more
- 6a normal year
The highest temperature in Kansas City's official record (kept by the National Weather Service since 1888) is 113°F, on August 14, 1936; the lowest is −23°F, on December 23, 1989.
The wettest calendar year on that record is 1961, with 60.25 in; the snowiest season is 1911–12, with 68.0 inches.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals, station USW00003947; records: ACIS (NOAA Regional Climate Centers), NWS threaded record MCIthr. Records use complete months only; a month missing more than three days is left out.
How humid and windy is Kansas City, and how clear are its skies?
The summer (June-August) dew point averages 66°F. The muggiest month is July, with an average dew point of 67°F, above the 65°F at which most people call the air sticky; the driest air comes in December (21°F). March is the windiest month (12.0 mph on average), and September has the most clear or nearly clear hours (57%).
| Month | Dew point | Humidity | Afternoon humidity | Wind | Clear or few clouds | Overcast |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 21°F | 68% | 53% | 10.4 mph | 40% | 36% |
| February | 26°F | 64% | 48% | 11.3 mph | 40% | 36% |
| March | 37°F | 61% | 46% | 12.0 mph | 37% | 36% |
| April | 47°F | 66% | 51% | 10.8 mph | 34% | 36% |
| May | 59°F | 70% | 55% | 9.5 mph | 35% | 27% |
| June | 66°F | 70% | 55% | 9.3 mph | 48% | 16% |
| July | 67°F | 70% | 53% | 8.2 mph | 44% | 17% |
| August | 64°F | 71% | 53% | 8.5 mph | 50% | 16% |
| September | 51°F | 68% | 48% | 9.5 mph | 57% | 18% |
| October | 38°F | 65% | 49% | 10.4 mph | 45% | 30% |
| November | 28°F | 68% | 53% | 10.7 mph | 41% | 35% |
| December | 21°F | 71% | 57% | 10.5 mph | 41% | 37% |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 hourly normals, station USW00003947. 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 Kansas City?
Over a year 76% of the sunlight that would reach the ground under clear skies gets through the clouds in the area around Kansas City, 4.2 kWh per square metre a day. July is the sunniest month (83%) and March the cloudiest (69%). Among the 459 U.S. places of 50,000 or more, that ranks tied 276th (with 27 others) in sunshine.
| Month | Share of clear-sky sunshine | Sunshine, kWh/m² a day |
|---|---|---|
| January | 69% | 2.1 |
| February | 71% | 3.0 |
| March | 69% | 3.9 |
| April | 71% | 5.0 |
| May | 73% | 5.7 |
| June | 80% | 6.5 |
| July | 83% | 6.5 |
| August | 82% | 5.7 |
| September | 82% | 4.8 |
| October | 75% | 3.4 |
| November | 74% | 2.4 |
| December | 70% | 1.9 |
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 Kansas City need?
A normal year in Kansas City brings 5,071 heating degree days, 6% fewer than the median U.S. place (5,373), and 1,363 cooling degree days, 50% 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 4,025 growing degree days a year above 50°F.
| Month | Heating | Cooling |
|---|---|---|
| January | 1,117 | 0 |
| February | 879 | 0 |
| March | 639 | 4 |
| April | 331 | 19 |
| May | 109 | 98 |
| June | 7 | 280 |
| July | 0 | 409 |
| August | 2 | 364 |
| September | 58 | 158 |
| October | 295 | 29 |
| November | 645 | 2 |
| December | 989 | 0 |
| Year (annual) | 5,071 | 1,363 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USW00003947. 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 Kansas City been warmer than normal lately?
2025 averaged 55.7°F, 1.0°F above the 1991-2020 normal of 54.7°F. 5 of the 5 complete years since 2021 ran warmer than the normal.
| Year | Mean | Against normal | Precip. | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 57.0°F | +2.3°F | 41.24 | 14.4 |
| 2022 | 55.6°F | +0.9°F | 34.57 | 21.4 |
| 2023 | 57.0°F | +2.3°F | 37.37 | 10.5 |
| 2024 | 57.1°F | +2.4°F | 34.63 | 11.1 |
| 2025 | 55.7°F | +1.0°F | 34.64 | 24.7 |
Over 47 complete years from 1973 to 2025, the station's annual mean temperature rose at a fitted 3.3°F per century (+0.18°C per decade). A fitted rate summarizes the whole record; single years swing well above and below it.
Source: observed years: ACIS, station USW00003947; trend: NOAA GHCN-Monthly v4. A year counts only with all twelve months complete.
How does Kansas City's climate compare?
Kansas City is warmer than 53 of the other 133 places with their own NOAA record in Missouri, and wetter than 14. Across the 7,247 U.S. stations with normals, its annual mean of 54.7°F is warmer than 59%.
In the Köppen classification computed from these normals, Kansas City 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 Kansas City 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.
- Lansing, KS11,316 people · 10 mi SW
- Lake Waukomis, MO941 people · 7 mi SE
- Ferrelview, MO653 people · 4 mi E
- Platte Woods, MO393 people · 6 mi SE
Source: Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer (place centers) and Vintage 2024 population estimates. Distance and direction from the station to each place's center.
What do Kansas City's other NOAA stations record?
One more NOAA station keeps 1991-2020 normals in or near Kansas City. This page uses Kansas City International Airport; the other differs by site and elevation, and the linked ones have pages of their own:
| Station | From the center | Elevation | Year | Jan low | Jul high | Precip. | Snow | Last frost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kansas City Downtown Airport USW00013988 | 3 mi W | 742 ft | 56.9°F | 22°F | 90°F | 38.1 | 11 | April 4 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 normals for each station. Last frost: the median last spring date of 32°F.
Questions about Kansas City's climate
What is the coldest month in Kansas City?
January, with a normal high of 38°F and a normal low of 20°F. The warmest is July (88°F by day, 68°F at night).
Does it snow in Kansas City?
Yes: 18 inches in a normal year, falling on 14 days with 0.1 inch or more, the most in February (5.9 inches).
What is the rainiest month in Kansas City?
May, with 5.32 in of precipitation in a normal year; the driest is January with 1.16 in.
What plant hardiness zone is Kansas City in?
The USDA's 2023 map puts Kansas City in zones 6a to 7a across its 50 ZIP code areas (6b in 64153, the largest). By the same method at Kansas City's NOAA station, the coldest night of a typical year reaches −5°F (30 years, 1991-2020): zone 6a.
How late can frost come in Kansas City?
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
- Kansas City in OctoberThis month day by day, its records and recent years
- Missouri climateThe statewide normals and every place in the state
- Leavenworth, KS11 miles from this station, 55.8°F a year
- Smithville, MO12 miles from this station, 53.0°F a year
- Kansas City Downtown Airport, MO14 miles from this station, 56.9°F a year
- Bonner Springs, KS19 miles from this station, 53.6°F a year
- Compare two placesMonth by month, side by side
Download these normals (CSV) · JSON · How these figures are made