Kearney, Missouri climate: Normal weather by month, frost dates and records
Kearney's normal year runs from 17°F January nights to 88°F July afternoons, with 41.2 inches of precipitation and 19 inches of snow a year. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a yearly mean of 12.1°C, January lows of −8°C, July highs of 31°C, 1,047 mm of precipitation a year.
- NOAA stationKearney (3 mi E)
- Station IDUSC00234382
- Location39.37°N 94.33°W
- Elevation840 ft (256 m)
- From the center2 miles
- Population11,215
On October 23, the normal high in Kearney is 65°F and the normal low 40°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 Kearney.
- Jan 38° 17°
- Feb 43° 21°
- Mar 55° 31°
- Apr 66° 41°
- May 75° 53°
- Jun 84° 63°
- Jul 88° 67°
- Aug 87° 64°
- Sep 80° 55°
- Oct 68° 43°
- Nov 55° 31°
- Dec 42° 22°
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 Kearney each month?
July is the warmest month, with normal highs of 88°F; January the coldest, with normal lows of 17°F. The most precipitation falls in July (5.41 in), the least in January (1.27 in).
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Snow | Wet days | 90°F days | Freezing nights | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 38°F | 17°F | 27.6°F | 1.27 | 5.0 | 6 | <1 | 29 | 9 h 40 min |
| February | 43°F | 21°F | 32.0°F | 1.55 | 6.5 | 7 | <1 | 24 | 10 h 40 min |
| March | 55°F | 31°F | 43.1°F | 2.48 | 2.0 | 8 | <1 | 19 | 11 h 50 min |
| April | 66°F | 41°F | 53.5°F | 4.07 | 0.1 | 10 | <1 | 6 | 13 h 10 min |
| May | 75°F | 53°F | 63.8°F | 5.23 | 0.0 | 12 | 1 | 1 | 14 h 20 min |
| June | 84°F | 63°F | 73.4°F | 5.22 | 0.0 | 10 | 7 | <1 | 15 h |
| July | 88°F | 67°F | 77.5°F | 5.41 | 0.0 | 7 | 14 | <1 | 14 h 40 min |
| August | 87°F | 64°F | 75.8°F | 4.03 | 0.0 | 8 | 11 | <1 | 13 h 50 min |
| September | 80°F | 55°F | 67.5°F | 4.91 | 0.0 | 8 | 5 | <1 | 12 h 30 min |
| October | 68°F | 43°F | 55.5°F | 3.25 | 0.3 | 8 | <1 | 5 | 11 h 10 min |
| November | 55°F | 31°F | 42.9°F | 2.11 | 0.9 | 6 | <1 | 17 | 10 h |
| December | 42°F | 22°F | 32.0°F | 1.68 | 4.6 | 7 | <1 | 27 | 9 h 30 min |
| Year (annual) | 65°F | 42°F | 53.7°F | 41.21 | 19.4 | 96 | 37 | 128 |
The same normals in °C and millimetres
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 3°C | −8°C | −2.4°C | 32 mm | 13 cm |
| February | 6°C | −6°C | 0.0°C | 39 mm | 17 cm |
| March | 13°C | 0°C | 6.2°C | 63 mm | 5 cm |
| April | 19°C | 5°C | 11.9°C | 103 mm | 0 cm |
| May | 24°C | 11°C | 17.7°C | 133 mm | 0 cm |
| June | 29°C | 17°C | 23.0°C | 133 mm | 0 cm |
| July | 31°C | 19°C | 25.3°C | 137 mm | 0 cm |
| August | 31°C | 18°C | 24.3°C | 102 mm | 0 cm |
| September | 26°C | 13°C | 19.7°C | 125 mm | 0 cm |
| October | 20°C | 6°C | 13.1°C | 83 mm | 1 cm |
| November | 13°C | 0°C | 6.1°C | 54 mm | 2 cm |
| December | 6°C | −6°C | 0.0°C | 43 mm | 12 cm |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00234382; 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 Kearney?
Normal highs sit between 65°F and 85°F in April, May, June, September and October. Of those, September 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 USC00234382.
When is the last frost in Kearney?
In Kearney, the last spring frost (32°F) comes after April 19 in half of years and after May 5 in one year in ten; the first autumn frost comes before October 17 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 191 year in 10 after May 5; 9 in 10 after April 4
- First autumn frost, half of years before
- October 171 year in 10 before October 4; 9 in 10 before October 30
NOAA puts the median frost-free season at 181 days, and the season without a hard freeze (28°F) at 201 days.
A hard freeze (28°F) comes after April 8 in half of springs and before October 27 in half of autumns.
The USDA's 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Kearney in zone 6a in ZIP code 64060.
Frost dates for every NOAA station in Missouri · Frost dates by ZIP code
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals (frost probabilities), station USC00234382; USDA 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map, ZIP listings: PRISM Group, Oregon State University, https://prism.oregonstate.edu, accessed October 8, 2026. 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 Kearney?
In a normal year in Kearney, 37 days a year reach 90°F (3 of them 100°F or more), 128 nights fall to 32°F or colder and 96 days bring measurable precipitation.
- Days at 90°F or more
- 37a normal year
- Days at 100°F or more
- 3a normal year
- Nights at 32°F or colder
- 128a normal year
- Days that stay below freezing
- 27high of 32°F or less
- Days with 0.01 inch of precipitation
- 96a normal year
- Days with 1 inch of snow or more
- 6a normal year
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals, station USC00234382.
How sunny is Kearney?
Over a year 76% of the sunlight that would reach the ground under clear skies gets through the clouds in the area around Kearney, 4.2 kWh per square metre a day. July is the sunniest month (83%) and March the cloudiest (69%).
| 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 Kearney need?
A normal year in Kearney brings 5,342 heating degree days, 1% fewer than the median U.S. place (5,373), and 1,266 cooling degree days, 39% more than the median (908). Seven months need 300 or more heating degree days, a monthly mean of about 55°F or colder. For gardens and crops, NOAA counts 3,832 growing degree days a year above 50°F.
| Month | Heating | Cooling |
|---|---|---|
| January | 1,158 | 0 |
| February | 923 | 0 |
| March | 684 | 4 |
| April | 358 | 15 |
| May | 129 | 92 |
| June | 11 | 264 |
| July | 1 | 387 |
| August | 2 | 338 |
| September | 68 | 141 |
| October | 321 | 25 |
| November | 664 | 1 |
| December | 1,024 | 0 |
| Year (annual) | 5,342 | 1,266 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00234382. 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 Kearney been warmer than normal lately?
2024 averaged 56.2°F, 2.5°F above the 1991-2020 normal of 53.7°F. 3 of the 4 complete years since 2021 ran warmer than the normal.
| Year | Mean | Against normal | Precip. | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 55.5°F | +1.8°F | 41.22 | 6.0 |
| 2022 | 53.2°F | −0.5°F | 33.03 | – |
| 2023 | 55.4°F | +1.7°F | – | – |
| 2024 | 56.2°F | +2.5°F | – | 10.0 |
Source: observed years: ACIS, station USC00234382. A year counts only with all twelve months complete.
How does Kearney's climate compare?
Kearney is warmer than 33 of the other 133 places with their own NOAA record in Missouri, and wetter than 33. Across the 7,247 U.S. stations with normals, its annual mean of 53.7°F is warmer than 56%.
In the Köppen classification computed from these normals, Kearney 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 Kearney share this climate record?
14 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.
- Liberty, MO31,245 people · 10 mi SW
- Excelsior Springs, MO10,727 people · 5 mi E
- Lawson, MO2,523 people · 7 mi NE
- Wood Heights, MO746 people · 9 mi E
- Holt, MO485 people · 6 mi N
- Crystal Lakes, MO398 people · 8 mi E
- Vibbard, MO243 people · 10 mi E
- Excelsior Estates, MO232 people · 7 mi E
- Missouri City, MO219 people · 9 mi S
- Homestead, MO193 people · 7 mi E
- Lake Arrowhead, MO123 people · 8 mi N
- Prathersville, MO123 people · 5 mi SE
- Mosby, MO100 people · 4 mi S
- Elmira, MO38 people · 14 mi NE
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 Kearney's climate
What is the coldest month in Kearney?
January, with a normal high of 38°F and a normal low of 17°F. The warmest is July (88°F by day, 67°F at night).
Does it snow in Kearney?
Yes: 19 inches in a normal year, falling on 11 days with 0.1 inch or more, the most in February (6.5 inches).
What is the rainiest month in Kearney?
July, with 5.41 in of precipitation in a normal year; the driest is January with 1.27 in.
What plant hardiness zone is Kearney in?
The USDA's 2023 map puts Kearney in zone 6a in ZIP code 64060.
How late can frost come in Kearney?
In half of years the last 32°F night comes after April 19; in one year in ten it comes after May 5. Waiting until May 5 leaves about a one-in-ten chance of a later frost.
Nearby and next
- Missouri climateThe statewide normals and every place in the state
- Smithville, MO12 miles from this station, 53.0°F a year
- Richmond, MO21 miles from this station, 52.6°F a year
- Independence, MO21 miles from this station, 54.0°F a year
- Kansas City, MO22 miles from this station, 54.7°F a year
- Compare two placesMonth by month, side by side
Download these normals (CSV) · JSON · How these figures are made