Photo: Stephen Edmonds · CC BY-SA 3.0Summers, winters and rain in Kansas City all run close to those of most U.S. towns
In July the day’s top temperature is typically 89°. Summer afternoons here are warmer than in 71% of U.S. towns. Decade by decade the climate has edged up, 1.1° above 1901–2000. Seedlings are safe outdoors from about April 13, with the first autumn frost due around October 24.
A year in Kansas City at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Kansas City’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Kansas City’s place in Missouri beside it.
What a year in Kansas City feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 193 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 13 and the first by October 24. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Kansas City International Airport, 15 miles from the city’s center point, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Kansas City’s center in zone 6b: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −1°. Plant labels use the zone; frost dates tell you when to plant.
Freezing nights by month
Average nights at or below 32°
90° days by month
Average days at 90° or more
About 18 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Kansas City International Airport, falls mostly in February. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 39 inches a year; May is the wettest month and January the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 104 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Kansas City
79% of the work is heating. Months averaging under 55° run from November through March.
Degree days add up how far each day’s average falls below (heating) or rises above (cooling) 65° over a year. NOAA normals at Kansas City International Airport.
Living with Kansas City’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
193 frost-free days in zone 6b. The last frost comes by Apr 13 in half of years, so many gardeners wait a week or two past that to set out tomatoes. The first fall frost comes by Oct 24.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: April, May, September and October. 198 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Kansas City from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (39%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 26%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Kansas City and its neighbors
Every town next door is within a degree of Kansas City in January and July, closer than the 5 km grid can tell apart. Tap a town to see its climate.
Climates most like Kansas City’s, farther away
TownRatings’ own comparison of NOAA 1991–2020 normals, not a NOAA product: places of 5,000+ at least 150 miles away, one per state, closest on January low, July high, precipitation and snow.
| Town | Jan. low | July high | Precip. | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kansas City, MO | 20° | 89° | 39" | 18" |
| Carlinville, IL | 21° | 87° | 40" | 17" |
| Martinsburg, WV | 23° | 87° | 40" | 23" |
| Strasburg, VA | 23° | 87° | 39" | 21" |
| Cumberland, MD | 23° | 88° | 40" | 29" |
Temperatures and rain come from NOAA’s 5 km grid, so each town gets its own value. Snow and frost-free days come from the nearest weather station, so neighbors often share them.
Warmer than it used to be
The last 30 years in Kansas City averaged 1.1° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in March (+2.5°).
A smaller shift than in 72% of U.S. towns.
Change by month
The two periods overlap (1991–2000 is in both), which makes the gap a little smaller than it would be between separate periods. In a city of 521,000 people, part of the change is the city itself: pavement and buildings hold heat (the urban heat island).
How Kansas City compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Kansas City’s place among Missouri’s.
Kansas City weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Kansas City’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Kansas City International Airport. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 39° | 20° | 1.1" | 4.9" | 7 | 8 | 23° – 41° |
| February | 45° | 24° | 1.5" | 5.9" | 7 | 5 | 26° – 45° |
| March | 56° | 34° | 2.3" | 1.7" | 10 | 2 | 38° – 59° |
| April | 66° | 44° | 4.0" | 0.3" | 11 | 0 | 48° – 61° |
| May | 76° | 55° | 5.4" | 0.0" | 12 | 0 | 59° – 74° |
| June | 85° | 65° | 5.2" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 71° – 79° |
| July | 89° | 68° | 4.7" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 74° – 85° |
| August | 88° | 67° | 4.4" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 71° – 83° |
| September | 80° | 58° | 3.8" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 63° – 76° |
| October | 68° | 45° | 3.3" | 0.3" | 8 | 0 | 50° – 62° |
| November | 54° | 34° | 2.1" | 1.1" | 7 | 1 | 37° – 52° |
| December | 43° | 24° | 1.6" | 4.0" | 7 | 5 | 20° – 41° |
| Year | 66° | 45° | 39.3" | 18.2" | 104 | 21 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. December swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 20° to 41°. June is the most reliable, staying within 8°.
Where Kansas City’s numbers come from
Normals are 30-year averages, not a forecast. How TownRatings reads climate data →
- Temperatures and precipitation: NOAA’s gridded 1991–2020 normals for the 5 km cell at Kansas City’s center.
- Snow: Kansas City International Airport (the official station).
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Kansas City International Airport, 15 miles from the city’s center point, at about the same height; the nearest station that passes our checks for distance, height and agreement with the grid.
- Growing zone: USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map, 2023. USDA Agricultural Research Service and PRISM Group, Oregon State University, prism.oregonstate.edu/phzm, accessed 8 Oct 2026.
- Then and now: NOAA’s gridded normals for 1901–2000 at the same cell.
- Storms and extremes: FEMA National Risk Index (expected annual losses to buildings).
Common questions about Kansas City’s climate
What is the weather like in Kansas City?
A typical July afternoon reaches 89°, a January night drops to 20°, and about 18 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 59% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 71% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Kansas City in winter?
January nights average 20°. About 107 nights a year reach 32° or below and 4 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 23°.
How much snow does Kansas City get?
About 18 inches in a normal winter at Kansas City International Airport, most of it in February, with snow on the ground about 21 days a year.
How hot does it get in Kansas City?
July, with a typical high of 89° and a low of 68°. About 36 days a year reach 90° and 3 reach 100° (Kansas City International Airport).
When is the first and last frost in Kansas City?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 13 and the first fall frost by October 24, about 193 frost-free days, at Kansas City International Airport.
What growing zone is Kansas City in?
Zone 6b on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −1°.
What is the best time of year to visit Kansas City?
By one simple rule (highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more), April, May, September and October. The rule is ours, not NOAA’s; the month table has the numbers to judge by.
Is Kansas City getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.1° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 72% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Kansas City.
Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020 and 1901–2000; USDA/PRISM 2023 hardiness zones; FEMA National Risk Index. Today’s forecast: National Weather Service.