Today in Kansas City, United States

Mainly clear skies. Low 56F. Winds light and variable.

Mostly sunny. High 82F. Winds light and variable.

This weather data was last updated 2024-05-17 03:40:57.

61°f

M Clear

82°f

5 days on...

  • Tonight M Clear
  • Tomorrow Sunny
  • Tomorrow night Clear
  • Saturday Sunny
  • Saturday night M Clear
  • Sunday P Cloudy
  • Sunday night T-Storms
  • Monday AM T-Storms
  • Monday night Sct T-Storms
  • Tuesday Sct T-Storms

Kansas City Weather

Kansas City is the largest city in the state of Missouri and as far as metropolitan areas in the state, it is number two. Kansas City weather is what you would expect for the Midwestern states in this area. Kansas City is right in the middle of the transition area between humid continental and humid sub-tropical weathers. There are four seasons that can be observed in Kansas City weather and they are the spring, the summer, the fall and the winter. The city is also prone to extreme weather in the form of hot and cold temperatures and due to the fact that it is located in tornado alley. Powerful thunderstorms are common in Kansas City with the most rain falling in the month of May.

What Is Tornado Alley

Tornado alley is an area in the United States where a lot of tornados happen during the summer. This area gets the tornados because cold wind from the northern Rockies and Canada clashes with hotter air coming from the south from the Gulf of Mexico. Kansas City weather is therefore affected by this weather phenomenon. The city of Kansas City has not seen a tornado for a long time. In fact, the last tornado seen in Kansas City weather happened back in 1883. However, the city metropolitan area has seen several outbreaks of tornados. The tornados which are developed in the Kansas City area can produce heavy rains, thunderstorms and large hail. The warning system is very up to date and you should always pay attention to any warnings that the city officials may issue.

Recent Tornado History

Some of the tornado outbreaks which Kansas City weather has seen include the one from May of 2003. During the period of time from May 3rd to May 11th there were 401 tornados reported throughout 19 states. The Kansas City area was affected to the north with a tornado which was qualified as an F4. This tornado was large; it was 500 yards across and it passed just north of Kansas City. That F4 tornado was not the only one to affect Kansas City weather. There was also one in Linwood and one in Liberty, both of which had an F2 classification. Back in 1957 the central plains tornado outbreak also affected Kansas City with the Ruskin Heights tornado and it was a category F5 tornado.

Summers In Kansas City

Kansas City weather can experience some rather high temperatures during the summer. The hottest months of the year are July and August, July being the hottest. The average high temperatures for July are 90 degrees Fahrenheit while in August there is not much relief with an average high temperature of 89. At night the temperatures drop in both months to just over 70 degrees. June is the month with the most amount of precipitation. Kansas City weather sees 5.52 inches of rain every year during this month. The temperature, however, can get much higher than that. The record highest temperature in Kansas City was 112 degrees Fahrenheit and it happened back in 1954.

Winters In Kansas City

The winters in Kansas City can go to the other extreme. While the average high temperature is not as low as it is further north, it is still only 39 degrees Fahrenheit. At night the temperatures drop to 22 degrees Fahrenheit. The coldest temperature ever recorded in Kansas City weather was minus 19 degrees Fahrenheit and that temperature was felt back in 1989. On average Kansas City will see 13.4 inches of snow every year but the totals for every year can vary a lot. The snowiest month is usually December with an average of 4.4 inches every year. Though the average may seem low, once every four years the month of December will get 6.5 inches or more of snow. January also sees a lot of snowfall with a yearly average of 4.1 inches.

Best Time To Visit

If you are visiting Kansas City, Missouri you may be wondering when the best time to visit is. Kansas City whether can be extreme in both the winter and the summer so it makes sense that you would want to visit during the spring or the fall. The best time is the early to late spring with temperatures in April with an average high of 67 degrees Fahrenheit and a low of 47. Those temperatures climb in May all the way to 76 Fahrenheit with a low of 57. You can also get similar weather during the fall. Late September shows high temperatures of 80 and a minimum of 61.

 

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