Kansas Climate – June 2026 Update
Top 5 Cities: Wichita, Overland Park, Kansas City, Topeka, and Olathe
This month in numbers
Kansas experienced its 6th warmest April–June period on record, with an average temperature of 19.13°C, a significant 1.5°C above the 1961–1990 baseline. June 2026 itself saw above-average temperatures, ranking 30th warmest in 77 years at 23.89°C, which is 0.9°C higher than the baseline. Precipitation for June was notably high, ranking as the 6th wettest June on record with 162.31 mm, an increase of 58.4 mm compared to the average. Globally, land temperatures in June 2026 were the 3rd warmest on record, and the April–June period was the 2nd warmest on record.
What changed
The past three months (April–June 2026) have been significantly warmer than average for Kansas, ranking as the 6th warmest such period in 77 years of records. This trend aligns with the broader national and global picture, as global land temperatures for the same three-month period ranked as the 2nd warmest on record. Kansas's average temperature for this period was 1.5°C above the 1961–1990 baseline.
What’s driving change?
The warmer conditions in Kansas are part of a long-term warming trend, with the state's average temperature having increased by 1.01°C compared to the 1961–1990 baseline. The region has also experienced a cluster of wildfire events recently, with four wildfires occurring between late June and early July, representing 100% of the annual total for the past 12 months. This concentration of wildfires is unusual for the season, as Kansas typically experiences its most active wildfire period in March and April. These events are often driven by short-term, weather-driven conditions such as dry frontal passages with strong winds. More information on active extreme weather events can be found at Extreme Weather tracker.
Looking ahead
The NOAA Climate Prediction Center's long-range forecasts suggest that drought persistence and/or development is expected across western Kansas through July.
Generated by Gemini from climate data and web sources
At a Glance
Temperature – Average
Climate Map – USA
Source: NOAA Climate at a Glance — US states & climate regions (tavg, pcp). Anomalies are vs the 1961–1990 baseline (temperature) or 1991–2020 (rainfall). See methodology.
Year-on-Year Trends
The 4byo Climate Helix – Kansas
Data: NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information. Baseline: first 30 yrs on record. Recent: last 10 yrs on record.
Kansas – Monthly Temperature – All Years
Data: NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information. Baseline: first 30 yrs on record. Recent: last 10 yrs on record.
Records – Kansas
NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information - Anomalies vs 1901-2000 mean
Shifting Seasons
Warm/cold + wet/dryKöppen Dwa · ContinentalKansas has both a clear warm/cold cycle (±14.2°C) and a wet/dry cycle (7× wet:dry ratio). Both sides of the annual rhythm are shown below.
Monthly rainfall climatology. A “wet month” exceeds the baseline monthly mean (dashed gold line). Biggest month-to-month shift: May (+31 mm, +32%).
Data: NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information. Baseline: first 30 yrs on record. Recent: last 10 yrs on record.
Rainfall & Precipitation
Rainfall & Rain Days – Totals
Emissions & Energy
Explore
Explore Climate Data
Data Sources
Data Sources for Kansas
Every figure on this page is sourced from official, openly published climate datasets. Anomalies are calculated against the 1961–1990 baseline (temperature) and 1991–2020 (rainfall, sunshine, frost) - see the Methodology & Sources page for the complete dataset list and update calendar.
FAQs
FAQs
How is the climate in Kansas changing?
Kansas is warming in line with the rest of the world. The page above shows the latest monthly temperature anomaly versus the 1961-1990 baseline, the long-term annual trend, and the region's rank in the historical record. The headline panel also shows the long-term trend rate per decade and the warmest and coolest years on file.
Where does the climate data for Kansas come from?
Climate data for Kansas comes from NOAA Climate at a Glance (temperature and precipitation), refreshed every month, when the upstream temperature and rainfall data are refreshed.
What is the climate baseline used on this page?
Anomalies on this page are calculated against the 1961-1990 climatological baseline, which is the standard reference period used by the Met Office, NOAA, IPCC and most national climate services. Some panels also show the source-native 1901-2000 (NOAA) or 1991-2020 (WMO) baselines for verification. See Methodology & Sources for the full reference.
Which areas does the Kansas climate data cover?
The Kansas climate profile covers Wichita, Overland Park, Kansas City, Topeka and surrounding areas. Kansas climate data from NOAA Climate at a Glance
How often is the Kansas climate update refreshed?
The Kansas climate update is refreshed monthly, typically a few days after the previous month closes and the upstream provider (Met Office HadUK-Grid, NOAA Climate at a Glance, Copernicus ERA5 or the Global Carbon Project) publishes its update. See the Climate Rankings for cross-region comparisons.