4 Billion Years On

Kansas Climate – July 2026 Update

Top 5 Cities: Wichita, Overland Park, Kansas City, Topeka, and Olathe

Kansas climate data from NOAA Climate at a Glance

A fresh climate update for Kansas is being generated…

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At a Glance

Temperature – Average

Kansas
United States
Global
Land + Ocean
Jul
+1.2°C· 18th
27.2°C
+1.8°C· 1st
24.9°C
+1.0°C· 2nd
17.0°C
Record
29.7°C (1980)
24.9°C (2026)
17.0°C (2024)
May–Jul
+0.8°C· 22nd
23.1°C
+1.2°C· 5th
21.0°C
+1.0°C· 2nd
16.5°C
Record
25.0°C (2012)
21.6°C (2018)
16.5°C (2024)
2025
+1.0°C· 13th
13.3°C
+1.4°C· 4th
12.6°C
+1.0°C· 3rd
15.0°C
Record
14.6°C (2012)
13.1°C (2024)
15.2°C (2024)
Headline: anomaly vs your selected baseline (falls back to the 1961–1990 mean for a column without enough history for it) · Small figure: the actual value · Record = value on record for the ranking above

Climate Map – US

Source: NOAA Climate at a Glance — US states & climate regions (tavg, pcp), plus GPCC (Snow, water-equivalent). Anomalies are vs the 1961–1990 baseline. See methodology.

Typical Climate – Kansas

Köppen Dwa · Continental

Kansas has a continental climate (Köppen Dwa: Humid continental - dry winter, hot summer), with both a warm/cold cycle and a wet/dry cycle through the year. July is typically the warmest month, averaging 26.2°C, while January is the coldest at -0.6°C. Annual precipitation averages around 722mm, concentrated mostly in the wet season.

Warmest month
Jul 26°C
Coldest month
Jan -1°C
Annual rainfall
636mm
Wettest month
May 129mm
Annual snowfall
86mmwater-equiv.
Snowiest month
Jan 18mm
RainSnow (water-equivalent)

Monthly climate normals (20162025) - bar colour and height show average temperature, the shaded area shows average monthly rain, with snow (water-equivalent) shown separately.

Data: NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information (temperature/precipitation; frost: World Bank CCKP; snow: GPCC (DWD)).

Long-Term Trends

Combined TimelineKansas

Right axis: everything else standardized to standard deviations (σ) from its own average, since mm/hours/days aren't directly comparable to °C or to each other.

MetricTemperature
10-Yr AverageActual Year

Data: NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information (temperature/precipitation; frost: World Bank CCKP; snow: GPCC (DWD)).

Heatwave Days – Kansas

Warm Spell Duration Index (WSDI) - the WMO/ETCCDI heatwave measure: days in a 6+ day run above the local 90th-percentile temperature for that time of year.

Heatwave Days per Year2012 (Record)10-Yr Avg

Data: World Bank Climate Change Knowledge Portal (ERA5-derived). Refreshed roughly 1-2x/year, ~7-8 months behind present.

Year-on-Year Trends

The 4byo Climate Helix – Kansas

1950202619611990 baselineColdest (1993)20162025 meanWarmest (2012)2026 so far
2026Jul
WetDryJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec1950-792016-25Wet Start−3 days1950-792016-25Wet End−7 days-5°10°15°20°25°30°
Temp
14.6°C
+2.4 vs base
Precipitation
450mm
-252 vs base
Frost
days
Playback
8×
Mode
Presets

Data: NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information (temperature/precipitation; frost: World Bank CCKP; snow: GPCC (DWD)).

Monthly TemperatureKansas

All years since 19872012 (Warmest)1993 (Coldest)2026 (Current Year)

Background lines show the last 40 years (plus the record year and its opposite, wherever they fall).

Data: NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information (temperature/precipitation; frost: World Bank CCKP; snow: GPCC (DWD)).

Records – Kansas

Latest data Jul 2026
Warmest year
2012
14.6°C
Coldest year
1993
11.1°C
2026 so far
#2/77
14.6°C

NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information (frost: World Bank CCKP; snow: GPCC (DWD)) - Anomalies vs 1901-2000 mean

Shifting Seasons

Warm/cold + wet/dryKöppen Dwa · Continental

Kansas 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.

Shifting summer
4 days Longer
Warm Season
1950–1979 Baseline: 17 Apr → 22 Oct · 188 days
2016–2025 Now: 15 Apr → 25 Oct · 192 days
J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Spr 1 day EarlierAut 3 days Later
Shifting wet season
4 days Shorter
Wet Season
1950–1979 Baseline: 12 May → 4 Sept · 115 days
2016–2025 Now: 9 May → 27 Aug · 110 days
J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Onset 3 days EarlierEnd 7 days Earlier
+5.7% annual rain
baseline yr·recent yr·ring = global temp anomaly
Wet-season onset
12 May9 May
3 days Earlier
When 25% of annual rain has fallen
Wet-season end
4 Sept27 Aug
7 days Earlier
When 75% of annual rain has fallen
Peak-rain month
JunMay
-1 month
Wet months: 66

Monthly precipitation 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 (temperature/precipitation; frost: World Bank CCKP; snow: GPCC (DWD)).

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.

What is the climate like in Kansas?

Kansas has a continental climate (Köppen Dwa: Humid continental - dry winter, hot summer), with both a warm/cold cycle and a wet/dry cycle through the year. July is typically the warmest month, averaging 26.2°C, while January is the coldest at -0.6°C. Annual precipitation averages around 722mm, concentrated mostly in the wet season.

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.

What counts as a Heatwave Day on the Kansas climate page?

Heatwave Days use the Warm Spell Duration Index (WSDI) - the WMO/ETCCDI-standard heatwave measure: days that are part of a run of 6 or more consecutive days above the local 90th-percentile temperature for that calendar day. The 90th-percentile threshold varies by time of year (a hot day in January is judged differently to one in July) but is fixed to the 1961-1990 baseline for every year shown - it does not shift as the climate warms, which is why Heatwave Days trend upward over time.

Does the Kansas climate page include frost and snow data?

Yes. Frost Days (days with a minimum temperature below 0°C, World Bank CCKP) and snow water-equivalent (GPCC) are shown alongside temperature and precipitation, each measured against the 1961-1990 baseline where a like-for-like historical comparison is available.