Kansas City sits at the confluence of the Missouri and Kansas rivers in the American Midwest, on the edge of the Great Plains at approximately 39.10°N, 94.58°W. Its central continental position gives it a humid continental climate (Köppen Dfa) — with hot, humid summers and cold winters — and a wide temperature range.

Summer, from June to August, is hot and humid, with July the warmest month — average highs around 32°C — and heatwaves that can exceed 38°C, made oppressive by Gulf humidity. It is the wettest season, with frequent and often severe afternoon thunderstorms bringing hail, damaging winds and occasional tornadoes.

Winter, from December to February, is cold, with January the coldest month — average highs around 4°C and lows near -7°C, with Arctic outbreaks that can plunge below -20°C. Snow falls, around 45 cm a year, and the open plains give no shelter from the wind; ice storms are an occasional hazard.

Kansas City receives around 1,000–1,050 mm of precipitation a year, with a clear spring and summer maximum from thunderstorms and a drier winter; the plains to the west grow steadily drier, and drought is a periodic risk. Live rainfall, humidity, and pressure readings for the city are shown in the panels above.

Kansas City sits at the eastern edge of Tornado Alley, where warm, moist Gulf air collides with dry air off the plains and cold air from Canada — the classic recipe for the violent supercell thunderstorms and tornadoes that strike the region most often in April, May and June.

To follow any single measurement in Kansas City more closely, use our live instruments: the online barometer for atmospheric pressure, the thermometer for temperature, the hygrometer for humidity, the anemometer for wind speed, the wind vane for wind direction, and the rain gauge for rainfall.