Kansas City in Winter
In winter (December, January and February), Kansas City sees average daytime highs around 42°F and overnight lows near 25°F, with 5.0 in of precipitation over about 17 wet days across the season. It is the coldest season of the year and the driest season of the year.
Across winter, daytime highs hold fairly steady around 42°F. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 35% of the time across winter, and the air most often feels dry.
Winter is Kansas City's weakest season of the year to visit on our travel score. For the whole year in context, see Kansas City's year-round climate.
- Avg daytime high
- 42°F
- coldest season of the year
- Avg overnight low
- 25°F
- Precipitation
- 5.0 in
- 17 wet days
- Avg wind
- 8 mph
- Travel score
- 0.4
- weakest season of the year
- Months
- Dec · Jan · Feb
Temperature in Kansas City in Winter
Across winter, daytime highs hold fairly steady around 42°F.
A typical winter day in Kansas City reaches about 42°F and drops to 25°F overnight. The warmest of the three months is February, the coolest January.
How winter really feels in Kansas City
Once humidity and wind are folded in, winter brings about 0 days that feel above 90°F and 90 that feel at or below 32°F.
The story in winter is cold — wind chill drags the overnight "feels like" below the raw low.
Kansas City weather by month
How the three winter months (December, January and February) compare with the rest of the year — the season's months are highlighted.
| Month | High / Low (°F) | Rainfall (inches) | Wet days | Snow days | Daylight (hours) | Travel score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 39° / 22° | 1.4 | 5.6 | 3.4 | 9.6 | 0.0 |
| Feb | 44° / 26° | 1.8 | 5.9 | 2.8 | 10.5 | 0.7 |
| Mar | 55° / 36° | 3.0 | 9.1 | 1.9 | 11.7 | 3.5 |
| Apr | 65° / 46° | 4.7 | 11.1 | 0.3 | 13 | 5.7 |
| May | 74° / 56° | 5.7 | 12.7 | 0.1 | 14.1 | 6.3 |
| Jun | 83° / 66° | 4.8 | 11.3 | 0 | 14.7 | 5.6 |
| Jul | 88° / 70° | 3.6 | 9.4 | 0 | 14.5 | 4.7 |
| Aug | 86° / 68° | 3.7 | 9 | 0 | 13.5 | 5.2 |
| Sep | 78° / 59° | 3.6 | 8.1 | 0 | 12.3 | 7.1 |
| Oct | 66° / 47° | 3.3 | 8 | 0.2 | 11 | 6.6 |
| Nov | 53° / 36° | 2.3 | 6.4 | 0.9 | 9.9 | 3.4 |
| Dec | 42° / 26° | 1.8 | 5.6 | 2.5 | 9.3 | 0.5 |
Cloud cover in Winter
The sky is clear or mostly clear about 35% of the time across winter.
Chance of precipitation in Winter
Kansas City gets around 5.0 in of rain and snow over 17 wet days across winter. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.
Humidity in Winter
Most of winter feels dry — the stacked bands show each day's mix of comfort levels, read off the dew point.
Wind in Winter
Winds average 8 mph across winter.
Sunrise & sunset in Winter
Daylight runs from about 9 h 30 min in early December to 11 hours by late February. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.
Solar energy in Winter
Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day across winter, about 2.5 kWh/m².
Is winter a good time to visit Kansas City?
Our two travel scores rate winter for general sightseeing and for beach or pool weather — 0 (poor) to 10 (ideal), averaged across the three months.
winter is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Kansas City.
What to pack for Kansas City in Winter
From winter's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.
In winter, Kansas City sees daytime highs around 42°F and nights near 25°F. Pack a warm layer and a heavy coat. About 17 days see rain.
UV index in Kansas City in Winter
Clear-sky midday UV across winter averages around 2. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.
Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Kansas City peaks around June 22 at about 10 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near January 1 at about 2 (low).
The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 10 months of the year.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UV index (midday) | 2 | 3 | 5 | 7 | 7 | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 5 | 3 | 2 |
| Level | Low | Moderate | Moderate | High | High | Very high | Very high | Very high | High | Moderate | Moderate | Low |
| UV index (midday) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 2 | Low |
| Feb | 3 | Moderate |
| Mar | 5 | Moderate |
| Apr | 7 | High |
| May | 7 | High |
| Jun | 10 | Very high |
| Jul | 9 | Very high |
| Aug | 8 | Very high |
| Sep | 7 | High |
| Oct | 5 | Moderate |
| Nov | 3 | Moderate |
| Dec | 2 | Low |
Air quality in Kansas City in Winter
Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see where winter falls, not just the annual average.
Air quality in Kansas City is worst in July — around 16 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.4× the cleanest month (October, 7 µg/m³).
Modeled monthly averages (CAMS reanalysis, 2015–2024).
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PM2.5 (µg/m³) | 10 | 12 | 12 | 11 | 12 | 14 | 16 | 14 | 11 | 7 | 7 | 8 |
| Level | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Good | Good | Good | Good |
| PM2.5 (µg/m³) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 10 | Good |
| Feb | 12 | Good |
| Mar | 12 | Good |
| Apr | 11 | Good |
| May | 12 | Good |
| Jun | 14 | Moderate |
| Jul | 16 | Moderate |
| Aug | 14 | Moderate |
| Sep | 11 | Good |
| Oct | 7 | Good |
| Nov | 7 | Good |
| Dec | 8 | Good |
Where is Kansas City?
Kansas City sits at 39.1°N, 94.6°W, 873 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Kansas City, 3.1 mi away.
Topography around Kansas City
How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 2, 10 and 50 miles of Kansas City.
Within 2 miles, the terrain around Kansas City has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 256 ft around an average of 814 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 407 ft; within 50 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 525 ft.
The land around Kansas City is covered by artificial surfaces (49%) and trees (32%) within 2 miles, trees (57%) and artificial surfaces (24%) within 10 miles, and trees (33%), grassland (32%) and cropland (31%) within 50 miles.
United States travel facts
- Power plugs
- Type A / B
- 120 V · 60 Hz
- Prices
- ≈ 100% of US
- price level, 2025
- GDP per capita
- $90,027
- 2025
- Happiness
- 6.8 / 10
- World Happiness, 2025
- Safe drinking water
- 98%
- of population, 2024
- Homicide rate
- 5.8
- per 100k, 2023
- Road deaths
- 12.7
- per 100k/yr, 2019
- Income group
- High
- World Bank
- Religion
Sources: World Bank, US State Department, World Happiness Report, WHO/UNICEF, EF EPI, CIA World Factbook.
Data sources
Temperature, precipitation, cloud, humidity, wind and solar figures are a 1991–2020 climatology for Kansas City (39.1142°, -94.6275°, elevation 873 ft), computed from hourly ERA5 reanalysis — contains modified Copernicus Climate Change Service information. Sun figures are astronomical calculations, not observations. City data © GeoNames, CC BY 4.0. Map outlines from Natural Earth (public domain); interactive map © Google.