How cold and snowy will this winter be in Kansas City? See new weather predictions
It’s finally starting to feel like fall in Kansas City, with the sun setting earlier and temperatures dropping overnight.
Winter may still feel like a long way off — but with just 40 days left until December, residents may be wondering what conditions are in store for the 2024 holiday season and beyond.
That’s why the National Weather Service runs the Climate Prediction Center, which gives the chances of variations in temperature and precipitation compared to an average year.
Here’s what the agency’s maps have to say about the Kansas City area.
What will temperatures look like in Kansas City this winter?
Temperatures are forecast to be around average during December, January and February in the Kansas City area.
According to data from 1991 through 2020, these will be the three coldest months of the year in Kansas City. Here are the typical high, low and average temperatures each month based on the last 30 years of data:
December — Average high: 42.3 degrees, average low: 23.9, average normal: 33.1
January — Average high: 38.4 degrees, average low: 19.5, average normal: 29
February — Average high: 43.6 degrees, average low: 23.6, average normal: 33.6
While temperatures overall have been getting hotter in recent years due to global warming, the Climate Prediction Center doesn’t anticipate this winter will be significantly above or below these average temperatures.
However, this prediction just offers an overview — storms or other weather events could easily cause temperatures far outside these ranges for some period of time.
How much snow can Kansas City expect this winter?
Like the temperature forecast, this winter’s precipitation predictions estimate an average amount of rain and snow in the Kansas City area.
Based on data from 1991 to 2020, the winter months are generally the driest time of the year. The metro averages around 1.6 inches of precipitation in December, 1.2 inches in January and 1.5 inches in February.
That’s just 4.3 inches altogether for the winter season — and it could represent any mix of rain and snow, depending on local temperatures at the time.
That being said, precipitation is harder to predict months in advance than temperatures are due to the constantly changing and hyper local nature of many storm systems. While the metro is unlikely to see constant rainfall or snowfall this winter, a white Christmas could still be on the table if the right conditions align.
Do you have more questions about weather or climate in the Kansas City area? Ask the Service Journalism team at kcq@kcstar.com.
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