Has Kansas City’s summer felt hotter than usual? Here’s why
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- High humidity, not extreme heat, drove Kansas City's oppressive summer weather.
- Bermuda High and climate change increased moisture and suppressed overnight cooling.
- Kansas City recorded 9.74 inches of rain in July, ranking ninth highest on record.
It’s been a hotter-than-usual summer in Kansas City, but not quite as hot as some people might think.
A recent post on Reddit had one commenter saying that this year “might be the most miserably hot weather” they’ve ever experienced here.
The person, who has lived in the area for over a decade, described planning to do yard work one morning but being “coated in a thick layer of sweat” after stepping outside.
“Not quite sure if I’ve ever experienced humidity quite like this before,” the person shared. “Normally, I can power through hot days just fine, but this is just suffocating.”
Despite the sweltering conditions, it’s been humidity — not extreme heat — that has made this summer feel so oppressive.
Weather experts say a weather pattern known as the Bermuda High, combined with a warming climate that allows air to hold more moisture, has kept humidity levels unusually high for much of the central United States this summer.
It’s not the heat, it’s the humidity
Temperatures in July were about 1.5 degrees above normal, said Chris Bowman, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Kansas City.
“It’s been warmer than normal, but certainly not one of the hottest,” Bowman said.
July’s average temperature was 79.5 degrees, which was just slightly above the average of 78.2 degrees.
So far this summer — June and July — the area’s highest single-day temperature was 96 degrees, reached on Tuesday. That ties for the 24th coolest “hottest day” during this period in 138 years of weather records.
The last time Kansas City broke 100 degrees was Aug. 25, 2023, when temperatures hit 103.
Dew point values, which measure how humid the air feels, have reached the 80s in the metro area. That’s unusual but not unheard of for this time of year, according to Bowman.
“Anytime that dew point gets that high coupled with the heat, it just makes things really, really miserable for anybody that has to be outside,” Bowman said.
The weather service doesn’t keep dew values in its climate records, but Iowa Environmental Mesonet data shows that the average daily dew point values for Kansas City in July were the fourth highest in the past 50 years.
Dew points in the 50s usually feel comfortable. The air feels humid when values climb in the 60s. At 70 degrees or above, the air usually feels sticky, muggy or even or oppressive.
Nighttime temperatures also higher
Much of the country has seen slightly warmer, but not record-breaking, temperatures this summer, said Tom Di Liberto, media director at the climate science nonprofit Climate Central.
“What’s been kind of flying under the radar a bit is that the nighttime temperatures are well above average,” Di Liberto said. Pair that with the high humidity and it leads to a big difference.
Kansas City’s overnight temperatures averaged 70.5 degrees in July, a little more than 2 degrees above the normal of 68.1 degrees. Higher overnight temperatures pose a health risk because they prevent the body from adequately cooling down after a hot day.
“The story of the summer has been the humidity, which, coupled with the warm summer temps, leads to it feeling just disgusting outside,” Di Liberto said.
Where is all the moisture coming from?
Much of the central to eastern United States has been locked in with consistently moist air for July, Di Liberto said.
“July is normally the most humid month of the year to begin with, but even with that said, this month has been relentless for a lot of places,” Di Liberto said. “It’s like Groundhog Day, where you’re hot and uncomfortable and sweating, and it feels like you’re not walking through the air, you’re swimming through it, because it’s just so humid and thick.”
One reason for the humidity, Di Liberto said, is that the Bermuda High — a high-pressure system usually off Bermuda — has shifted west, pushing sustained moisture into the region. The Bermuda High is also over water that is warmer than average.
Climate change, which allows the atmosphere to hold more moisture, is another factor.
“Put those two things together, and you can get this sort of situation where you’re dealing with incessant humid heat and also the chance of flash flooding and heavy rainfall, which we’ve seen across much of this region over the last month as well,” Di Liberto said.
Kansas City recorded 9.74 inches of rain in July, the ninth highest on record and more than double what it typically receives.
There has been some talk nationally about evapotranspiration, commonly referred to as “corn sweat,” making things muggier.
Bowman, however, says it’s not the main culprit for the city’s humidity, but it can have an effect in rural areas with more farmland.
What does the rest of summer hold?
The Kansas City area is getting a break from the heat and the higher humidity, with pleasant weather expected through the weekend.
Afternoon temperatures are expected to be in the mid-70s to around 80 degrees, dipping to the upper 50s and lower 60s overnight.
Temperatures are expected to return to near-normal (89 degrees), in the latter half of next week, and dew points will rise, “but not nearly like it is when they’re in the 80s,” Bowman said.
Kansas City is in its hottest stretch of the year. Temperatures begin their seasonal decline soon, but that doesn’t mean summer heat is over.
“We don’t see normal conditions very much around here,” Bowman said.
During hot and humid weather, it’s essential for people to take frequent breaks, drink plenty of water, wear light-colored clothing, and seek an air-conditioned building to cool off if they must be outside for an extended period, Bowman said.
There is nothing in the extended forecast that indicates that Kansas City will see temperatures soar to 100 degrees in the remaining weeks of summer.
But Bowman noted: “We can still have heat waves in August.”
