Layer on the green: KC’s St. Patrick’s Day Parade starts with bit of cold
It will be a shivering start for Kansas City Tuesday morning, and those headed to the annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade will need a little more than the luck of the Irish to stay warm as the area flirts with near-record cold, according to the National Weather Service.
Shortly before 6 a.m., temperatures at Kansas City International Airport (MCI) dipped to 14 degrees, close to the daily record low of 10 degrees set in 1906. The wind chill made it feel closer to 6 degrees.
It will warm up some, but it will still be cold. By the 11:30 a.m. start of the parade, running from 33rd Street through Westport along Broadway, temperatures should be in the mid-20s, with wind chills in the teens, according to the weather service.
Afternoon temperatures are expected to climb to around 40 degrees, between 15 and 20 degrees below the normal high of 56 degrees for this time of year.
A weak clipper system is expected to cross northern Missouri, with the possibility of light snowfall across north-central and northeast Missouri, according to the weather service. No precipitation is expected in the metro area from the storm.
A big warmup is expected this week, with temperatures expected to climb to around 69 degrees on Wednesday and 78 degrees on Thursday.
“By Friday, near record high temperatures are possible,” the weather service said. The daily record for Friday is 82 degrees, set in 1953.
Temperatures will actually be warmer on Saturday, in the mid-80s, but the daily record for that date is 91 degrees, set in 1907.
Depending on how windy it gets, the risk of grass and brush fires could increase later this week.
The second half of the weekend is expected to be cooler, but still above normal. Temperatures on Sunday are expected to be near 73 degrees, dropping to around 60 degrees on Monday.
This story was originally published March 17, 2026 at 7:32 AM.
