Kansas City Snowfall Totals & Accumulation Averages

This page pulls together information on when, how much and how often Kansas City, Missouri has snow.

There are data and descriptions here of how many days it snows and the total amount of snowfall that Kansas City usually gets. There are also monthly and yearly counts of the days that the city normally has heavy snowstorms and deep snow accumulated on the ground. Plus there's information on when Kansas City can expect the first and last snowfalls of the season.

The first set of monthly snow totals are averages for 2010 to 2019. All the other numbers are averages, based on weather data gathered from 1991 to 2020 at the Kansas City Downtown Airport.

How Often it Snows in Kansas City

The next two tables list monthly and yearly totals for amount of snow and how many days it snows at least 0.1 inches (0.25 centimetres).

10-year snowfall averages at Kansas City, 2010 to 2019
Days   Inches Centi­metres
1.7 January 5.1 12.9
2.1 February 8.1 20.5
0.7 March 2.3 5.9
0.1 April 0.2 0.5
0.0 October 0.2 0.4
0.2 November 0.9 2.2
1.2 December 2.6 6.7
6.0 Year 19.5 49.4
30-year snowfall averages at Kansas City, 1991 to 2020
Days   Inches Centi­metres
4.4 January 4.9 12.4
3.1 February 5.9 15.0
1.7 March 1.7 4.3
0.4 April 0.3 0.8
0.2 October 0.3 0.8
1.0 November 1.1 2.8
3.0 December 4.0 10.2
13.8 Year 18.2 46.2

These averages don't show how different from one year to the next the amount of snow that Kansas City gets.

In December, for instance, one in four years totals over 5.7 inches of snow. Another 25 percent of years receive less than half an inch for the month.

Similarly in January, fresh snowfall in the heaviest years amounts to over seven inches, while the lightest years get 1.5 inches or less.

New snow for February ranges from over 9.3 inches in heavy snowfall years to under one inch in light years.

When Kansas City Has Its First & Last Snowfalls

The first snowfall of winter for Kansas City usually arrives in December. But November and even October are known to occasionally get a little snow.

The season's last snowfall usually is in March. Although rare, April does get a light dusting of snow in some years.

Kansas City is normally free of snow every year from May to September.

How Many Snowstorms Kansas City Gets

For six days a year on average, the amount of new snow in landing on Kansas City totals at least an inch.

Snowstorms of over five inches a day typically don't occur every year. Major blizzards that dump ten inches or more in one day are not at all normal here.

Number of days per month and year on average in Kansas City with a total snowfall of at least 1, 3, 5 or 10 inches
1 inch
2.5 cm
3 inches
7.6 cm
  5 inches
12.7 cm
10 inches
25.4 cm
1.7 0.3 January 0.2 0.0
1.5 0.6 February 0.3 0.0
0.5 0.1 March 0.0 0.0
0.2 0.0 April 0.0 0.0
0.1 0.0 October 0.0 0.0
0.3 0.1 November 0.1 0.0
1.5 0.3 December 0.1 0.0
5.8 1.4 Year 0.7 0.0

How Much Snow Normally Accumulates in Kansas City

Only a small portion of winter days at Kansas City have an inch or more of snow on the ground.

For three or four days a year, the snow covering Kansas City builds up to five or more inches deep. Most years, the snowpack never tops ten inches.

Average total days per month and year in Kansas City with snow depth of at least 1, 3, 5 or 10 inches on the ground
1 inch
2.5 cm
3 inches
7.6 cm
  5 inches
12.7 cm
10 inches
25.4 cm
8.0 3.3 January 1.3 0.1
5.0 2.5 February 1.3 0.2
1.9 0.8 March 0.3 0.0
0.2 0.0 April 0.0 0.0
0.1 0.0 October 0.0 0.0
0.7 0.2 November 0.1 0.0
4.7 1.8 December 0.8 0.0
20.6 8.6 Year 3.8 0.3
References

Jay Lawrimore, Ron Ray, Scott Applequist, Bryant Korzeniewski, Matthew Menne. 2016. Global Summary of the Month and Year, Version 1.0. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information.

NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI). Climate Normals.

Missouri Snowfall
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