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 While the weather in Wichita is relatively mild both in
summer and winter, ours is a four-season climate with very distinct weather
changes. Our climate is best described as mild with short periods of weather
extremes, and the sun shines for at least part of 225 days on average every
year.
Wichita's weather is influenced, like most weather in the Great
Plains, by warm air masses, laden with moisture, moving north from the Gulf of
Mexico. These warm air masses meet and interact with colder air which pushes
south from Arctic regions. The point of collision between the two air masses is
determined by where the jet stream, a west to east flow of air in the upper
atmosphere, is located. In many respects, the jet stream forms a boundary, in
some cases a barricade, to either of the two air masses.
A significant
element of weather in Wichita which affects both temperature extremes is the
wind. Even on the hottest days of summer, when temperatures can rise to over
100 degrees, a prevailing wind from the south (and relatively low humidities)
keep the heat from becoming oppressive.
 In the winter, the same wind can bring wind chills to well below
zero one day and almost spring-like weather the next. Still, weather extremes
don't usually last very long, normally only a few days.
Known for the
presence of tornados, Kansas is free of earthquakes, hurricanes, smog and tidal
waves.
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Tornado
Strikes Wichita!
 Early in the evening on
May 3, 1999, an F4 rated tornado struck Haysville and Wichita killing six,
injuring as many as 100, and damaging or destroying 150 homes and 27 businesses
along its 12 mile path of destruction. |
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Average Temperature/Precipitation by Month
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Avg. Low |
Avg. High |
Precip. |
Snow
(in.) |
| January |
21.5 |
40.8 |
0.81 |
5 |
| February |
24.7 |
45.5 |
1.11 |
4 |
| March |
33.7 |
56.1 |
1.97 |
3 |
| April |
45.2 |
67.4 |
2.79 |
0 |
| May |
54.9 |
75.8 |
4.21 |
0 |
| June |
64.6 |
86.0 |
4.46 |
0 |
| July |
69.5 |
91.5 |
3.31 |
0 |
| August |
68.3 |
90.6 |
3.03 |
0 |
| September |
60.0 |
82.0 |
3.24 |
0 |
| October |
48.2 |
70.4 |
2.37 |
0 |
| November |
34.7 |
55.2 |
1.50 |
1 |
| December |
25.2 |
44.0 |
1.09 |
3 |
Tornado near Sedgwick, Ks April 9, 1990. Photo by Matt
Dennis
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