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Wichita Climate!
When you visit, be sure and grab your shades. Wichita has more sunny
days than Florida! On average, Wichitans enjoy 225 sunny days per year.
Wichita’s elevation is just over 1,300 feet above sea level. It’s
located in the Central Great Plains where masses of warm moist air from
the Gulf of Mexico collide with cold dry air from the Arctic region.
Consequently, Wichita enjoys a distinct four season climate and wide
range of weather the year around. Wichita’s climate is best described as
mild, with brief periods of extremes.
Kansas is among the top 10 “sunniest” states in the country with more
sunny days than Florida! Wichita averages 128 clear days and 97 partly
cloudy days per year, for a total of 225 days of sunshine. Wichita
Mid-Continent Airport operates under VFR (Visual Flight Rules)
conditions about 91% of the time. The prevailing wind is southerly and
averages about 12 miles per hour.
Summers are usually tolerably warm and moderated by steady wind and
relatively low humidity. Temperatures above 90 degrees occur an average
of 63 days per year. Winters are usually mild with short periods of very
cold weather. Temperatures below zero occur about four days per year.
Rainfall averages about 29 inches per year, with 70 percent occurring
during the April to September growing season. Snowfall is light,
averaging 15 inches per year from December through March. Occurrences of
more than one inch of snow, ice or sleet happen on average about five
times per year. Occurrences of more than three inches happen about twice
per year. Snow seldom covers the ground for a period greater than three
days.
The movie “The Wizard of Oz” gave Kansas an unwarranted reputation as a
high tornado risk state. Kansas ranks sixth among states in average
number of tornados per year (Texas, Oklahoma and Florida top the list.)
Kansas weather is generally benign and most Kansans have never seen a
tornado. In fact, in a study based on area and frequency over the last
40 years, the likelihood of experiencing a tornado in Wichita’s Sedgwick
County has been estimated as follows: any given section of land (one
square mile) in the county, would be directly affected by a tornado an
average of once every 1,460 years. Civil defense systems are in place to
ensure adequate warning in case of severe weather.
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