Climate and Average Weather Year Round in Kearney United States

In Kearney, the summers are hot, muggy, and wet; the winters are very cold, snowy, and windy; and it is partly cloudy year round. Over the course of the year, the temperature typically varies from 22°F to 89°F and is rarely below 5°F or above 97°F.

Based on the tourism score, the best time of year to visit Kearney for warm-weather activities is from late May to mid September.

The hot season lasts for 3.5 months, from May 29 to September 14, with an average daily high temperature above 79°F. The hottest month of the year in Kearney is July, with an average high of 88°F and low of 68°F.

The cold season lasts for 3.0 months, from November 25 to February 26, with an average daily high temperature below 49°F. The coldest month of the year in Kearney is January, with an average low of 22°F and high of 40°F.

In Kearney, the average percentage of the sky covered by clouds experiences significant seasonal variation over the course of the year.

The clearer part of the year in Kearney begins around June 8 and lasts for 4.6 months, ending around October 28.

The clearest month of the year in Kearney is September, during which on average the sky is clear, mostly clear, or partly cloudy 70% of the time.

The cloudier part of the year begins around October 28 and lasts for 7.4 months, ending around June 8.

The cloudiest month of the year in Kearney is February, during which on average the sky is overcast or mostly cloudy 51% of the time.

A wet day is one with at least 0.04 inches of liquid or liquid-equivalent precipitation. The chance of wet days in Kearney varies significantly throughout the year.

The wetter season lasts 5.9 months, from March 27 to September 23, with a greater than 27% chance of a given day being a wet day. The month with the most wet days in Kearney is June, with an average of 12.4 days with at least 0.04 inches of precipitation.

The drier season lasts 6.1 months, from September 23 to March 27. The month with the fewest wet days in Kearney is January, with an average of 3.5 days with at least 0.04 inches of precipitation.

Among wet days, we distinguish between those that experience rain alone, snow alone, or a mixture of the two. The month with the most days of rain alone in Kearney is June, with an average of 12.4 days. Based on this categorization, the most common form of precipitation throughout the year is rain alone, with a peak probability of 45% on June 7.

Rainfall

To show variation within the months and not just the monthly totals, we show the rainfall accumulated over a sliding 31-day period centered around each day of the year. Kearney experiences extreme seasonal variation in monthly rainfall.

Rain falls throughout the year in Kearney. The month with the most rain in Kearney is May, with an average rainfall of 4.8 inches.

The month with the least rain in Kearney is January, with an average rainfall of 0.5 inches.

Snowfall

As with rainfall, we consider the snowfall accumulated over a sliding 31-day period centered around each day of the year. Kearney experiences some seasonal variation in monthly snowfall.

The snowy period of the year lasts for 4.1 months, from November 15 to March 20, with a sliding 31-day snowfall of at least 1.0 inches. The month with the most snow in Kearney is January, with an average snowfall of 3.3 inches.

The snowless period of the year lasts for 7.9 months, from March 20 to November 15. The least snow falls around July 22, with an average total accumulation of 0.0 inches.

The length of the day in Kearney varies significantly over the course of the year. In 2024, the shortest day is December 21, with 9 hours, 23 minutes of daylight; the longest day is June 20, with 14 hours, 57 minutes of daylight.

The earliest sunrise is at 5:50 AM on June 13, and the latest sunrise is 1 hour, 57 minutes later at 7:47 AM on November 2. The earliest sunset is at 4:53 PM on December 7, and the latest sunset is 3 hours, 55 minutes later at 8:48 PM on June 27.

Daylight saving time (DST) is observed in Kearney during 2024, starting in the spring on March 10, lasting 7.8 months, and ending in the fall on November 3.

The figure below presents a compact representation of key lunar data for 2024. The horizontal axis is the day, the vertical axis is the hour of the day, and the colored areas indicate when the moon is above the horizon. The vertical gray bars (new Moons) and blue bars (full Moons) indicate key Moon phases.

We base the humidity comfort level on the dew point, as it determines whether perspiration will evaporate from the skin, thereby cooling the body. Lower dew points feel drier and higher dew points feel more humid. Unlike temperature, which typically varies significantly between night and day, dew point tends to change more slowly, so while the temperature may drop at night, a muggy day is typically followed by a muggy night.

Kearney experiences extreme seasonal variation in the perceived humidity.

The muggier period of the year lasts for 3.9 months, from May 23 to September 20, during which time the comfort level is muggy, oppressive, or miserable at least 17% of the time. The month with the most muggy days in Kearney is July, with 20.8 days that are muggy or worse.

The month with the fewest muggy days in Kearney is January, with 0.0 days that are muggy or worse.

This section discusses the wide-area hourly average wind vector (speed and direction) at 10 meters above the ground. The wind experienced at any given location is highly dependent on local topography and other factors, and instantaneous wind speed and direction vary more widely than hourly averages.

The average hourly wind speed in Kearney experiences significant seasonal variation over the course of the year.

The windier part of the year lasts for 7.3 months, from October 12 to May 20, with average wind speeds of more than 10.2 miles per hour. The windiest month of the year in Kearney is March, with an average hourly wind speed of 12.2 miles per hour.

The calmer time of year lasts for 4.7 months, from May 20 to October 12. The calmest month of the year in Kearney is August, with an average hourly wind speed of 8.1 miles per hour.

The predominant average hourly wind direction in Kearney varies throughout the year.

The wind is most often from the south for 9.0 months, from March 20 to December 19, with a peak percentage of 52% on July 4. The wind is most often from the north for 3.0 months, from December 19 to March 20, with a peak percentage of 32% on January 1.

To characterize how pleasant the weather is in Kearney throughout the year, we compute two travel scores.

The tourism score favors clear, rainless days with perceived temperatures between 65°F and 80°F. Based on this score, the best time of year to visit Kearney for general outdoor tourist activities is from late May to mid September, with a peak score in the last week of August.

The beach/pool score favors clear, rainless days with perceived temperatures between 75°F and 90°F. Based on this score, the best time of year to visit Kearney for hot-weather activities is from late June to mid August, with a peak score in the third week of July.

Methodology

For each hour between 8:00 AM and 9:00 PM of each day in the analysis period (1980 to 2016), independent scores are computed for perceived temperature, cloud cover, and total precipitation. Those scores are combined into a single hourly composite score, which is then aggregated into days, averaged over all the years in the analysis period, and smoothed.

Our cloud cover score is 10 for fully clear skies, falling linearly to 9 for mostly clear skies, and to 1 for fully overcast skies.

Our precipitation score, which is based on the three-hour precipitation centered on the hour in question, is 10 for no precipitation, falling linearly to 9 for trace precipitation, and to 0 for 0.04 inches of precipitation or more.

Our tourism temperature score is 0 for perceived temperatures below 50°F, rising linearly to 9 for 65°F, to 10 for 75°F, falling linearly to 9 for 80°F, and to 1 for 90°F or hotter.

Our beach/pool temperature score is 0 for perceived temperatures below 65°F, rising linearly to 9 for 75°F, to 10 for 82°F, falling linearly to 9 for 90°F, and to 1 for 100°F or hotter.

Definitions of the growing season vary throughout the world, but for the purposes of this report, we define it as the longest continuous period of non-freezing temperatures (≥ 32°F) in the year (the calendar year in the Northern Hemisphere, or from July 1 until June 30 in the Southern Hemisphere).

The growing season in Kearney typically lasts for 6.2 months (188 days), from around April 11 to around October 16, rarely starting before March 23 or after April 28, and rarely ending before September 25 or after November 3.

Growing degree days are a measure of yearly heat accumulation used to predict plant and animal development, and defined as the integral of warmth above a base temperature, discarding any excess above a maximum temperature. In this report, we use a base of 50°F and a cap of 86°F.

Based on growing degree days alone, the first spring blooms in Kearney should appear around March 20, only rarely appearing before March 7 or after April 8.

This section discusses the total daily incident shortwave solar energy reaching the surface of the ground over a wide area, taking full account of seasonal variations in the length of the day, the elevation of the Sun above the horizon, and absorption by clouds and other atmospheric constituents. Shortwave radiation includes visible light and ultraviolet radiation.

The average daily incident shortwave solar energy experiences significant seasonal variation over the course of the year.

The brighter period of the year lasts for 4.0 months, from April 27 to August 26, with an average daily incident shortwave energy per square meter above 6.0 kWh. The brightest month of the year in Kearney is July, with an average of 6.8 kWh.

The darker period of the year lasts for 3.2 months, from November 3 to February 9, with an average daily incident shortwave energy per square meter below 3.0 kWh. The darkest month of the year in Kearney is December, with an average of 2.1 kWh.

For the purposes of this report, the geographical coordinates of Kearney are 39.368 deg latitude, -94.362 deg longitude, and 850 ft elevation.

The topography within 2 miles of Kearney contains only modest variations in elevation, with a maximum elevation change of 184 feet and an average elevation above sea level of 826 feet. Within 10 miles also contains only modest variations in elevation (390 feet). Within 50 miles contains only modest variations in elevation (561 feet).

The area within 2 miles of Kearney is covered by cropland (70%) and artificial surfaces (23%), within 10 miles by cropland (78%) and trees (14%), and within 50 miles by cropland (76%) and trees (13%).