Topeka climate
Topeka (Kansas, United States) has a hot-summer humid continental climate (Köppen Dfa). The average temperature over the year is 13 °C55 °F, and about 961 mm38 in of precipitation falls in an average year.
Temperature by month
Precipitation by month
Topeka climate table
| Month | High °C°F | Low °C°F | Mean °C°F | Precip. mmin | Frost days |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 338 | −720 | −229 | 261.0 | 28 |
| Feb | 542 | −622 | 032 | 371.4 | 24 |
| Mar | 1356 | 133 | 744 | 592.3 | 15 |
| Apr | 2067 | 644 | 1355 | 963.8 | 4 |
| May | 2576 | 1355 | 1966 | 1385.4 | 0 |
| Jun | 3085 | 1965 | 2475 | 1345.3 | 0 |
| Jul | 3290 | 2170 | 2780 | 1003.9 | 0 |
| Aug | 3289 | 2067 | 2678 | 1254.9 | 0 |
| Sep | 2781 | 1558 | 2169 | 883.5 | 0 |
| Oct | 1967 | 745 | 1356 | 833.3 | 2 |
| Nov | 1254 | 133 | 644 | 371.4 | 13 |
| Dec | 541 | −524 | 032 | 391.5 | 26 |
| Year | 3290 | −720 | 1355 | 96138 | 113 |
“Year” row: highest monthly high, lowest monthly low, annual mean and annual total. Frost days are for the whole grid cell.
| Month | Humid. | Cloud | Solar | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 78% | 59% | 2.2 | 9:42 |
| Feb | 76% | 61% | 3.0 | 10:41 |
| Mar | 73% | 61% | 3.9 | 11:50 |
| Apr | 70% | 58% | 5.0 | 13:11 |
| May | 73% | 59% | 5.8 | 14:18 |
| Jun | 74% | 49% | 6.6 | 14:54 |
| Jul | 68% | 45% | 6.5 | 14:39 |
| Aug | 68% | 46% | 5.8 | 13:41 |
| Sep | 70% | 42% | 4.8 | 12:23 |
| Oct | 70% | 48% | 3.5 | 11:06 |
| Nov | 74% | 51% | 2.5 | 9:59 |
| Dec | 79% | 59% | 1.9 | 9:26 |
Humid. = average relative humidity at 2 m; cloud = average cloud amount; solar = average daily solar energy reaching the ground in kWh/m² (all-sky); daylight in hours:minutes, calculated for the 15th of each month.
What the climate of Topeka is like
The warmest month is July, with an average high of 32 °C90 °F and a low of 21 °C70 °F. The coldest is January, when highs average 3 °C38 °F and lows −7 °C20 °F. Seasons are strongly marked: the warmest month is on average 28.5 °C51.2 °F warmer than the coldest.
Annual precipitation is moderate at about 961 mm38 in. The wettest three-month stretch is May–July, which brings 39% of the annual total. The wettest month is May (138 mm5.4 in), the driest is January (26 mm1.0 in).
Relative humidity ranges from 68% in August to 79% in December. The clearest skies (lowest average cloud amount, 42%) are typical of September. Average wind speed near the ground ranges from 9 km/h (5 mph) in August to 14 km/h (9 mph) in April. Daylight lasts from about 9.4 hours in December to 14.9 hours in June.
A lasting snow cover is typical in December–February, when the average snow depth in the reanalysis exceeds 10 cm (deepest in January, about 13 cm).
Best time to visit Topeka
Based on these averages, the most comfortable months for sightseeing and outdoor activities are September and October: average highs of 19 °C67 °F to 27 °C81 °F with 83 mm3.3 in to 88 mm3.5 in of precipitation per month.
The most challenging month is January, which is cold, with average highs of 3 °C38 °F.
Comfort score: months are ranked by how close they come to an average high of 21–28 °C (70–82 °F), lows above 5 °C (41 °F), little precipitation and moderate humidity. The best-ranked months of each place are recommended, even where none meets all of these. These are general rules of thumb applied to long-term averages.
What to pack for Topeka
- Winter (December–February) — highs 338 to 5 °C42 °F, lows −720 to −5 °C24 °F, about 34 mm1.3 in of precipitation a month. Pack a warm coat, layers and closed shoes, an extra layer for the cooler mornings and evenings and shoes with good grip, as frost is common.
- Spring (March–May) — highs 1356 to 25 °C76 °F, lows 133 to 13 °C55 °F, about 98 mm3.8 in of precipitation a month. Pack light layers — T-shirts plus a light sweater or jacket, an extra layer for the cooler mornings and evenings and an umbrella or light rain jacket.
- Summer (June–August) — highs 3085 to 32 °C90 °F, lows 1965 to 21 °C70 °F, about 120 mm4.7 in of precipitation a month. Pack very light, breathable clothing, a sun hat and plenty of water and an umbrella or light rain jacket.
- Autumn (September–November) — highs 1254 to 27 °C81 °F, lows 133 to 15 °C58 °F, about 69 mm2.7 in of precipitation a month. Pack light layers — T-shirts plus a light sweater or jacket and an extra layer for the cooler mornings and evenings.
How Topeka compares
Compared with Olathe, about 77 km to the east, Topeka is on average 0.4 °C0.7 °F warmer and receives a similar amount of precipitation.
Of the 222 places in the United States covered by World Climates, Topeka is the 136th warmest by annual mean temperature and the 116th wettest by annual precipitation. See all of them on the United States climate page.
Places in other countries with the most similar temperature and rainfall pattern: Daegu (South Korea, Dwa), Gumi (South Korea, Dwa) and Yangsan (South Korea, Dwa).
Nearby places
- Olathe 77 km · 12 °C54 °F · 999 mm39 in
- Overland Park 87 km · 12 °C54 °F · 1,039 mm41 in
- Kansas City 95 km · 13 °C55 °F · 1,039 mm41 in
- Wichita 209 km · 14 °C58 °F · 851 mm34 in
- Lincoln 212 km · 11 °C52 °F · 752 mm30 in
- Omaha 247 km · 11 °C51 °F · 786 mm31 in
- Columbia 289 km · 13 °C55 °F · 1,044 mm41 in
- Springfield 291 km · 13 °C56 °F · 1,213 mm48 in
Frequently asked questions
What is the warmest month in Topeka?
July is the warmest month in Topeka, with an average high of 32 °C (90 °F) and an average low of 21 °C (70 °F).
What is the coldest month in Topeka?
January is the coldest month, with an average high of 3 °C (38 °F) and an average low of -7 °C (20 °F).
When does it rain the most in Topeka?
May is the wettest month with about 138 mm (5.4 in) of precipitation; January is the driest with about 26 mm (1.0 in).
What is the best time to visit Topeka?
Judging by long-term averages, the most comfortable months are September and October.
About this data
All figures are 25-year averages (January 2001 – December 2025) from the NASA POWER project. Temperature, humidity, wind and precipitation come from the MERRA-2 reanalysis (precipitation is the bias-corrected MERRA-2 product), cloud and solar values from CERES satellite data. They describe a grid cell of roughly 50–70 km, not a single weather station, so they can differ from airport records — most of all on coasts, in mountains and for rainfall. Average highs and lows are the monthly mean temperature plus/minus half of the average daily temperature range. Counts of rainy days are not part of this dataset.