Kansas City's cold snap: When will the metro get out of the deep freeze?

Robert A. Cronkleton, The Kansas City Star on Jan 26, 2026

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Sunseekers hoping for warmth will be disappointed this week: Kansas City will face a stretch of very cold days with temperatures staying below freezing, according to the National Weather Service.

With January ending soon, a late-month thaw isn’t in sight.

Temperatures dipped to minus 5 degrees shortly before 7 a.m. Monday at Kansas City International Airport (MCI). Wind chills made it feel much colder, dropping to around minus 16.

“An arctic air mass across the region has led to subzero temperatures across the region this morning,” the weather service said on X, formerly Twitter. “While temperatures are expected to increase today, winds will also increase, keeping wind chill values in the single digits throughout the day.”

Temperatures will struggle to reach 20 degrees in the metro, well below the average of 39 degrees for this time of year. Wind chills will remain below zero until the afternoon, then hover in the single digits.

Temperatures are not expected to be as cold overnight as in the past few days, remaining in the mid-teens due to a shift in winds. Wind chills should remain above zero overnight.

Warmer weather, albeit still well below normal, is expected midweek, with temperatures climbing to around 28 degrees on Tuesday and 33 degrees on Wednesday, likely the warmest day of the week.

Cold air is expected to return, keeping temperatures in the mid-20s on Thursday and the mid-teens on Friday. Temperatures should remain below average this weekend, with temperatures near 24 degrees on Saturday before rising to slightly above freezing on Sunday.

Most of the week will be dry, except for a few chances of light snow on Friday and Saturday, with any accumulation expected to be minor.

With January wrapping up with mostly sub-freezing temperatures, folks in Kansas City will want to stay bundled up when heading outside.