Lawrence climate — normals and trends
Lawrence (United States) has a hot-summer humid continental climate (Dfa) under the Köppen-Geiger classification. Its mean annual temperature is 12.7 °C and it receives 974 mm of precipitation per year.
These figures are normals computed over 86 complete calendar years, from 1940 to 2025, using ERA5 reanalysis data from the Copernicus programme.
The warmest month is July (26.1 °C on average) and the coldest is January (-2.0 °C). Rainfall peaks in May.
Lawrence averages 96 frost days, 58 hot days (≥ 30 °C) and 103 rainy days per year.
Lawrence has warmed by +1.5 °C between 1940 and 2025, or +0.17 °C per decade. This trend is statistically significant.
The number of frost days there went from about 105 to 87 per year over the period.
The hottest day of the period reached 42.9 °C (on 13 July 1954) and the coldest -31.9 °C (on 23 December 1989).
Data from ERA5 reanalysis (Copernicus Climate Change Service), redistributed under a CC-BY 4.0 licence. Normals are recomputed whenever the archive is updated.
Climate normals · ERA5
LawrenceKansas
- coords
- 38.97°, -95.24°
- period
- 1940–2025 · 86 yrs
Mean daily temperature
12.7°C
Average daily high
17.9°C
Average daily low
7.9°C
Annual rainfall
974mm
Sunshine / day
9.3h
Mean relative humidity
68%
Average peak wind
18.8km/h
Seasonal range
28.1°C
Frost days (< 0 °C)
96 d/yr
Hot days (≥ 30 °C)
58 d/yr
Rainy days (≥ 1 mm)
103 d/yr
Annual snowfall
44.3 cm
Average feels-like high
16.7 °C
Average feels-like low
5.5 °C
Average peak gust
38.5 km/h
Tropical nights (≥ 20 °C)
59 d/yr
Solar radiation
15.9 MJ/m²
Has the climate changed?
One stripe per year, 1940 to 2025
+1.5 °C
since 1940
+0.2 °C per decade · r² = 0.24 · p = < 0.001
Trend fitted by linear regression (ordinary least squares) on annual means. A trend is shown only when it is statistically significant (p < 0.05).
A climograph overlays rainfall (bars) and temperature (line): the standard reading in climatology, where you can see at a glance whether the warm season is also the dry one.
Records for the period
Hottest day
42.9 °C
13 July 1954
Coldest day
-31.9 °C
23 December 1989
Wettest day
132 mm
13 September 1961
Windiest day
50.0 km/h
5 May 1950
Strongest gust
112.3 km/h
15 December 2021
Hottest feels-like
46.2 °C
13 July 1954
Coldest feels-like
-37.5 °C
23 December 1989
Snowiest day
23.3 cm
22 October 1996
Sunniest day
14.7 h
22 June 2025
Normals computed over complete calendar years 1940–2025.
A specific year
Pick a year and see how it compares to normal — warmer, drier or more extreme than usual?
Across the whole year
Month by month
| High | vs. normal | Precipitation | vs. normal | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 0.7 °C | -2.3 °C | 56 mm | +20 mm |
| Feb | 4.1 °C | -1.8 °C | 14 mm | -27 mm |
| Mar | 17.5 °C | +5.7 °C | 89 mm | +9 mm |
| Apr | 19.0 °C | +0.8 °C | 138 mm | +30 mm |
| May | 23.0 °C | -0.3 °C | 126 mm | -10 mm |
| Jun | 28.9 °C | +0.3 °C | 175 mm | +45 mm |
| Jul | 31.2 °C | +0.1 °C | 186 mm | +103 mm |
| Aug | 29.1 °C | -1.3 °C | 51 mm | -35 mm |
| Sep | 27.0 °C | +1.0 °C | 85 mm | -10 mm |
| Oct | 21.8 °C | +2.1 °C | 70 mm | -14 mm |
| Nov | 13.7 °C | +2.0 °C | 58 mm | +3 mm |
| Dec | 8.6 °C | +3.2 °C | 14 mm | -26 mm |
The year's extremes
What was the weather like that day?
Your birthday, a wedding, a memorable trip: discover the actual weather for any date since 1940.
Frequently asked questions
What is the climate of Lawrence?
Lawrence has a hot-summer humid continental climate (Köppen Dfa). Over 1940-2025, the average annual temperature is 12.7 °C and it receives 974 mm of precipitation per year.
What is the hottest day ever recorded in Lawrence?
The hottest day measured in Lawrence between 1940 and 2025 was 13 July 1954, reaching 42.9 °C.
What is the coldest day in Lawrence?
The coldest day measured in Lawrence between 1940 and 2025 was 23 December 1989, at -31.9 °C.
Does it snow in Lawrence?
Yes. Lawrence gets on average 44.3 cm of snow per year and has around 96 frost days.
Has the climate of Lawrence warmed?
Yes: Lawrence warmed by +1.5 °C between 1940 and 2025, a statistically significant trend.
What is the wettest day in Lawrence?
The wettest day measured in Lawrence between 1940 and 2025 was 13 September 1961, with 132 mm of rain in 24 hours.
What was the windiest day in Lawrence?
The windiest day measured in Lawrence between 1940 and 2025 was 5 May 1950, with winds reaching 50.0 km/h.
What is the warmest month in Lawrence?
The warmest month in Lawrence is July (26.1 °C on average); the coldest is January (-2.0 °C).
How much does it rain in Lawrence?
Lawrence receives on average 974 mm of precipitation per year, spread over about 103 rainy days.
Is it sunny in Lawrence?
Lawrence gets on average 9.3 hours of sunshine per day, roughly 3,395 hours per year over 1940-2025.
What is the biggest single-day snowfall in Lawrence?
The heaviest 24-hour snowfall measured in Lawrence between 1940 and 2025 was 22 October 1996, with 23.3 cm.
Are there tropical nights in Lawrence?
Yes: Lawrence has on average 59 tropical nights per year (temperature staying above 20 °C), over 1940-2025.
What was the most extreme apparent temperature in Lawrence?
In Lawrence, between 1940 and 2025, the highest apparent temperature reached 46.2 °C on 13 July 1954, and the lowest was -37.5 °C on 23 December 1989.
Compare Lawrence with another city
Pick a second city: its normals will be set against these, indicator by indicator.
Nearby cities
The climate around Lawrence