Burlington, Kansas Weather
Fireflies pulse through the magnolias. Day 78 of spring. Read this microseason across nine climate regions →
Burlington weather forecast — hour by hour, 7-day outlook, NOAA radar
- TodayJun 5Thunderstorm——89°70°—
- SaturdayJun 6Overcast23%—86°68°-3°
- SundayJun 7Heavy Drizzle76%—79°66°-7°
- MondayJun 8Thunderstorm54%—88°71°+9°
- TuesdayJun 9Thunderstorm42%—90°74°+2°
- WednesdayJun 10Partly Cloudy——89°74°-1°
- ThursdayJun 11Drizzle——91°68°+2°
AQI 45 (Good), driven by PM2.5. AQI down 7 over the last 6 hours (steady decline since this morning). PM2.5 at 8.1 µg/m³, PM10 at 8.3 µg/m³ — typical background levels with no transport signature.
OK No precautions needed for the general population; unusually sensitive individuals may consider limiting prolonged outdoor exertion.
What's driving it
Ozone × UV × Sky
Ozone at AQI 38. Overcast through the UV peak window (cloud cover ~100%) — afternoon ozone should stay flat.
- Present
- AQI 38
- UV peak
- 3.3 at 1 PM
- Sky at peak
- overcast
- Projected peak
- AQI 8
PM × Wind × Precip
PM2.5 at 8.1 µg/m³, PM10 at 8.3 µg/m³ — typical background levels with no transport signature.
- PM2.5/PM10
- 0.98
- Wind
- breezy
- Recent rain
- 0h in last 6h
- Pattern
- background
Trends
Seven days of AQI and PM2.5.
Hourly air-quality data from the Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service, charted across the past and next several days. Dashed lines mark the AQI breakpoints at 50 (Good → Moderate) and 100 (Moderate → Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups).
The higher the clouds, the finer the weather.
- Moonrise
- 5:19 AM
- Moonset
- 3:35 PM
- In sign
- ♒︎ Aquarius
Fireflies pulse through the magnolias
Burlington at a glance
- Today vs. normal: 3°F below the seasonal normal for this latitude
- Last frost: April 5 (climatological average for this latitude)
- Microseason: Jun 1–5
- Planting window: Harvest spring lettuce before it bolts. Sow heat-tolerant greens.
Right now in the garden
Peak growing season
As of June 5, the growing season is at its peak — frost is months away. Continue succession-planting beans and summer squash. Start fall brassicas (broccoli, cabbage, kale) from seed indoors for transplanting in late summer.
SPC Convective Outlook
Storm Prediction Center — Burlington
SPC has placed Burlington in the Marginal Risk category for severe thunderstorms today.
- TODAYMRGLMarginal Risk
- TOMORROWTSTMGeneral Thunderstorms
- DAY 3TSTMGeneral Thunderstorms
Isolated severe storms possible. Limited threat for hail or damaging wind.
Source: NOAA / NWS Storm Prediction Center categorical convective outlook. Outlooks are re-issued multiple times per day; this page reflects the most recent SPC polygons covering the city’s coordinates.
Planting calendar
| Month | Plant | Harvest |
|---|---|---|
| January | — | — |
| February | — | — |
| March | — | — |
| April | lettuce, peas, spinach, radishes | — |
| May | lettuce, peas, spinach, radishes, tomatoes, peppers, beans, squash | lettuce, peas, radishes |
| June | tomatoes, peppers, beans, squash | lettuce, peas, radishes |
| July | tomatoes, peppers, beans, squash | tomatoes, beans, summer squash |
| August | — | tomatoes, beans, summer squash |
| September | fall brassicas, garlic (overwinter), carrots | tomatoes, beans, summer squash |
| October | fall brassicas, garlic (overwinter), carrots | winter squash, tomatoes (last) |
| November | — | — |
| December | — | — |
A year in weather
Burlington's warmest month is July (~79°F mean) and its coldest is January (~30°F). Rainfall peaks in May (5.3 inches) and bottoms out in January (0.9 inches).
| Month | Mean temp | Precip | Rainy days |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 30° | 0.9″ | 2 |
| February | 35° | 1.3″ | 3 |
| March | 45° | 2.2″ | 4 |
| April | 56° | 3.7″ | 5 |
| May | 66° | 5.3″ | 7 |
| June | 75° | 4.6″ | 6 |
| July | 79° | 4.5″ | 6 |
| August | 78° | 4.1″ | 5 |
| September | 70° | 3.8″ | 5 |
| October | 58° | 3.4″ | 4 |
| November | 45° | 1.9″ | 3 |
| December | 34° | 1.6″ | 3 |
Regional context
Burlington's baseline climate, derived from NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 normals at the nearest reporting station, swings from a January mean of 30°F to a July mean of 79°F — a 49°F seasonal arc typical of the mid-latitude bands. Annual precipitation runs about 37.2 inches spread across roughly 55 days with measurable rain or snow each year.
Precipitation runs summer-dominant here: May averages 5.3 inches across 7.2 days with measurable rain, driven mostly by warm-season storms and thunderstorm activity, while January drops to just 0.9 inches across 2.3 rainy days under drier cool-season air. That wet-warm-summer pattern groups Burlington with places like New Strawn, KS, LeRoy, KS and Gridley, KS — a regional cohort where summer thunderstorm season carries more than half the annual moisture.
The frost-sensitive growing window opens around mid-April, when overnight lows reliably clear freezing for cool-season crops like peas, lettuce, spinach, and radishes. Warm-season transplants — tomatoes, peppers, and basil — typically wait two weeks past that date to avoid late spring cold snaps. The window closes around mid-November, when overnight lows resume dipping below freezing and frost-tender plants need protection or harvest. The dates above are 1991-2020 normals; in a given year either bookend can move 1-2 weeks either direction. Within Burlington, low-lying parcels along drainage features typically lose 4-7°F of overnight low temperature versus the bench positions on calm clear nights, which shifts the working last-frost date by a week or more.
Similar climates: New Strawn, KS, LeRoy, KS, Gridley, KS, Westphalia, KS, Hartford, KS.
Frequently asked
- When does it freeze in Burlington?
- Burlington's last spring frost typically falls around mid-April, and the first fall frost arrives around mid-November.
- What is the rainy season in Burlington?
- May is the wettest month with about 5.3 inches of rain on average; the city receives roughly 37 inches annually.
- What is the warmest month in Burlington?
- July is typically warmest, averaging about 79°F.
- What is the coldest month in Burlington?
- January is typically coldest, averaging about 30°F.
- When can I start a vegetable garden in Burlington?
- Cool-season crops (peas, lettuce) can be sown around the last spring frost (mid-April); warm-season crops (tomatoes, peppers) wait until 1–2 weeks after.
- How many rainy days does Burlington get?
- Burlington averages about 55 rainy days per year.
- What hardiness zone is Burlington?
- Burlington's USDA hardiness zone is determined by its lowest average winter temperature; check the USDA's online lookup with the city ZIP for the current zone designation.
Climate
Burlington, Kansas sits in a humid subtropical climate zone. January means hover near 30°F while July averages 79°F — a 49°F seasonal swing.
Across the year, Burlington receives about 37 inches of precipitation spread over roughly 55 rainy days.
The rhythm of the year is set by latitude (38.2°N), proximity to large water bodies, and elevation — all of which shape what grows here, when frost is likely, and what the weather story looks like day to day.