Hour-by-hour windows for outdoor time in Dodge City, judged on the published NWS heat-index and EPA air-quality scales. In English and Spanish.
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Hour by hour for today and tomorrow: when it's comfortable to be outside in Dodge City, and when heat or the air says wait. Every hour is judged on two published scales — the National Weather Service heat-index categories and the EPA's US Air Quality Index — never on invented thresholds. Hora por hora, para hoy y mañana: cuándo es cómodo estar al aire libre en Dodge City, y cuándo el calor o el aire dicen que mejor espere. Cada hora se evalúa con dos escalas oficiales publicadas — las categorías del índice de calor del Servicio Meteorológico Nacional (NWS) y el índice de calidad del aire (AQI) de la EPA — nunca con umbrales inventados.
Best windows today: before 10 am, and after 11 pm.
As of 11 July at 16:16. Modelled forecast for the area around central Dodge City / el centro de Dodge City, refreshed about every half hour.
UV peaks near 9 today. On the EPA’s UV index scale, 1–2 is low; 8 and above is very high to extreme and calls for extra sun protection.
| Day | Best windows | Peak feels-like | Peak air |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sunday 12 July | before 10 am, and after 10 pm | 95°F | 53 · Moderate |
| Monday 13 July | before 9 am, and after 9 pm | 93°F | 68 · Moderate |
Guidance, not a medical call
Heat uses the National Weather Service’s heat-index categories, applied to the modelled feels-like temperature: Caution 80°F–90°F, Extreme Caution 90°F–103°F, Danger 103°F–124°F, Extreme Danger 125°F and up.
Air uses the US EPA air quality index: Good 0–50, Moderate 51–100, Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups 101–150, Unhealthy 151–200, Very Unhealthy 201–300, Hazardous above that. The number here is that same EPA index, computed by Open-Meteo from the Copernicus CAMS model.
Each hour takes the harder of the two constraints, and the strip says which one. A “best window” means hours where the feels-like temperature stays below 80°F (below the NWS Caution band) and the air is no worse than Moderate — the EPA’s general-population activity cautions start at 101. No thresholds on this page are ours.
Packing-plant shifts start around 6 a.m., and both plants run six days a week. The early morning is usually the coolest, cleanest stretch of the day — the window this page shows first. Los turnos en las empacadoras empiezan alrededor de las 6 de la mañana, y ambas plantas trabajan seis días a la semana. La madrugada suele ser el tramo más fresco y limpio del día — la ventana que esta página muestra primero.
Soccer, baseball and softball practices fill the Why-Not-Dodge sports complexes on summer evenings. Check the evening hours here before practice — a 100 °F afternoon often eases into a workable window after 7 p.m. Las prácticas de fútbol, béisbol y softbol llenan los complejos deportivos Why-Not-Dodge en las tardes de verano. Revise aquí las horas de la tarde antes del entrenamiento — una tarde de 100 °F muchas veces se suaviza y deja una ventana aprovechable después de las 7 p.m.
The waterpark in Wright Park is the town's summer institution. Water helps with the heat, but the heat-index bands here still apply to lines, decks and walks there — the shadeless hours read the same at the pool. El parque acuático en Wright Park es la institución del verano en la ciudad. El agua ayuda con el calor, pero las bandas del índice de calor de esta página igual aplican a las filas, las plataformas y el camino hasta allá — las horas sin sombra se sienten igual en la alberca.
In an average year Dodge City has 71 days that reach 90 °F and 14 days that reach 100 °F, on a treeless plain at 2,559 feet where the wind rarely rests. Hot days here are a season, not an event — worth planning around, not powering through. En un año promedio, Dodge City tiene 71 días que llegan a 90 °F y 14 días que llegan a 100 °F, en una llanura sin árboles a 2,559 pies de altura donde el viento casi nunca descansa. Aquí los días de calor son una temporada, no un evento — vale más planear alrededor de ellos que aguantarlos.
Source: NWS climate normals via Wikipedia: Dodge City, Kansas, checked 2026-07-11
For the fuller air picture — pollutant by pollutant, with the local context — Weather warnings & wind / Alertas del tiempo y viento — Live NWS watches and warnings for Ford County, and the wind right now. / Avisos y alertas del NWS en vivo para el condado de Ford, y el viento en este momento..
Fetched 11 July at 16:16. These are modelled estimates for the area around central Dodge City / el centro de Dodge City, not measurements — a shadeless trail at 3 pm runs hotter than the area-wide number. Weather and air-quality data by Open-Meteo (CC BY 4.0); air quality based on Copernicus CAMS. Heat categories from the National Weather Service; air bands from the US EPA.