Kansas City, MO: Top Things to Know About Storage

Tropical Weather Can be Troublesome

Kansas City has a subtropical climate.  That sounds exotic, but let’s see what that really means and how it affects your storage needs.  Kansas City is a city of extremes when it comes to weather.  Because it’s not near any large body of water, its summer months are hot and humid with common temperatures in the summer ranging in the 90s, and often reaching over 100 degrees.  It also has very cold winters, and the average winter day has temperatures at or below freezing temperatures.  Snowfall is common from the end of November to mid March, and there’s frequent precipitation.  In a nutshell, this means that climate controlled units are a must if you’re looking to store anything of value in Kansas City.  In the summer, anything made out of wood or metal would mold or rust because of the humidity, and storing electronics in such high heat is an absolute no-no.  On the flip side, storing electronics and vehicles can be very tricky during the winter.  If you’re looking to store a boat or RV, make sure you take the necessary precautions to ensure that the engines aren’t ruined before it’s time to use them again in the spring.

Lights Out in Tornado Valley

Having storage problems in extremely high and low temperatures is actually fairly common in many cities across the U.S.  What makes Kansas City special is the fact that it’s on the edge of Tornado Valley, which is a wide region where cold air from the Rocky Mountains mixes with warm air from the Gulf of Mexico and causes storms, and sometimes, tornadoes.  In the past, these huge storms have caused citywide power outages for days.  So what does this have to do with storage?  A lot, actually, if you want to ensure the safety of your belongings in such severe circumstances.  The possibility of power outages means that the storage facility that you carefully hand picked based on the fact that it has 24-hour surveillance cameras is no longer secure because those cameras are no longer working.  When the weather is that terrible, thieves are usually staying indoors as well.  But the power doesn't come back as soon as the storm subsides, and that's when the opportunity arises for your belongings to be stolen.  To ensure the safety of your belongings in all circumstances, we would recommend finding storage facilities that have security guards patrolling the facility, or on site managers.  You never know when a storm like that is about to hit, and you don’t want to be scrambling to secure the things in your storage unit when you need to duck, cover, and save yourself.

Crimes and Security

The weather is not the only cause for security concerns. Kansas City has 22,771 annual property crimes and is only safer than four percent of the cities in the U.S.  This means that security should be one of your top priorities when looking for a storage facility.  Look for well lit and fenced grounds—you would be surprised at how quickly small things like this can add up.

Cars and Beer

Those two words sound like every guy’s dream, but not if he needs to find a storage facility.  Kansas City hosts an abundance of local events and it’s definitely a fun place to be.  One of its major events is the Irish Beer Fest, in which 15 major alcohol companies host people from around the U.S. in a three night festival.  People come to attend live music performances, try different types of beer, and just have a great time.  However, this means a lot of work for the surrounding storage facilities and a lot of competition for potential tenants.  These beer companies may rent out a lot of units to store the beer needed for the festival, and the festival is in the beginning of September, so if you’re looking to store your boat or RV at the end of the summer, be quick to reserve a storage unit before they run out.

We’ve talked about the beer, so now let’s talk about the cars.  Another major event to look out for is Autofest, the Kansas City Auto Show.  This is a five day car festival in which 500 new cars are put on display for the public to drool over.  These five days are packed with cars, food trucks, beer, and a wine garage (again, every man’s dream).  To make this dream happen in the beginning of March, manufacturers and food and wine vendors have to start prepping for the event at the beginning of the year.  Storage units, especially climate controlled ones, will be filled up very quickly, so be on your toes if you’re looking to store things at the beginning of the year.