9 February 2024
A fast-moving and weak system will keep rain showers tracking East into early tonight. Western Kansas and locations near/north of I-70 have the best chance of seeing a limited engagement with any moisture through evening.
Overnight, temperatures will cool to reasonable levels. Temperatures this weekend will be knocked back closer to average as a stronger system moves into the Plains.
For days, this stronger weekend system has been trending farther and farther south. This continues with the latest weather guidance today.
We have counties to the southwest being placed in a Winter Storm Watch for this weekend storm system. Higher snowfall accumulations will take place the farther southwest into Kansas as you go along with the Oklahoma Panhandle.
Beginning Saturday afternoon, rain and snow will flirt with the Kansas/Colorado state line. Colorado will get in on higher snowfall accumulations out of this storm.
There will be an uptick in rain changing to all snow in Southwest Kansas and the Oklahoma Panhandle by Saturday night. Due to warmer surface temps during the day, the greatest chance for accumulations will occur during the overnight into Sunday morning when it is the coldest.
Right now, snowfall accumulations for western Kansas into the Oklahoma Panhandle will range from an inch up to 3″ by the time this concludes. There could be locally higher amounts of 4″ to 5″ of snow farther southwest. Places farther east, like Wichita, will miss any moisture from this system.
Drier air tracking in from the northeast will be efficient in steering the moisture to our south. There could be a brief bout of rain to snow in Southeast Kansas Sunday night, but this will more than likely be just outside the KSN viewing area.
While temperatures get knocked down this weekend, we start a new climb next week. Highs will return to the 50s and 60s before a stronger cold front arrives by the end of next week.
That change could also come with a quick chance for rain and snow, if trends continue.
KSN Storm Track 3 Forecast from Chief Meteorologist Lisa Teachman:
Wichita:
Tonight: Partly cloudy, breezy. Lo: 34 Wind: SW/NE 10-20
Tomorrow: Partly to mostly cloudy. Hi: 50 Wind: NE 5-15
Tomorrow Night: Mostly cloudy. 10% chance of rain. Lo: 32 Wind: NE 8-18
Wichita Weekly
Sun: Hi: 45 Lo: 28 Mostly to partly cloudy, breezy.
Mon: Hi: 53 Lo: 29 Partly cloudy.
Tue: Hi: 56 Lo: 32 Mostly sunny.
Wed: Hi: 60 Lo: 34 Mostly sunny to partly cloudy, windy.
Thu: Hi: 55 Lo: 29 Partly cloudy, breezy.
Fri: Hi: 40 Lo: 26 Mostly cloudy, breezy. 10% chance of rain and snow.
-Chief Meteorologist Lisa Teachman