24 March 2024
A few light showers have tracked across the region today. Central and Eastern Kansas will see spotty rain linger through the early evening. Our next significant storm system is looming to the northwest and will be on our doorstep by tomorrow.
Better chances for widespread rain arrive overnight, starting in Western Kansas. Showers will track east through the early morning meaning a soggy Saturday night for the Sunflower State. Pack the rain gear if you have outdoor plans this evening.
Winds pick up out of the south by the morning. High Wind Watches and Warnings are in place for a large portion of Central Kansas through Sunday night, while Eastern Kansas is under a Wind Advisory through Monday morning.
Winds will be sustained from 20 to 40 MPH on Sunday. Gusts will be strong, with some localized gusts up to 60 MPH possible. Tonight is the time to bring in the patio furniture and decorations cause they might get blown away tomorrow.
Warm and windy conditions lead to heightened fire weather concerns. Fire Weather Warnings are in place for Southwest Kansas through Sunday evening, so please avoid any outdoor burning this weekend.
We start the day with scattered showers across the state. You will likely need rain gear as you head out to church. This first wave of moisture will push east, and a second strong wave will follow on its heels during the afternoon. Any breaks in the clouds that allow for peeks of sunshine during the morning will lead to greater instability during the afternoon.
Strong to severe storms are possible for a large portion of the region tomorrow. All modes of severe weather are possible, so please stay weather-aware. This will be as a potent low-pressure system arrives by the afternoon on Sunday.
The strong southerly winds we will see through the day will help pull moisture into Kansas. Areas that see the highest dewpoints will be across central Kansas and this will also be where the highest risk for severe weather will be located.
Storms will begin to blossom across Western Kansas as early as 2 PM, starting off as clusters of strong storms that become more organized as they push east. Central Kansas will see the arrival of strong storms during peak heating, aiding in our severe threat.
As the low tracks into the state, it will sweep a dryline across the region. A dry line is the divide between hot and dry desert air to the west and humid air to the east. This will act as the match that ignites storms across Central Kansas. These storms will quickly strengthen and track east.
A cold front will track through the region overnight, pulling colder air into Kansas. This will result in snowfall across the western half of the state as moisture wraps around the low and temperatures plummet. The highest accumulations will be pinpointed across northwest Kansas.
Temperatures will be slow to recover for the first half of the week, but we will trend back above average by the weekend.
KSN Storm Track 3 Forecast from Meteorologist Lucy Doll:
Wichita:
Tonight: Mostly cloudy, windy. 40% chance of showers and storms. Lo: 47 Wind: SE 10-25
Tomorrow: Mostly cloudy, windy. 90% chance of thunderstorms. Hi: 59 Wind: SE 20-40
Tomorrow night: Mostly cloudy, windy. 80% chance of showers and storms. Lo: 40 Wind: SE/S 20-40
Wichita Weekly
Mon: Hi: 49 Lo: 26 Mostly to partly cloudy, windy. 10% chance of rain.
Tue: Hi: 48 Lo: 25 Mostly sunny, breezy.
Wed: Hi: 55 Lo: 33 Mostly sunny to partly cloudy, breezy. 10% chance of showers and storms.
Thu: Hi: 68 Lo: 50 Partly cloudy, windy.
Fri: Hi: 73 Lo: 48 Mostly to partly cloudy, windy.
Sat: Hi: 74 Lo: 53 Partly cloudy, windy. 10% chance of showers and storms.