19 January 2024
Arctic air is back in Kansas for another round of bitter chill to close out our week. North winds will have teeth all day long, so make sure to bundle up!
Highs will be in the freezer for all of Kansas with mostly teens. Wind chill values will be in the single digits to near zero.
A Wind Chill Advisory is in effect until 11 Saturday morning.
With winds becoming light overnight, that will help to promote some bitter morning lows in the single digits and even below zero for some.
Tomorrow remains cold, but signs of change will already be evident as winds begin to switch around to the southeast.
This latest blast of arctic air is not going to be nearly as long lived or intense as the one from earlier this week. The upper air pattern is shifting and will carry the deep cold to the east, allowing temperatures to become more moderate. Rising to near and even slightly above normal next week, with no more of this bitter cold expected to return in the near future!
We have been under an active polar branch of the jet stream for the last week, which is what brought the deep freeze. Next week, the subtropical southern branch of the jet stream becomes more active, which will keep chances for precipitation in the picture.
An initial system moves through on Monday and favors areas along and east of the turnpike.
We may be just cold enough to get a bit of wintry mix or light icing as this moves past, but the better chance of moisture will come Wednesday with more widespread rainfall possible. Temperatures should be warm enough to keep most of this as rain, but some snowflakes may try to mix in especially in western Kansas.
KSN Storm Track 3 Forecast from Meteorologist Jack Maney:
Wichita:
Today: Partly cloudy, breezy. Hi: 18 Wind: NW 10-20
Tonight: Partly cloudy. Lo: 4 Wind: NW/E 5-15
Tomorrow: Partly cloudy. Hi: 21 Wind: E/SE 5-15
Tomorrow night: Partly cloudy. Lo: 15 Wind: SE 8-18
Wichita Weekly
Sun: Hi: 37 Lo: 28 Partly to mostly cloudy, windy.
Mon: Hi: 40 Lo: 33 Mostly cloudy, breezy. 20% chance of rain.
Tue: Hi: 44 Lo: 34 Mostly cloudy. 10% chance of rain.
Wed: Hi: 45 Lo: 33 Mostly cloudy. 30% chance of rain.
Thu: Hi: 46 Lo: 33 Mostly cloudy. 10% chance of rain.
Fri: Hi: 45 Lo: 31 Mostly cloudy.