13 April 2023
Windy and warm conditions continue across Kansas as we await a cold front to travel closer to the region. A few showers and thunderstorms will blossom through this evening out west.
This activity will track East into the overnight and fall apart. This evening, a storm or two may produce hail/gusty winds.
Fire Weather Warnings are in effect through evening. Lightning with any storm could spark a wildfire, something to keep an eye on.
Wind Advisories remain active into the evening as well for central Kansas where gusts above 45 take place. Temperatures overnight will be mild and it will still be windy.
Lows tonight will be mild, mostly in the 50s with winds staying stout through the night.
More strong winds and warm temperatures are expected for Wichita tomorrow, but a cold front will bring cooler temperatures to northwest Kansas.
Attention then turns to more unsettled weather Friday afternoon into the overnight. We need to be Weather Aware for severe thunderstorms from central into eastern Kansas after 3 PM. All forms of severe weather are in the table, including a tornado or two, although extremely large hail and damaging winds are of most concern.
That said, there are two things that will initially limit severe storm development. First is the degree to how much moisture arrives ahead of the front. Dew points are forecast to increase from the upper 50s to the lower 60s ahead of a dryline that separates the drier air to the west and more moist air to the east. Due to summertime heating aloft, there will be a strong lid over the atmosphere, or cap. This will have to be broken for any severe storms to form. The advancing front and cooling temps later in the evening should allow the atmosphere to break this cap.
Once the front goes through, scattered showers will linger into the first half of Saturday.
Temps cool with highs in the 50s and 60s. The wind does not want to quiet down until early next week, so it will be gusty through the weekend. Temps warm Sunday through most of next week. There is a chance for thunderstorms Tuesday evening for spots farther east. Activity will be isolated but a storm or two could become severe. Another strong cold front will sweep through by the end of next week. Expect an uptick in rain next Thursday into Friday, possibly Saturday as well.
KSN Storm Track 3 Forecast from Chief Meteorologist Lisa Teachman:
Wichita:
Tonight: Partly cloudy, breezy. 10% chance of showers and storms. Lo: 58 Wind: S 10-20
Tomorrow: Partly to mostly cloudy, windy. 20% chance of showers and storms. Hi: 83 Wind: S 15-30
Tomorrow Night: Mostly cloudy, windy. 40% chance of showers and storms. Lo: 48 Wind: S/NW 10-25
Wichita Weekly
Sat: Hi: 58 Lo: 37 Mostly to partly cloudy, windy. 20% chance of showers and storms.
Sun: Hi: 66 Lo: 42 Mostly sunny, windy.
Mon: Hi: 73 Lo: 51 Mostly sunny, breezy.
Tue: Hi: 77 Lo: 58 Partly cloudy, windy. 20% chance of showers and storms.
Wed: Hi: 79 Lo: 59 Partly cloudy, windy.
Thu: Hi: 81 Lo: 52 Partly cloudy, windy.
–Chief Meteorologist Lisa Teachman