30 August 2023
Hurricane Idalia made landfall at 6:45 AM CDT this morning as a Category 3 hurricane with winds at 125 MPH. The system will continue to move inland today but eventually will reenter the Atlantic as it is pushed east by the high pressure system moving into the Plains. As of the 1 pm update, Idalia is well inland over southern Georgia and winds have decreased to 80 mph. The system continues moving northeast at 20 mph.
It was a very pleasant morning with not a cloud in the sky across the Sunflower State. Abundant sunshine has warmed us into the lower and middle 80s at midday and we will continue to climb to just above normal highs in the lower 90s this Wednesday afternoon with along with tolerable humidity levels. Keep the sunglasses handy because clear, blue skies will be out in full force.
Quite a bit of haze from Canadian wildfire smoke is hovering in our air right now, reducing our air quality. Not the best for anybody with respiratory issues to be hanging outside. The haze will be noticeable with tonight’s sunset and a different glow.
High pressure from the southwest will be our major weather influencer the rest of the workweek and into most of the holiday weekend. The slow progression East allows temps to take baby steps toward the triple digits for many towns this weekend. Overnight, expect a starry sky under the Blue Moon. The moon will not appear blue. However, since it is the second full moon of the month, it is given the name “Blue Moon.” With the lack of humidity, temperatures will feel comfortable this evening and through the overnight with lows dropping to within a few degrees of 60 degrees by early Thursday morning.
Thursday looks to be another dry and sunny day with temperatures just a couple of degrees warmer in most of Kansas. Highs Thursday afternoon will reach the lower and middle 90s, a few degrees above the average for the last day of August.
With high pressure dominating the sky, no rainfall is expected until early next week with an approaching cold front. Under sunshiny skies, temps will climb to the upper 90s and lower 100s this weekend. The humidity does not look oppressive so the heat index will be near the actual air temperature. A drier heat if you will.
Winds become breezier first in western Kansas Thursday and spread through the rest of the state from west to east over the holiday weekend. Winds gust from 25-40 MPH during this stretch. Highest gusts will be focused west and north near 40 MPH. With the flow from the south this will also enhance our warm-up. Humidity levels drop in western Kansas, but we may stay moist enough to avoid Fire Weather Warning headlines in the heat and increasing wind.
The cold front arrives for the northwest late on Labor Day. This will spark isolated rain and storms. This could bring limited moisture farther East next Tuesday. Rain still not looking promising for us through mid-September.
Wichita:
This afternoon: Mostly sunny skies filtered by wildfire smoke. Hi: 92 Wind: NE/SE 5-15
Tonight: Mostly clear. Lo: 61 Wind: SE 5-15
Tomorrow: Mostly sunny, breezy. Hi: 92 Wind: S 10-20
Tomorrow Night: Mostly clear. Lo: 64 Wind: S/SE 8-18
Wichita Weekly
Fri: Hi: 96 Lo: 66 Mostly sunny, breezy.
Sat: Hi: 98 Lo: 66 Mostly sunny, breezy.
Sun: Hi: 99 Lo: 68 Mostly sunny, breezy.
Mon: Hi: 100 Lo: 73 Mostly sunny, windy.
Tue: Hi: 97 Lo: 67 Mostly sunny, breezy.
Wed: Hi: 96 Lo: 68 Mostly sunny to partly cloudy, breezy.
Meteorologist Jack Boston