22 February 2023
A wild weather day is underway across Kansas. The Arctic front keeps accelerating which ultimately removes the warmth and brings in a chill. This chill is for a limited time before temps warm this weekend with a chance for strong to severe storms Sunday into Sunday night.
Temperature crash behind the front. It is an abrupt change from the 50s and 60s (plus the 70s across southeast Kansas this afternoon) to the single digits, teens and 20s in northern and western Kansas. We will see subzero wind chills across western Kansas this afternoon with some wind chills far northwest of 10-20 below zero!
Winds will stay elevated tonight allowing for wind chills overnight through Thursday morning to feel as cold at -15 to as cold as -30. Coldest feels like factor will be to the northwest.
As for moisture, rain is east of the area now. Now we await a chance for snow that will skim our northwest counties. Accumulations will be light from a trace to an inch or two. There can also be snow showers in north central and southwest Kansas tonight.
Temperatures stay cold Thursday into Friday with highs in the 20s and 30s though the winds will be lighter.
While Thursday offers up more sunshine, clouds thicken Friday as a small disturbance works through the area. Could see a few sprinkles or a shower East of the Turnpike. Then again on Saturday as temps warm more, clouds do not seem to budge much. Another ripple producers rain showers primarily south but I also see some of this working as far north as the Turnpike Saturday evening.
Attention then turns to our chance for severe weather Sunday. We have to wait for moisture levels to increase for this to come to fruition. We will be on the northern extent of this moisture grab. Dew points from the upper 50s to the lower 60s will work into Kansas with an increasingly unstable atmosphere. The air will feel more humid as this moisture marches our way. As a low pressure system works out of the west, timing positions any strong to severe storms from the afternoon into the evening.
All forms of severe weather are on the table, including an isolated tornado or two.
By the overnight, the severe threat will drop and we will see widespread rain and thunder before this quickly races East into Monday morning. We are still many days out from this and a lot will change.
Current Forecast for Wichita and SouthCentral Kansas
2/22/23 KSN Storm Track 3 Forecast from Meteorologist Jack Boston:
Wichita:
This afternoon: Partly to mostly cloudy, windy. Hi: 48. Wind: W/NW 15-25
Tonight: Partly cloudy, windy. 10% chance of rain and snow. Lo: 17 Wind: SW/NW 10-25
Tomorrow: Partly cloudy, breezy. Hi: 35 Wind: NW/N 10-20
Tomorrow Night: Partly to mostly cloudy. Lo: 14 Wind: NE 8-18
Wichita Weekly
Fri: Hi: 36 Lo: 24 Mostly cloudy, breezy. 10% chance of rain.
Sat: Hi: 53 Lo: 38 Mostly cloudy. 10% chance of rain.
Sun: Hi: 61 Lo: 42 Mostly cloudy, windy. 30% chance of showers and storms.
Mon: Hi: 61 Lo: 33 Mostly cloudy, windy. 10% chance of showers and storms.
Tue: Hi: 59 Lo: 37 Partly cloudy, windy.
Wed: Hi: 57 Lo: 32 Partly cloudy.
Meteorologist Jack Boston