25 March 2024
A Severe Thunderstorm Watch has been issued for a large portion of the region through 9 PM tonight.
An area of showers and thunderstorms in central and eastern Kansas keeps trucking away Sunday through the early evening. Clouds will hover farther east but are breaking closer to the dryline in the southwest.
This dryline has juicier air east of it and significantly drier air behind it. Behind this boundary is where the fire danger is the highest.
Fire Weather Warnings are in effect through early evening. Any wildfire that forms in wind gusts like today will be hard to contain.
High wind alerts are also in effect to account for the 50 to more than 60 MPH wind gusts that will persist into the overnight. Winds will finally start to come down once this system departs late Monday.
The window for severe weather is open from until midnight. All hazards are possible, including a tornado or two. There will not be a lot of storms, but some beefy supercells that will be capable of the tornado risk, large 2″+ hail and with already gusty winds, it will not take much to mix down severe wind gusts in these storms.
Storm track will be to the northeast after developing around where sunshine is more likely to break free from the clouds near the dryline in western Kansas and the Oklahoma Panhandle.
Storms march closer to the Wichita Metro late this evening between 8 and 11 PM.
While the warmer side produces the severe weather, the colder side to the northwest will produce blizzard conditions.
Heaviest snowfall in Northwest Kansas and Southwest Nebraska will be from 4″ to 8″ with less east and south.
Winter Weather Alerts, including Blizzard Warnings, will stay in effect tonight and into part of Monday. This band of snow will then track east into central Kansas Monday.
Wichita might also see a few flurries/light snow Monday evening before this system exits. This is dependent on how much moisture is leftover before waning. Travel will be most impacted on I-70 from Colby back west into northeastern Colorado during the lifespan of this system.
Freezes are expected Tuesday and Wednesday mornings. Lows from the teens to the twenties will be present early in the day.
Afternoons will be much colder than average through mid-week. There will be a huge surge in warmth starting Thursday with a rapid return to the 60s for highs.
There is a slim chance for a shower Wednesday but overall, a much quieter pattern for Kansas until the end of the weekend and early next week.
KSN Storm Track 3 Forecast from Chief Meteorologist Lisa Teachman:
Wichita:
Tonight: Mostly to partly cloudy, windy. 90% chance of showers and storms. Lo: 42 Wind: S/SE 20-40
Tomorrow: Partly to mostly cloudy, windy. 10% chance of rain. Hi: 53 Wind: SE/NW 15-30
Tomorrow Night: Mostly cloudy, windy. 20% chance of rain and snow. Lo: 25 Wind: NW 15-25
Wichita Weekly
Tue: Hi: 45 Lo: 23 Partly cloudy, windy.
Wed: Hi: 55 Lo: 32 Partly cloudy. 10% chance of showers.
Thu: Hi: 68 Lo: 48 Mostly sunny, breezy.
Fri: Hi: 75 Lo: 50 Partly cloudy, windy.
Sat: Hi: 72 Lo: 48 Partly cloudy, windy.
Sun: Hi: 67 Lo: 44 Partly cloudy, breezy. 10% chance of showers and storms.
-Chief Meteorologist Lisa Teachman