28 September 2023
Winds are on the way up along with our risk for fire danger through the weekend. Lows tonight will be feeling more like late summer than early fall, mainly in the 60s.
Common wind gusts from 30-40 MPH are likely through Sunday and will really pick up by mid-morning tomorrow.
Burning is not recommended in these conditions. If you have burned the last few days, please be vigilant about checking any affected areas so a spark is not reignited leading to a wildfire. The highest fire threat shifts to the east tomorrow from western toward central Kansas.
A system digging through the West Coast that will track through the Rockies closer to us is partly to blame for the uptick in winds.
A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible in western Kansas through Thursday night, but by and large things will be dry. With the strong southerly flow, temperatures will stay well above average from 10-15 degrees. This pushes most of our afternoon highs well into the 80s and 90s.
This weekend, better chances for hit or miss showers and thunderstorms will be in western Kansas. High pressure sits just to our east but stays close enough to keep central and eastern Kansas mainly dry. Western Kansas sneaks out from under the high enough to see nightly storm chances especially beginning Saturday and persisting into early next week.
The pattern becomes much more active next Tuesday as the gathering low pressure system to our west marches east and drives a cold front into northwest Kansas.
This feature triggers scattered showers and storms Tuesday into Wednesday.
There looks to be two cold fronts next week. One that sweeps through by Wednesday and another reinforcing shot of pleasant air to end next week. Once the first cold front hits by the middle of next week, high temperatures will fall to the 60s and 70s!
Overnight lows will be in the 40s and 50s. Sit tight because a more fall-like change is on the horizon.
KSN Storm Track 3 Forecast from Chief Meteorologist Lisa Teachman:
Wichita:
Tonight: Mostly clear, breezy. Lo: 65 Wind: S 10-20
Tomorrow: Mostly sunny, windy. Hi: 94 Wind: S 15-30
Tomorrow Night: Mostly clear, breezy. Lo: 67 Wind: S 10-20
Wichita Weekly
Sat: Hi: 92 Lo: 66 Mostly sunny, windy.
Sun: Hi: 90 Lo: 65 Mostly sunny, breezy.
Mon: Hi: 91 Lo: 65 Mostly sunny to partly cloudy, breezy.
Tue: Hi: 84 Lo: 64 Mostly cloudy, windy. 30% chance of showers and storms.
Wed: Hi: 74 Lo: 54 Mostly to partly cloudy, breezy. 30% chance of showers and storms.
Thu: Hi: 76 Lo: 55 Mostly sunny, breezy.
–Chief Meteorologist Lisa Teachman