4 April 2023
Our next cold front is inching into western Kansas this afternoon and will cause winds to pick up ahead of it.
Strong winds, low humidity, and warm temperatures give us the perfect recipe to see extreme fire weather danger across the entire state today.
Temperatures will be warm as southerly flow ushers our highs into the 70s and 80s this afternoon. Northwest Kansas will be our cool spot where the cold front will move through first.
Winds are already strong out of the south, with High Wind Warnings and Wind Advisories in place through tonight. Gust could gust up to 70 MPH across southwest Kansas this afternoon.
And all that wind will kick dust into the atmosphere, especially in southwest Kansas, where we have been exceptionally dry this year. Blowing Dust Advisories are in place through 9 PM.
If we track out our relative humidity throughout the day, you can see where we see single-digit percentages in southwest Kansas, meaning it is extremely dry. Dry air moves across the state until tonight, when moisture will surge across eastern Kansas and lead to storm development late tonight.
Fire Weather Warnings paint the state as a result. Please, no burning, as any spark that ignites will quickly spread.
Winds stay strong overnight as northerly flow takes over behind the passing cold front. This will drive in colder air and cause temperatures to drop overnight.
Moistures will slide along the Colorado/Kansas state line, with a few flurries mixing in as temperatures drop overnight. We are not expecting a lot of rainfall out of these showers.
We then turn our attention to eastern Kansas. As the cold front collides with warm, moist air that will move into far eastern Kansas tonight, we will see a line of showers and thunderstorms initiate in our far eastern counties before it intensifies and tracks east into Missouri.
A Marginal and Slight Risk for severe weather covers our eastern region, as we could see a few thunderstorms produce strong winds and hail as strong storms start up along the cold front.
Temperatures overnight plummet behind the passing cold front. We will sit at or below freezing tonight, with some in northwest Kansas even dipping into the teens.
Temperatures remain cool tomorrow with highs in the 50s as northerly winds stick around for the middle of the week. We will slowly warm back toward our seasonal average by Friday and launch into the upper 80s by the start of next week.
Drier air moves in behind the cold front and keeps skies clear and dry through the weekend and the start of next week.
KSN Storm Track 3 Forecast from Meteorologist Lucy Doll:
Wichita:
Today: Mostly sunny, windy. Hi: 84 Wind: S 15-30
Tonight: Partly cloudy, windy. 10% chance of showers and thunderstorms. Lo: 32 Wind: NW 10-25
Tomorrow: Mostly sunny, windy. Hi: 58 Wind: NW 10-25
Tomorrow Night: Mostly clear. Lo: 30 Wind: N 5-15
Wichita Weekly
Thu: Hi: 63 Lo: 37 Mostly sunny.
Fri: Hi: 67 Lo: 44 Mostly sunny to partly cloudy, breezy.
Sat: Hi: 70 Lo: 51 Partly cloudy, breezy.
Sun: Hi: 75 Lo: 47 Partly to mostly cloudy, breezy. 10% chance of rain.
Mon: Hi: 78 Lo: 48 Mostly sunny, breezy.
Tue: Hi: 79 Lo: 55 Mostly sunny to partly cloudy, windy.