19 November 2023
Good morning! A storm system crossing the Central Plains is bringing portions of Kansas beneficial rainfall today.
Dryer air pushing in behind a cold front will bring any lingering showers to an end across western Kansas today with some breaks of afternoon expected this afternoon while rains continue in central and eastern Kansas. Clouds and rainfall will keep temperatures near seasonal averages, in the middle 50s for highs in central Kansas today while the west warms to the upper 50s and lower 60s thanks to afternoon sun.
Rainfall will generally be light to moderate but the fairly long residence time of the rain may lead to some spots around the Kansas Turnpike picking up well over a half inch to an inch! Clouds and a gusty breeze will prevent temperatures from dropping too much tonight with lows by early Monday in the middle 30s Northwest to lower and middle 40s elsewhere.
A second wave of low pressure should keep the rain going across mainly central and eastern Kansas right through Monday as moisture wraps around on the north side of the low pressure system with some rain showers redeveloping across western Kansas later tonight as well.
Temperatures will be near or above freezing most of the time, so most precipitiation comes in the form of light rain. A few snowflakes may try to mix in for northwest Kansas before precipitation ends Monday evening, but no accumulations are expected.
After this first system moves east of the area and surface high pressure builds into Kansas, temperatures will remain chilly on Tuesday but then warm nicely on Wednesday back above average levels. Any lingering cloud cover will give way to sunshine by Tuesday afternoon with abundant sunshine anticipated for Wednesday. Around Thanksgiving, another system will be brewing, with increasing clouds and moisture ahead of another strong front by Thanksgiving night but Thanksgiving Day itself will be a partly sunny, dry and rather chilly day with near to below average temperatures.
We may be able to get through the holiday mostly dry, but by Black Friday it looks like this will turn us sharply colder and potentially bring another round of moisture by the afternoon. It may be cold enough for this to come down as a mix of rain and snow for central Kansas and just snow for western Kansas, though it is still too early to determine the locations and amounts where the highest totals will occur. In general, the odds of seeing snow do look better for the northwestern half of Kansas where the air will be coldest. Stick with KSN for updates as more details become clear on this wintry weather chance!
11/19/23 KSN Storm Track 3 Forecast from Meteorologist Jack Boston:
Wichita:
Today: Cloudy, windy. 100% chance of rain. Hi: 55 Wind SE 15-25
Tonight: Cloudy. 100% chance of rain. Lo: 45 Wind SE/E 8-18
Tomorrow: Cloudy, breezy. 60% chance of rain. Hi: 50 Wind: NE/N 10-20
Tomorrow Night: Cloudy, windy. 30% chance of rain. Lo: 40 Wind: N/NW 10-25
Wichita Weekly
Tue: Hi: 48 Lo: 29 Mostly to partly cloudy, windy.
Wed: Hi: 52 Lo: 30 Mostly sunny.
Thu: Hi: 52 Lo: 31 Mostly sunny to partly cloudy.
Fri: Hi: 44 Lo: 24 Mostly cloudy, breezy. 20% chance of rain and snow.
Sat: Hi: 39 Lo: 23 Mostly cloudy. 30% chance of snow.
Sun: Hi: 42 Lo: 24 Mostly to partly cloudy.
Meteorologist Jack Boston