Storm Track 3 Forecast: Wildfire concerns for Easter, strong storms arrive Monday

31 March 2024

Comfortable temperatures for our Saturday as highs reached into the 50s and 60s across the region.

Temperatures will fall overnight, with lows dipping into the 30s and 40s. Clouds will build in across southcentral Kansas by daybreak, acting like a blanket and trapping the warm air from escaping. This will lead to lows well above the norm, in the 50s for this part of the state.

Clouds will quickly break apart by Easter morning. Temperatures climb to the 70s by the afternoon with strong winds out of the south. This could lead to some challenges for those hunting eggs tomorrow, be sure not to let any you find blow out of your basket!

Those along and north of I-70 will only reach the 70s while the southern half of the state flirts with the low 80s. Strong winds out of the south will help pull in the warm air.

The strongest gusts will also be contained to southern Kansas. Winds will be blustery throughout the day with gusts up to 40 MPH possible.

Warm and windy conditions lead to heightened fire weather concerns. Fire Weather Watches and Warnings are in place across western Kansas from 11 AM to 9 PM tomorrow. Please avoid any outdoor burning.

Southerly flow will bring not only the heat back to the Midwest but also the moisture. This will create a warm, moist airmass over much of the region by late Sunday night. Our next system approaches by Monday and will have all the ingredients necessary to produce strong to severe storms for the start of the week.

The far southeastern corner of the region has been included in an Enhance Risk for severe weather on Monday. This means that strong to severe storms will be most likely in this region. All forms of severe weather will be possible, so please stay weather-aware.

Spotty showers will be possible off and on throughout the first half of Monday. By the afternoon, a few stronger storms will bubble up in southcentral Kansas, where the warmest temperatures are anticipated to be.

Storms become more organized through the evening, during peak heating, when the most energy is available in the atmosphere to fuel any storms that ignite. By this time, the low will be tracking east, and colder air will wrap around into western Kansas. Snowfall will be possible as temperatures quickly fall as winds shift to be out of the north.

As storms continue to march east, snowfall will fill in across western Kansas through late Monday night. Moisture will linger across the region through early Tuesday morning. Skies turn clearer and chances for rain diminish by Tuesday afternoon.

Temperatures will be impacted as northerly flow brings cooler air into the region midweek. We slowly recover as sunshine takes hold, with temperatures climbing above the seasonal average by next weekend.

Dry air will take over after the passing system clears the region by Tuesday afternoon. Skies will stay dry through the rest of the workweek, but our next chance of rain will take shape next weekend into the beginning of the following workweek.

KSN Storm Track 3 Forecast from Meteorologist Lucy Doll:     

Wichita:
Tonight: Partly to mostly cloudy. Lo: 54 Wind: SE 8-18
Tomorrow: Mostly to partly cloudy, windy. 10% chance of rain. Hi: 82 Wind: SE/SW 10-25
Tomorrow night: Partly to mostly cloudy, windy. 20% chance of rain. Lo: 57 Wind: SW 10-25

Wichita Weekly
Mon: Hi: 73 Lo: 37 Mostly cloudy, breezy. 40% chance of showers and storms.
Tue: Hi: 56 Lo: 36 Mostly cloudy, windy. 20% chance of rain.
Wed: Hi: 61 Lo: 36 Mostly sunny.
Thu: Hi: 67 Lo: 44 Mostly sunny.
Fri: Hi: 76 Lo: 51 Mostly sunny to partly cloudy, breezy.
Sat: Hi: 76 Lo: 50 Partly cloudy.

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