Thursday is going to be a day of change that everyone across the Sunflower State will notice. Gusty northerly winds will begin to drop our temperatures. It will be colder to the west but warmth will hold on farther east. The front that we have been anticipating has moved in and will create this split in our temperatures and the wind shift.
Moisture behind the front has started to move in and is mainly in the form of rain this morning. Most of us will experience a dry commute as most of the rain to start the day will be confined to Northwest Kansas and Southwest Nebraska.
Rain will gradually become more widespread during the afternoon. A rain/snow mix closer to the Kansas/Colorado line is possible. A few thunderstorms are also possible but severe weather is not expected.
Rain and a rain/snow mix will switch to all snow to the west during the evening as temperatures fall. This set-up will continue into overnight. Snow to the west with rain and spotty rumbles to the east. Winds will continue to be gusty too so as snow accumulates there will also be blowing snow that will reduce visibility.
A Blizzard Warning, Winter Weather Advisory, and Winter Storm Watch will be in effect through Friday morning for a handful of Western and Central Kansas counties where a widespread 1″ to 3″ is expected. There could be some local heavier snowfall that amounts to more than 3″ but those reports should be more isolated.
Plan on experiencing a slower commute Friday morning. Western Kansas should begin to dry out but a mix of snow and rain will be ongoing in Central and Northeast Kansas.
There will be another switch back to chilly rain showers that may linger into the afternoon but we will only continue to turn drier from there. Friday highs will be in the 50s, an improvement from a chilly Thursday for parts of Western Kansas.
The weekend is still expected to be a gorgeous one with highs in the 60s and 70s. The only weather worry will be gusty winds on Sunday. More moisture early next week will continue to help with recent fire concerns. The bulk of the rain and thunderstorms will happen Monday. As low pressure spins through the Central Plains Tuesday there could still be some spotty showers around but the rest of the week looks drier.
KSN Storm Track 3 Forecast from Meteorologist Ronelle Williams:
Wichita:
Today: Cloudy, windy. 80% chance of showers and storms. Hi: 66 Wind: E/NE 15-25
Tonight: Mostly cloudy, windy. 80% chance of rain and snow. Lo: 35 Wind: N 15-25
Tomorrow: Mostly to partly cloudy, windy. 10% chance of rain/snow mix. Hi: 57 Wind: N 15-30
Tomorrow Night: Partly cloudy to mostly clear. Lo: 33 Wind: NW/W 5-15
Wichita Weekly
Sat: Hi: 69 Lo: 41 Mostly sunny.
Sun: Hi: 73 Lo: 48 Partly cloudy, windy.
Mon: Hi: 62 Lo: 46 Mostly cloudy, windy. 70% chance of showers and storms.
Tue: Hi: 61 Lo: 39 Mostly cloudy, windy. 30% chance of showers.
Wed: Hi: 60 Lo: 39 Mostly to partly cloudy, windy.
Thu: Hi: 62 Lo: 39 Partly cloudy to mostly sunny.
