The cold front cleared, and temperatures struggled to warm today.
Today’s gusty winds should ease into early tonight as high pressure builds south.
The sky will clear tonight. Temperatures will drop to the 20s across our viewing area into Thursday morning.
Fire concerns will be elevated Thursday and Friday. Tomorrow, the highest threat areas for wildfires are to the northwest and portions of the Oklahoma Panhandle.
Fire Weather Warnings are in effect on Thursday to the northwest.
Afternoon highs will be warmer on Thursday in the 50s and 60s.
Gusty winds to the northwest will enhance the elements available for wildfires.
A Fire Weather Watch is posted for Friday, including many more counties.
Winds will become quite powerful from the northwest with the next cold front. Winds will gust from 40 to 65 MPH.
The higher concentration of 55-65 MPH winds will be to the west with High Wind Alerts already posted. Dirt and dust will easily get kicked up and could drastically reduce visibility for area travelers, including a stretch of I-70.
This front may try to produce a few sprinkles over northern Kansas Thursday night but will fail to reach the ground due to the dry atmosphere.
A little more energy on Friday that interacts with instability created by the heating of the day could pop a rain and snow shower. Areas farther northeast stand a better chance.
Back and forth temperatures will continue into the weekend and next week. Saturday will be significantly colder than Sunday. Winds will be elevated (not as intense as Friday’s winds) and the threat for wildfires will remain. Another cold front will yank out some of the heat for Monday with another brief warm spurt for the middle of next week.
Models have been hinting at a more organized system between January 23-25. We are watching trends to see how fruitful this may be for some, not all, of the state. Areas East of us may benefit more from moisture.
KSN Storm Track 3 Forecast from Chief Meteorologist Lisa Teachman:Wichita:Tonight: Partly cloudy to mostly clear. Lo: 23 Wind: NW/SW 5-15Tomorrow: Mostly sunny to partly cloudy, breezy. Hi: 56 Wind: SW 10-20Tomorrow Night: Partly cloudy, breezy. Lo: 33 Wind: SW/NW 10-20
Wichita WeeklyFri: Hi: 45 Lo: 22 Partly cloudy, windy. 10% chance of a sprinkle or rain shower.Sat: Hi: 33 Lo: 14 Mostly sunny, windy.Sun: Hi: 47 Lo: 22 Mostly sunny to partly cloudy, windy.Mon: Hi: 40 Lo: 21 Partly cloudy, breezy.Tue: Hi: 47 Lo: 27 Mostly sunny, breezy.Wed: Hi: 51 Lo: 26 Mostly sunny, breezy…