A TORNADO WATCH is in effect until 9 PM Friday. This includes Wichita, Harper, Wellington, Andover, El Dorado, Augusta, Newton, Peabody, Cottonwood Falls, Emporia, Arkansas City, Winfield, Udall and Howard.
A cold front advancing across the state will be the trigger for severe storms into this evening.
A rather large area is circled in a Moderate Risk, accounting for numerous severe storms.
Any supercell that gets elbow room to move and can stay isolated will have the potential to produce all forms of severe weather, including large hail, damaging winds and tornadoes.
Storms will quickly evolve into a line and track southeast into tonight. Once storms congeal, the tornado threat will not be as prominent, nor will there be as much of a large hail threat, rather a damaging wind threat.
There could still be a quick spin-up tornado on the leading edge of this line. Localized heavy rainfall will accompany these storms.
The fast advancement of the cold front will reduce a larger flooding concern. We will be done with storms by midnight.
Temperatures cool overnight and tank to the 20s in the west.
Freeze alerts are posted for Saturday morning.
Highs on Saturday will be in the upper 50s to the 60s.
Another chilly morning is pegged for the state on Sunday. Some frost may get closer to Wichita. Highs by Sunday afternoon will rebound to the 70s.
Next week will begin quiet with warming temps. Highs in the west will gain ground to the 80s.
Another unsettled stretch starts on Wednesday in the west. Thursday and Friday, storm chances will push farther east and encounter much more moisture to provide central and eastern Kansas with better chances for rain.
KSN Storm Track 3 Forecast from Chief Meteorologist Lisa Teachman:Wichita:Tonight: Mostly to partly cloudy, windy. 40% chance of showers and storms. Lo: 40 Wind: N/NW 10-25Tomorrow: Partly cloudy to mostly sunny, breezy. Hi: 62 Wind: NW 10-20Tomorrow Night: Mostly clear. Lo: 38 Wind: NW/SW 5-15
Wichita WeeklySun: Hi: 72 Lo: 49 Mostly sunny, windy.Mon: Hi: 75 Lo: 50 Mostly sunny to partly cloudy, windy.Tue: Hi: 78 Lo: 56 Partly cloudy, breezy.Wed: Hi: 80 Lo: 62 Partly to mostly cloudy, windy. 10% chance of showers and storms.Thu: Hi: 81 Lo: 59 Partly to mostly cloudy, windy. 20% chance of shows and storms.Fri: Hi: 79 Lo: 52 Mostly cloudy, windy.
-Chief Meteorologist Lisa Teachman…