The National Weather Service reports that a few severe thunderstorms are possible Thursday afternoon and evening across southeast Kansas, eastern Oklahoma, southern Missouri and western Arkansas.
A strong cold front is expected to interact with a moist and unstable air mass. The primary threats will be large hail and damaging winds, according to the weather service.
Residents of Chanute, Coffeyville, Parsons, Pittsburg, Fort Scott and the surrounding areas in southeast Kansas should pay special attention to conditions on Thursday.
On this date in 1948, a strong tornado struck Tinker Air Force Base in Oklahoma City. Its path was just 100 yards from the tornado that occurred five days earlier. The second twister hit 84 planes, destroying 35 of them. Damage estimates reached $6 million.
It was the first tornado ever successfully forecast, ushering in the modern era of forecasting severe local storms - though tornado warnings for the public were still years away.
Wondering if your garden’s ready for planting? The Old Farmer’s Almanac has an easy way to find out: Grab a good handful of it. If you can form it into a ball, the soil is too wet. If it crumbles through your fingers and reminds you of chocolate cake, it’s ready for planting.
If the soil is ready, give it a good stirring and let it sit for several days. Then top-dress it with compost or well-rotted manure and plant beets, cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, radishes, parsnips, lettuce, spinach, Swiss chard, and turnips. Scatter spinach or lettuce seeds around emerging bulb foliage to make wise use of your garden space and have a leafy green crop at the ready to cover the bare spots left by deadheaded spring flowers.
Wichita’s weather appears to be setting up well for planting: while there are slight chances for showers over the next few days, the daylight temperatures should reach the 50s and 60s and the overnight readings in the upper 30s and low 40s.