Forecasters are already chirping about Thursday’s potential for severe weather in portions of eastern Kansas.
While no one has mentioned tornadoes yet, strong thunderstorms are being forecast for an area generally south and east of the Kansas Turnpike.
“We’ll just have to keep an eye on that” storm system, National Weather Service meteorologist Brad Ketcham said.
Central Kansas could experience thunderstorms on Thursday morning, he said, and Wichita may see some rain from the same system.
Wichita wasn’t the only city in the Sunflower State to set a new record for low temperature on April 7.
Russell recorded an overnight low of 11, shattering the previous record by 6 degrees. Salina, meanwhile, recorded a low of 17. That topped the previous record by 2 degrees. Wichita dropped to 21, bettering the old record by 2 degrees as well.
All three previous records were set in 2007.
Dodge City reported 19 degrees, erasing the old record of 21 set in 1938 and matched in 2007. Garden City fell to 18, bettering the record of 21 from 2007. Medicine Lodge reported 19, several degrees below the old record of 24 from 1996.
April 7 has never been colder in Wichita, but forecasters say the day will rebound nicely.
With an overnight low of 21, Wichita shattered its record low for this date. Not that researchers had to wipe dust from the old mark of 23 – it was set just two years ago.
The temperature will rebound nicely, however, climbing into the low 60s today under sunny skies. Most significantly, winds will begin to ease after more than a week of bluster. After gusts routinely into and beyond 30 miles an hour for the past several days, winds will stay primarily in the teens out of the west-southwest.
Wednesday will bring more sunshine and highs in the upper 60s, forecasters say, with winds whispering in the single digits.