Temperatures are expected to top 80 degrees – and climb near record levels – on a windy and mostly cloudy day in the Wichita area today.
Forecasters say the high should reach the low to mid-80s, threatening the record high for St. Patrick’s Day. The current mark is 86, set in 1994. Clouds are expected to linger throughout the morning before gradually clearing later today.
Winds will be robust, blowing steadily out of the south-southwest in the upper teens to low 20s, with gusts reaching 30 mph. Tonight’s low will bottom out in the low 50s, with those winds easing only a bit.
Friday’s high will be in the mid-60s under sunny skies, forecasters say, with winds shifting to the north and intensifying late in the day. Early breezes in the single digits will be gusting to nearly 30 mph by late afternoon.
Those shifting winds signal the arrival of a cold front, which will bring cooler temperatures and a good chance of rain on Saturday.
For more information on current conditions, go to our weather page.