Monthly Archives: December 2011

Wichita weather: Sunny skies, chilly highs

23 December, 20115:00 a.m.

Wichita will have sunny skies but highs only in the low 30s today, forecasters say.

The wind chill will drop the feels-like temperature to about 5, thanks to west winds tickling double digits. Skies will be clear overnight, with lows dropping to the mid-teens.

Christmas Eve will be sunny and warmer, forecasters say, but wind chills will again be in the low single digits. The temperature will climb to the mid-30s, with west-northwest winds near 10 miles an hour. Saturday night will be in the upper teens.

Christmas Day offers more sunshine and highs in the low 40s.

For more information on current conditions, go to our weather page.

By Stan Finger | Filed under Forecast | Comments Off

Wichita weather: A cold, snowy day for the metropolitan area

22 December, 20115:00 a.m.

Wichita won’t have a white Christmas this year, forecasters say, but today’s weather may still spread a hearty dose of holiday cheer.

It’ll be a cold, snowy day in the region, but the flakes won’t add up to more than an inch or so, forecasters say. Highs should only reach the mid-30s, with blustery north winds and a good chance of snow flurries in the afternoon. A few flurries are possible tonight as well.

North-northeast winds will be steady in the 20s, with gusts to nearly 30 miles an hour. Overnight lows will slip into the upper teens, forecasters say, and Friday should see clearing skies and highs in the low to mid-30s.

Christmas Eve will be sunny and warmer, with highs in the low 40s. Christmas Day will be sunny and a bit warmer, with highs in the upper 40s.

For more on current conditions, go to our weather page.

By Stan Finger | Filed under Forecast | Comments Off

Wichita weather: A sunny, calmer day

21 December, 20115:00 a.m.

Warmer temperatures, sunny skies and calmer winds are in the forecast for the Wichita area today, forecasters say.

Highs should climb into the low 40s, helped along by southerly breezes that will barely touch double digits. Overnight lows are expected to drop into the low 20s as a few clouds return.

Thursday will see clouds increase and a chance of rain and snow arrive after noon, forecasters say. Highs will peak in the mid-30s, and snow becomes more likely in the evening. But little accumulation is expected, forecasters say – perhaps an inch of snow at most.

Friday will be much colder, with highs only in the upper 20s.

For more information on current conditions, go to our weather page.

By Stan Finger | Filed under Forecast | Comments Off

Snowfall totals around Kansas

20 December, 20113:25 p.m.

As the strongest snow storm of the season to date moves out of Kansas, the National Weather Service is tallying up the snowfall totals. Here’s a map of southwest and central Kansas, where more than a foot of snow was reported in numerous locations.

The 15″ report is from southeastern Scott County, and 14″ was reported at Victoria in Ellis County.

Below is a map generated by the Wichita branch of the weather service for the 26 counties in the southeastern corner of the state. The highest snowfall total in the Wichita coverage area appears to 9 inches in northeast Barton County.

By Stan Finger | Filed under Snow | Comments Off

Temperatures hovering just above freezing, sparing morning commute in Wichita area

20 December, 20118:00 a.m.

The morning commute wasn’t the headache officials were fearing today, thanks to temperatures hovering just above freezing.

The line of mixed precipitation was hovering just northwest of Wichita shortly after 7:30 a.m., according to National Weather Service meteorologist Andy Kleinsasser.

“Chances for measurable snowfall are really going downhill,” he said.

There’s still a chance for a dusting, he said, but they’re diminishing. A “dry slot” – a tongue of dry air – moved into the region, cutting off the snow in this area.

About a foot of snow has been reported in Scott City and Dighton, according to the weather service, and reports of 10 inches are common in central Kansas. Blowing and drifting is widespread through central and western Kansas. Among the highways closed in western Kansas are U.S. 50, U.S. 83 and K-96.

U.S. 50 is closed from Garden City west to the Colorado state line, the Kansas Department of Transportation reports, and U.S. 83 is closed from Scott City south to the Oklahoma state line. K-96 is closed from Tribune west to the Colorado state line.

“If it’s not closed, it’s snowpacked & icy or covered by snowdrifts,” KDOT tweeted about southwest Kansas shortly before 8:30 a.m. “Don’t go if you don’t have to.”

I-70 is snow-packed from Oakley to Junction City and partly snow-packed from Oakley to the Colorado state line, KDOT reports.

By Stan Finger | Filed under Snow | Comments Off

Wichita weather: A wintry mix much of the day, then a bit of snow

20 December, 20115:00 a.m.

The winter storm that brought much of central and western Kansas to a standstill on Monday will bring a mix of frozen precipitation to the Wichita metropolitan area today, forecasters say, culminating with a light frosting of snow.

The morning commute could be slick around Wichita, and the mix of rain, snow, sleet and freezing rain could last much of the day before changing to snow late in the afternoon. Highs today won’t budge much from the overnight low right around freezing, forecasters say.

Northerly winds will be steady in the upper teens, with gusts to nearly 30 miles an hour. Snow should end tonight, with skies gradually clearing. Lows are expected to dip into the upper teens.

Wednesday should see a significant warm-up to the low 40s under sunny skies, forecasters say.

Another chance for snow arrives Thursday night.

For more information on current conditions, go to our weather page.

By Stan Finger | Filed under Forecast | Comments Off

The Weather Channel reports from western Kansas

19 December, 20116:17 p.m.

Here’s The Weather Channel’s Mike Seidel, reporting from Cimarron for NBC Nightly News…..

By Stan Finger | Filed under Snow | Comments Off

Snowfall forecast maps for the impending winter storm

19 December, 20117:58 a.m.

Here are the latest snowfall forecast maps for the winter storm closing in on Kansas. These totals include snow that is expected to fall on Tuesday.

Here’s the map from the Dodge City branch of the National Weather Service:

The map for Wichita shows that Newton, El Dorado and Wichita can all expect differing snowfall totals.

Meanwhile, expect I-70 in northwest and central Kansas to shut down at some point tonight due to blizzard conditions. Portions of northwest and far western Kansas could see 6 to 10 inches of snow from this storm.

By Stan Finger | Filed under Snow | Comments Off

Snow won’t reach Wichita on Monday, forecasters say

19 December, 20117:39 a.m.

The latest forecast models indicate snow from a major winter storm barreling into Kansas won’t reach Wichita until midnight or later, local meteorologists say.

Today’s warmest temperatures came before sunrise, with rain and falling temperatures the dominant characteristic for the metropolitan area. Snowfall forecasts for Tuesday in Wichita range from 1 to 4 inches.

“The gradients are pretty sharp,” National Weather Service meteorologist Vanessa Pearce said.

That means there could be a significant difference in snowfall totals within a few miles of each other. Liberal could see a foot of snow from this storm, Pearce said, while central Kansas could receive 8 to 10 inches. A line stretching northeast from Dodge City through Jetmore to Rush Center could see 10 to 14 inches of snow.

“Anywhere (in southwest and central Kansas) can get a foot” of snow, said Marc Russell, a meteorologist with the weather service’s Dodge City branch.

The storm will move slowly through the panhandles of Oklahoma and Texas on up into central Kansas, he said. Heavy snow can be expected through early Tuesday morning.

Rain will change to sleet and eventually snow as the mid-level layers of the atmosphere cool, Russell said. Sleet could be particularly heavy in Pratt and points west of there.

“Hopefully, it will change over (to snow) quickly,” Russell said.

While the sleet shouldn’t cause problems with power lines, he said, it will make travel more treacherous. Authorities are discouraging travel in southwest and central Kansas tonight and Tuesday morning because of the snow and strong winds, which could create blizzard conditions at times.

By Stan Finger | Filed under Snow | Comments Off

Wichita weather: Rain a prelude to winter storm’s arrival

19 December, 20115:00 a.m.

Rain that began early this morning will turn to snow tonight in the Wichita area as a major winter storm pushes through the Sunflower State.

The National Weather Service has issued a winter weather advisory for a handful of counties in the Wichita area, including Sedgwick, Kingman, Harper and Harvey. The advisory extends from 6 p.m. today to midnight Tuesday.

The storm that is expected to dump as much as a foot of snow in parts of southwest and central Kansas is projected to deliver as much as six inches along and south of a line from Hutchinson to Marion, the weather service states. But the gradients with this storm are steep, forecasters say, which means there will be a sharp drop-off in snowfall amounts within short geographic distances.

Highs today are expected to hit the upper 40s in Wichita, with north-northwest winds in the teens and gusting to nearly 30 miles an hour. Snow is expected to continue overnight into Tuesday, with blizzard conditions possible in the heaviest snow bands. Lows will be about 30, with Tuesday’s high only a degree or two warmer than that.

Snow should taper off by evening, forecasters say, and Wednesday should see sunshine and highs in the mid-30s.

For more information on current conditions, go to our weather page. Monitor forecasts and conditions closely over the next couple of days. Travel – particularly in western and central Kansas – is strongly discouraged on Monday and Tuesday.

By Stan Finger | Filed under Forecast | Comments Off