The steady rain that arrived in Wichita late last night and accentuated its presence with sporadic blasts of thunder shortly before dawn won’t let up in the metropolitan area until late this morning, forecasters say.
Nearly an inch of rain has fallen at Wichita’s Mid-Continent Airport since midnight, National Weather Service meteorologist Stephanie Dunten said.
“It looks like it’s going to be raining for a while,” Dunten said. “The system is back-building.”
The rain could be heavy at times. Thunderstorms are possible again this afternoon, especially east of the Kansas Turnpike.
Highs today are projected to reach the low 60s, with east-southeast winds in the teens and gusts above 20 miles an hour.
Lows tonight are expected to slip into the upper 30s, and highs on a mostly sunny Friday should rebound only into the low 50s.
While there will be no shortage of ghosts, goblins and other frightening characters out Trick-or-Treating or otherwise celebrating Halloween this weekend, there’s nothing scary about Wichita’s forecast for the holiday.
Saturday should be mostly sunny, with a high in the low 60s. The overnight low under clear skies should be about 40.
As Halloweens go in the Sunflower State, that weather will be tough to top.
As October races toward its conclusion, it will offer Wichita a dash of spring-like weather.
Robust southerly winds will gust above 30 miles an hour today and temperatures will climb to the mid-to-upper 60s under mostly cloudy skies, forecasters say.
Showers and thunderstorms are likely late tonight and especially after midnight, with small hail and winds of 60 miles an hour associated with the strongest storms.
More showers and thunderstorms are expected in the region Thursday, with the strongest storms east of a Salina to Wichita to South Haven line. Highs Thursday will be in the low 60s, forecasters say.
The closest I ever came, I suppose, was dressing up as the Scarecrow from the Wizard of Oz, which, as anyone who ever saw the movie knows had a tornado as a pivotal plot point.
A group of us dressed as various characters from the movie. Let’s just say it was an itchy costume, because I used real straw.
I do remember one woman coming as the sun one year, though it was more like the smiling sun we used to see on cereal boxes, not something meteorologically accurate.
Has anyone dressed as a snowflake or a tornado or a lightning bolt? I’d like to hear about it. And send a photo, if you feel daring….
Pumpkins and Halloween decorations alike are probably sporting a frosty glaze this morning in the Wichita area after overnight lows dipped tantalizingly close to freezing.
But Tuesday should rebound and offer pleasant conditions, with sunny skies and highs near 60, forecasters say. Light south winds will dance between single digits and the low teens.
Wednesday looks even warmer, with highs in the mid-60s. But winds will be stronger, and forecasters say showers are likely after midnight and much of Thursday.
For the first time in its history, The Weather Channel is going to be showing movies.
Films about weather or with weather as a major component in the plot line will be shown on the next four Friday nights.
First up? “The Perfect Storm.”
Seems appropriate, doesn’t it? Other offerings will include the documentary “March of the Penguins,” the thriller “Deep Blue Sea” and “Misery,” for which Kathy Bates won an Academy Award.
While the movies are being shown, forecasts will continue to be offered via a crawl line at the bottom of the screen.
I’m not sure how I feel about the Weather Channel showing flicks – on Friday or any other day of the week. What happens if there’s a major early winter storm marching through the Great Plains or hammering the Northeast on a Friday night? Do they break away from the movie for extended periods, much like local stations do during severe weather? Will folks in Florida be pleased to have their movie disrupted by reports of a blizzard in the Dakotas?
What do you think about this move? And what films would you choose if you were the programming director?
Southern Kansas should see plenty of sunshine today – but also persistent north winds that will give Monday a bit of a bite, forecasters say.
Highs are projected to reach the mid-50s today under partly cloudy skies. Those north winds will be steady in the teens, with gusts above 20 miles an hour.
Lows tonight should dip into the mid-30s, and highs Tuesday are projected to climb into the low 60s. Winds should shift to the south, again in the teens with gusts into the 20s.
The winter storm that brought snow to northwest Kansas earlier this week didn’t pack quite as much punch as forecasters feared.
More than 5 inches of snow fell northwest of Atwood, and 4 fell near St. Francis. Only the far corner of the state accumulated snow from the storm, but there are whispers of more snow coming to Kansas late next week.
Stay tuned.
October has spent a lot of time pretending to be November in the Wichita area, and today is just the latest verse of that particular tune.
Cloudy skies should dominate the day, forecasters say, with highs touching 50 and northwest winds gusting above 30 miles an hour. Wind chills were below freezing as sunrise approached today.
A frost advisory is in effect for tonight, when lows are expected to drop to just above freezing.
Saturday should see widespread frost before sunrise, forecasters say, but the day should seem pretty pleasant – particularly after today. Sunny skies and temperatures in the 60s are expected. It will be a bit windy, with steady breezes in the teens and gusts above 20 mph.
A raw autumn day is in store for the Wichita metropolitan area, with falling temperatures, gray skies and northwest winds gusting to nearly 30 miles an hour.
The official high for today will be in the 50s, but that came early this morning. Daytime temperatures will hover in the 40s, forecasters say. Light drizzle is possible this morning, and there’s a slight chance of showers this afternoon.
Lows tonight are expected to dip into the mid-30s, and Friday looks like it will be cloudy, windy and cool, with highs in the low 50s.