Hail, damaging winds possible as severe storms sweep across KC metro area Wednesday
Get out and enjoy the weather Tuesday as Kansas City celebrates Fountain Day by turning on the city’s publicly-operated fountains.
Afternoon highs could be ideal as temperatures are expected to reach 80 degrees, according to National Weather Service in Pleasant Hill.
But storms are brewing and thunderstorms threaten to make their return to the metro area Wednesday night. A few of the storms could become strong to severe, according to the weather service.
If severe storms develop, the main threat will be hail and damaging winds.
There is some uncertainty as to how severe the storms could be. A layer of warm air aloft, known as a cap, could suppress or delay the development of thunderstorms. If that cap weakens or is removed, thunderstorms could occur, according to the weather service.
The cap will be in place much of Wednesday, which could decrease the severity of the storms. The later in the day the cap breaks, the shorter the window of possibility for severe weather.
Even if severe weather doesn’t develop, the storms will bring widespread rain across the region. Between .5 and 1 inch of rain is likely along and east of Interstate 35, with areas south of Interstate 70 seeing heavier amounts of 1 to 1.5 inches of rain.
Showers will likely remain in the area Thursday, eventually moving out of the area by Thursday night.
Because of the possibility of the return of severe weather, the National Weather Service on Twitter urged people to make sure they are prepared.
This story was originally published April 16, 2019 at 8:52 AM.
