Rain is moving in ahead of the Royals’ ALCS Game 6 at Kauffman Stadium

Rain from a storm system moving into the Kansas City area late Thursday likely will move east of Kansas City before Game 6 of the ALCS starts between the Kansas City Royals and Toronto Blue Jays.

But fans should take ponchos or rain gear because there’s still a chance of showers and thunderstorms at game time.

“An area of rain that is pretty much right over central and western Oklahoma and central and western Kansas will spread eastward tonight and then move through the area (Friday),” said Chris Bowman, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service.

Forecasts indicated that 1/2 to 1 inch of rain is possible.

“It looks like the bulk of that precipitation probably will have pushed east of the Kansas City area by around 7 p.m.,” Bowman said. “But there remains a cold front to move through, so there is still going to be chance for showers or maybe a thunderstorm along that cold front… in the 6 to 9 p.m. time frame in the Kansas City area.”

That chance is about 30 to 35 percent. It decreases thereafter, Bowman said.

Bowman said it’s best for fans to come prepared for rain. Forecasts had indicated only a 20 percent chance of rain for the Royals’ first postseason game against the Houston Astros earlier this month. Yet rain delayed that game for 49 minutes.

“It just happened to be that one storm was right over the stadium,” Bowman said. “This is a similar scenario. If people are heading out, they should be prepared to see a shower or isolated thunderstorm. But right now it doesn’t look likely; we just can’t say it’ll be dry.”

Game-time temperatures are expected to be about 70 degrees and cooling to the mid-60s by 11 p.m.

If a seventh game is necessary Saturday, conditions should be drier but cooler. Skies should be clearing and temperatures be about 60 degrees at game time, cooling off quickly into the lower 50s by game’s end.

This story was originally published October 22, 2015 at 1:27 PM with the headline "Rain is moving in ahead of the Royals’ ALCS Game 6 at Kauffman Stadium."