Low to middle 60s expected in Kansas City this weekend; light snowfall Tuesday

Go ahead Kansas City and enjoy this weekend’s spring-like weather.

And fortunately, next week’s major winter storm system, as of now, appears to be headed northwest of Kansas City.

The Kansas City area will get a mid-winter treat as temperatures are expected to climb into the low to middle 60s in coming days.

The warmup begins Thursday with highs expected to reach the middle 50s. The mild temperatures are expected to continue Friday and Saturday with temperatures reaching in the low to middle 60s, according to the National Weather Service in Pleasant Hill.

Sunday will be slightly cooler with highs in the upper 50s. There will be a chance of a few light showers or drizzle Sunday as a weak cold front moves through.

Winter weather returns early next week as a winter storm system is expected to move through the Midwest that could bring snow to the Kansas City area Tuesday through Wednesday morning.

The result of weather models from overnight indicate that the heaviest swath of snow will likely pass to the north and west of Kansas City across northern Kansas, eastern Nebraska and western Iowa, according to what the National Weather Service posted to its Kansas City Facebook page.

“Across our area modest totals may be possible across northwestern Missouri,” the National Weather Service said on Facebook. “Based strictly off model output, models paint 1 to 3 inches of snow across the KC metro and less further south and east.”

The predicted snowfall totals could change. The storm system is currently well out in the Pacific Ocean and is not expected to move on shore in California until Sunday, according to the National Weather Service.

“As is the case with these systems, the band of heavy snow will be rather narrow, perhaps on the order of a few counties wide, and the gradient between high snow amounts and negligible snow amounts will also be very tight,” the National Weather Service said in its Area Forecast Discussion report.

Because the predicted track of the system likely will change, the National Weather Service said people in areas along and north of I-70 should continue to monitor changing trends into next week.

The National Weather Service asked people on Wednesday to refrain from posting snow forecasts from other sources to its Facebook page, saying it has led to confusion with some people believing that its an endorsed forecast or its the official forecast.