Two storms on the way to KC during Thanksgiving holiday week
Hang on to your hats in Kansas City, as northwest winds of 25 to 35 mph are blowing across the area and gusting up to 60 mph Wednesday morning.
The National Weather Service in Pleasant Hill has issued a high wind warning that includes the Kansas City metro, until 9 a.m. Wednesday, saying the winds could blow down trees and power lines and cause power outages. Travel will be difficult, especially for high-profile vehicles.
“Later on today, the winds are finally going to relax and our air temperatures are only going to make it up into the lower 40s,” said FOX4 meteorologist Karli Ritter, who provides weather updates to The Star. “But we are going to settle into a drier forecast as this system moves out and gives us a little bit of a break between systems.”
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The Star produced this weather update in partnership with the local FOX4 television station. The station’s meteorologists create forecast videos multiple times a day for the newspaper to include in its weather reports.
That break, however, will be very brief as two more storms threaten to bring rain and a wintry mix to the Kansas City area.
“Our next system arrives for tomorrow on Thanksgiving and it is going to bring with it some potential for some wintry mix early on and then eventually some cold rain,” Ritter said.
Thanksgiving Day will start out dry very early, she said. But as the morning progresses, a wintry mix will likely move into the area and continue through lunch before transitioning to a chilly rain during the afternoon.
“The roads for the most part should be okay,” Ritter said.
The precipitation, however, could make travel tricky on Thanksgiving Day, as a light glaze could develop on untreated surfaces.
The St. Joseph area and locations in northeast Kansas and northwest Missouri have a better chance of seeing a wintry mix late in the afternoon.
Temperatures on Thursday will struggle to get out of the 30s and it should remain soggy through sunset in the metro.
“Right on its heels, another system is diving down the West Coast and it will turn the corner and move towards us,” Ritter said.
The day will start out dry on Friday, but that will not last long, Ritter said. Rain will move into the metro from the south by lunchtime.
“This rain is going to linger all the way through Friday evening into Saturday morning,” Ritter said. “By Saturday afternoon, we will finally start to dry out and we will warm up.”
Isolated thunderstorms will be possible Friday night, according to the weather service. Windy conditions return Sunday.
This story was originally published November 27, 2019 at 7:07 AM.
