Kansas City may see a record high temperature for the day before cold and rain arrive
Hang on Kansas City, the metro area will make a run at the record high temperature for this date Tuesday as afternoon highs soar into the 80s, said FOX4 meteorologist Karli Ritter.
But the unseasonably warm weather won’t last long as a strong cold front is expected to sweep into the metro Wednesday, bringing a chance of rain and cooler temperatures, said Ritter, who provides weather updates to The Star.
“Our record high for today is 85. Our average high is 63,” Ritter said. “So this is abnormally warm weather we are anticipating.”
The afternoon high is expected to reach around 82 degrees, she said. The warm weather is in advance of a strong cold front that is expected to push its way through the Kansas City area Wednesday afternoon.
“Even tomorrow, ahead of the front, we’ll still see highs close to 80,” Ritter said. “But during the afternoon, our models pick up on a wind shift and, more importantly, some slim rain chances, signaling a pretty drastic change for our forecast.”
Temperatures ahead of the cold front will climb into the upper 70s, but temperatures start tanking behind the cold front, she said.
“It is going to leave us with a much colder finish to the week with afternoon highs in the 50s,” Ritter said. “Morning lows will hover around freezing again.”
While Friday appears to be sunny, storms and more cold air are expected this weekend and early next week, she said.
BEHIND THE STORY
MOREHow we did this story
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.
The National Weather Service in Pleasant Hill said there will be a chance for strong thunderstorms late Wednesday afternoon and into the the evening east of Kansas City metro area.
In its forecast guidance for temporary structures, which includes tents used for medical purposes, the weather service said thunderstorms are possible across northern and central Missouri. While the storms are not expected to be severe, they will likely produce lightning and gusty winds over 50 mph.
Strong winds are expected to follow the thunderstorms Wednesday evening, with sustained winds of 20 to 30 mph and occasional gusts approaching 40 mph. The strong winds are expected to last for 8 to 12 hours, the weather service said.
The weather service advised that tents offer no protection from lightning and should be evacuated in advance of, during and 30 minutes after thunderstorms. Also, people should check the wind rating on their tents and make sure they are installed following manufacturer recommendations.
Next week’s temperatures are expected to be much colder.
“We know the next couple days will prompt the desire to get out and do some gardening, but next week looks downright chilly, especially during the overnight hours,” the weather service said on Twitter. “It may not be a bad idea to hold off on planting sensitive outdoor plants and flowers for at least another weekend.”
This story was originally published April 7, 2020 at 8:23 AM.
