Record breaking heat possible this weekend in Kansas City; storms likely Sunday night
It will be a hot weekend in Kansas City as temperatures are expected to soar well above normal Saturday, according to the National Weather Service in Kansas City.
Unseasonably warm weather continues Friday as temperatures are expected to climb into the mid-80s across the metro. The normal temperature for this time of year in Kansas City is around 70 degrees.
It’ll be even warmer on Saturday, as temperatures near 90 degrees. The record high for Saturday is 90 degrees set back in 1963.
“If we do hit 90 degrees on Saturday at KC, it will be the 12th latest 90 degree day on the 134-year record,” the weather service said on Twitter. “And it will be the latest 90 degree day in 58 years! Congrats to those procrastinators that haven’t gotten around to closing their pool yet!”
If you look at the latest 90-degree days by year, there would be only five other years where temperatures climbed into the 90s this late, according to data from the NOAA Regional Climate Centers.
Kansas City’s top five latest 90-degree day by year are Oct. 30, 1950 at 91 degrees; Oct. 23, 1939, at 91 degrees; Oct. 16, 1938, at 90 degrees; Oct. 14, 1963, at 92 degrees and Oct. 14, 1899, at 91 degrees.
The unseasonably warm weather comes at a time that climate change is leading to a warmer fall across the United States, according to a recent analysis by Climate Central, an independent climate change research organization.
The organization analyzed 246 cities and found that 95% of them have seen their autumn season warm since 1970, with about 57% of those cities seeing temperatures increase by at least two degrees.
While that may not seem like a lot, that means summer is lingering longer into the fall months along with higher energy bills, ticks and mosquitoes, not to mention the allergies.
While Kansas City’s climate hasn’t seen as dramatic of a shift, fall temperatures over the past 50 years are trending slightly warmer.
This weekend’s unseasonably warm weather is expected to continue into Sunday, where temperatures are expected to reach into the mid-80s.
It is expected to be dry Sunday until late in the evening as storms move into the area and continue overnight. There’s potential for a few strong to severe storms along with heavy rainfall, according to the weather service.
Some of the showers are expected to linger into Monday with another chance for storms returning Tuesday afternoon and evening.
This story was originally published October 8, 2021 at 8:50 AM.
