Dangerous heat continues in KC with heat index values above 100 degrees. When will it end?
One more day of dangerously hot conditions is expected in Kansas City as heat index values are expected to soar above 100 degrees Friday afternoon, according to the National Weather Service.
A heat advisory remains in effect through Friday evening, primarily along and south of the Missouri River.
Actual temperatures on Friday are expected to climb near 100 degrees. If conditions get that hot, it would be the first 100-degree day of the summer season for the metro.
Overnight temperatures will remain quite warm, dipping only into the mid- to upper 70s, which will provide little relief from the heat.
Meanwhile, another round of showers and thunderstorms, some that could be severe, is expected to cut across northern Kansas and Missouri Friday morning, according to the weather service. The storms, however, will likely pass to the north of Kansas City.
The main threats from the strongest storms are hail the size of golf balls and strong wind gusts around 70 mph. The storms are expected to exit the area by 11 a.m.
More thunderstorms are possible later Friday evening, again mainly across northern Kansas and Missouri. These storms are expected to pass through the area between 4 and 9 p.m. and will be capable of producing hail the size of golf balls and winds gusts up to 60 mph, according to the weather service.
Cooler air is expected to move into the area overnight Friday into Saturday. Temperatures on Saturday are expected to be in the upper 80s.
Scattered showers and thunderstorms are also possible throughout the day on Saturday. The stronger storms could produce hail the size of quarters and wind gusts around 60 mph.
There is uncertainty in the coverage and location of these storms, which will be dependent upon Friday’s storm activity, according to the weather service.
Sunny skies are expected to return Sunday. Temperatures are expected to be near 87 degrees, which is normal for this time of year in Kansas City.
Heading into the July 4 holiday, skies will be sunny again on Monday and mostly sunny on Tuesday. Temperatures will be in the low to mid-90s.
KC area’s worsening drought conditions
Drought conditions continue to worsen in the National Weather Service’s Kansas City forecast area, which covers much of northern and western Missouri and extreme northeast Kansas, according to the latest maps from the U.S. Drought Monitor.
Nearly the entire region — 99.85% — is facing abnormally dry or worse drought conditions. That’s up from 97.82% last week.
Overall, a little over 94% of the Kansas City forecast area is experiencing moderate or worse drought conditions, which is up from a little over 85% last week.
Meanwhile, 65.4% of the forecast area is seeing severe or worse drought conditions, up from about nearly 55% last week. The percentage of areas experiencing extreme or worse drought conditions was nearly 19%, up from just over 16% a week ago. \
The Drought Severity and Coverage Index, which converts drought levels to a single value for an area, is 278 for the Kansas City forecast area, up from 254 last week.
The index ranges from 0 to 500, with 0 meaning none of the area is abnormally dry or in a drought and 500 meaning all of the area is facing exceptional drought conditions.
This story was originally published June 30, 2023 at 7:34 AM.
