Excessive heat warning extended for Kansas City. Here’s when cooler air is now expected
The Kansas City area will have to hang on a little longer before seeing any relief from the sweltering conditions that have gripped the metro this week, the National Weather Service said Wednesday.
The cooler air promised earlier this week will be slow to arrive, which has compelled the weather service to extend its excessive heat warning for the Kansas City area into Friday evening.
Because of the scorching conditions, trash and recycling hauler Waste Management announced that it would begin its residential pickups at 5 a.m. through the remainder of the week in Kansas City, Kansas, said Dave Reno, a spokesman for the Public Works department for the Unified Government of Wyandotte County and Kansas City, Kansas.
Residents were encouraged to have their trash and recycling at the curb or edge of the street before 5 a.m. on their pick up day. Items can be set out as early as 4 p.m. the day before. They were also encourage to avoid placing bulky items at the curb this week and to leave trash and recycling at opposite ends of the driveway or walkway so drivers can quickly distinguish between the two.
For Wednesday, oppressively hot conditions will continue. Although temperatures will likely range from mid-90s to near 100 degrees, heat index values are expected to be between 100 and 115 degrees, the weather service said.
“Avoid spending prolonged time outdoors,” the weather service said in its forecast discussion. “If you must spend any time outside, be sure to stay hydrated, take frequent breaks in the air conditioning, and wear loose and light colored clothing.”
People should consider rearranging their outdoor plans to the mornings when temperatures are a bit cooler.
Overnight temperatures are expected to be in the mid-70s to around 80 degrees which will provide little relief from the heat, compounding the stress that the heat is having on those who cannot escape into cooler conditions.
Although temperatures have yet to crack 100 degrees this week, high dew points have made it feel much hotter. The heat index value has set unofficial records at Kansas City International Airport.
Earlier this week, the weather service said on X, formerly known as Twitter, that heat index values are not kept as official records. However, data from Iowa State University showed the heat index reached 118.9 degrees on Monday and 118.1 degrees on Sunday, the highest since the heat index was devised in 1979.
The previous record of 117.7 degrees was set on July 19, 20 and 25 in 2002, according to the data.
Drier air will begin moving into the area on Thursday, which will lead to slightly lower heat index values even though temperatures will be slightly higher. The heat index value is expected to range between 105 and 110 degrees.
On Friday, a cooler air mass is expected to slowly move into the region. Conditions, however, will continue to be dangerously hot with the heat index between 100 to 110 degrees in the metro area, the weather service said.
By the weekend, temperatures will return to the 80s and 90s, snapping the heat wave. Cooler temperatures are expected to continue into next week.
This story was originally published August 23, 2023 at 7:56 AM.
