Thunderstorms possible Christmas Eve in KC as winter starts with March-like weather
The official start of winter will feel a bit more like spring as Kansas City will see unseasonably warm conditions and the possibility of rain showers and thunderstorms, according to the National Weather Service.
“This forecast will have you double checking the calendar,” the weather service in Kansas City said on X, formerly known as Twitter. “Despite today (Thursday) being the official start of winter, temperatures will be more reminiscent of March with highs generally in the 50s with scattered rain chances through the weekend.”
Shortly before 7 a.m. Thursday, temperatures had already reached the low 50s at Kansas City International Airport, which is known by the airport code MCI. They are expected to climb into the mid- to upper 50s in the afternoon.
Normally, the high temperature in Kansas City this time of year is 41 degrees. The record for this date is 63 degrees, set in 1893.
Rain is expected to return to the region as well. Two rounds of showers are expected, the first coming Thursday night into Friday morning and the second coming Saturday night into Monday, the weather service said.
Although the chance of rain begins Thursday afternoon, the better chances arrive later in the evening and overnight, coming to an end Friday morning.
Conditions are expected to be dry after the storms move out Friday through most of Saturday. The warmer than usual conditions are expected to continue, with temperatures likely in the upper 50s Friday and around 60 degrees on Saturday.
“While we are not looking at records at this time, low 60s is definitely a possibility across the Metro,” the weather service said in its forecast discussion.
Rainfall chances increase Saturday night into Christmas Eve. Widespread rainfall is expected through much of Sunday. The highest chances for rain will be Sunday afternoon, with the entire region seeing an 80 to 100% chance of rainfall.
Showers are expected to continue overnight into Christmas morning.
“A narrow ribbon of instability may lead to potential of a rumble of thunder or two Sunday night,” the weather service said.
There’s a 40 to 60% chance of rain on Christmas. Because the holiday’s rainfall records are relatively low, there’s a possibility that the Kansas City area could see record breaking rainfall.
At KCI, the record rainfall for Christmas Day is .29 of an inch, set in 2016. The forecast is calling for .32 of an inch of rain, according to the weather service.
The record for other cities in the region include .28 of an inch at the Wheeler Downtown Airport, set in 1957; .57 at St. Joseph, set in 1997; .57 at Kirksville, set in 1957, and .37 in Sedalia, set in 2016.
Rainfall totals from Thursday evening to Monday evening are expected to be 1 to 2 inches, with some areas possibly seeing higher amounts. This could lead to minor flooding in some smaller river basins.
Temperatures are expected to be well above normal as well, reaching into the 50s again. While record-breaking temperatures are not expected, this could still be one of the warmest Christmases in Kansas City’s history.
This story was originally published December 21, 2023 at 8:16 AM.
