Blast of cold air sends KC temps tumbling. Could snow make Thanksgiving travel dangerous?
Brrrrr. It’s cold outside.
The Kansas City area woke up on Thursday to the season’s coldest temperatures. While a weekend warm-up is expected, the National Weather Service said another blast of even colder weather is expected next week.
A cold front pushed through Kansas City overnight, sending temperatures plunging to below freezing at Kansas City International Airport. Northwest winds with gusts in the mid to upper 20s, made it feel much colder. The wind chill temperature just before 6 a.m. dropped into the mid-20s.
It will be another windy day. The weather service said that while winds won’t be as strong as Wednesday, they will still be gusting up to 30 to 35 mph at times. People should expect sustained winds over 15 mph. Some of the strongest winds may be during the morning commute.
Under sunny skies, afternoon temperatures will climb into the mid-40s. Typically, Kansas City’s temperatures are around 50 degrees this time of year.
Weekend warm-up expected in Kansas City
Weather conditions are setting up to make this “one of the coolest nights,” with temperatures dropping into the mid- to upper 20s.
“Kansas City has not been in the 20s since (March 27) when the low (temperature) was 21 degrees,” the weather service said on X, formerly Twitter, Wednesday night. “That is a string of 238 days with temperatures 30 degrees or above, which is the ninth longest on KC’s 137-year period of record. That streak may end tomorrow morning . . . if not, it will end Friday morning.”
Temperatures will rebound to near average on Friday. The cold blast won’t last long; a warm-up is expected this weekend.
With sunny skies expected, temperatures will climb to around 56 degrees on Saturday and peak in the mid-60s on Sunday. Overnight temperatures are expected to range from the mid-30s to the mid-40s.
Generally, dry conditions are expected through early next week, the weather service said.
Is snow in the Thanksgiving week weather forecast?
Another cold front is expected to pass through the Kansas City area Sunday night, bringing even colder temperatures next week. This time, the cold blast will last longer.
Daytime temperatures will be in the mid-40s, with overnight temperatures in the 20s.
An approaching storm system will bring a 20% to 30% chance for precipitation on Wednesday and Thanksgiving Day.
Rain could switch to snow, and accumulating snow is possible on Thanksgiving Day.
“This system will certainly need to be monitored as it may produce hazardous driving conditions on one of the biggest travel days of the year,” the weather service said.
This story was originally published November 21, 2024 at 7:38 AM.
