Cold, windy weather likely in Kansas City. Could metro see freezing drizzle this week?
A cold weather system moving towards the Great Lakes region will bring freezing temperatures and winds up to 30 mph to the Kansas City area on Wednesday, the National Weather Service said.
Temperatures below average are expected, hovering a few degrees above freezing despite sunny skies.
“Breezy northwest winds today producing wind chills generally in the teens,” the weather service said.
At 7 a.m., the temperature at Kansas City International Airport was 30 degrees, with the wind chill at 19 degrees. The temperature was expected to warm up to only 35 degrees. The average temperature in Kansas City for this time of year is 43 degrees.
Winds are expected to calm down in the evening, changing direction overnight.
Warmer weather likely Thursday in KC
A warm front is expected to develop across the southern plains and lift north on Thursday, reaching Interstate 70 late in the day.
“There is expected to be a stark contrast in temperatures along the front, with surface readings in the 40s and 50s south of the front while sub-freezing temperatures remain north of the front,” the weather service said.
In the Kansas City area, temperatures are expected to be around 40 degrees.
Freezing rain, drizzle in the forecast
A weather system coming from the west could bring drizzle or freezing drizzle to the region before transitioning to rain, the weather service said.
“Best chance for a brief period of freezing drizzle looks to be generally confined to locations near the Iowa border,” the weather service said.
While areas north of the U.S. 36 highway in northern Missouri have the greatest potential for light icing, the weather service said the Kansas City area has a 10% to 20% chance of seeing the wintry precipitation.
As temperatures rise during the day, the weather service said any freezing drizzle will turn into rain.
Temperatures on Friday are expected to climb into the upper 40s to near 50 degrees in Kansas City.
Warm weekend ahead
Kansas City should have a rather pleasant weekend with partly to mostly sunny skies.
Temperatures will rise to around 47 degrees on Saturday and into the low 50s on Sunday.
Another weather system could bring another chance of precipitation on Monday, but Kansas City will be on the warmer side of the system. The precipitation type should remain rain.
This story was originally published December 11, 2024 at 7:47 AM.
