Deep freeze leaves KC dangerously cold as wind chills dive below zero. When will it end?
Piercing cold with wind chills of 10 degrees below zero has gripped the Kansas City area, creating hazardous conditions across the metro, according to the National Weather Service.
“It’s another bitterly cold morning, with lows near zero,” the weather service said. “A little bit of wind is making it feel closer to -10 to -15.”
The frigid temperatures are due to a cold air mass that has locked in place over the region. When the colder air is combined with the recent snowfall, overnight temperatures have plummeted 15 to 20 degrees below seasonal averages, the weather service said.
Typically, Kansas City sees temperatures range from 38 degrees during the day to 20 degrees at night.
The temperature at Kansas City International Airport fell to zero degrees shortly before 6 a.m. Tuesday. The wind chill dipped as low as -10 degrees. Temperatures will not rebound much, climbing only to the upper teens during the day.
The dangerously cold weather will linger into Wednesday.
“Minimum wind chills from -5 to -15 degrees F are expected to persist through Wednesday morning, with areas near the KC Metro seeing the lower end of that range,” the weather service said.
Temperatures will be in the single digits early Wednesday before climbing back into the teens.
Warmer, more seasonal weather forecast for KC
The weather service said the winds will shift to the south overnight Wednesday.
“Slightly warmer air from the south will help bring us closer to seasonal normals, however we will still be 8-10 degrees below normal,” the weather service said.
Temperatures will be around 30 degrees on Thursday in Kansas City and the mid-20s to mid-30s elsewhere.
A storm system will track south of the region on Thursday night through Friday. The weather service said there may be flurries or light snow in the area, but little or no accumulation is expected. Heavier precipitation will be across southern Missouri and Arkansas.
Temperatures will remain slightly below average, climbing to around 30 degrees on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
In the extended forecast, below-normal temperatures and precipitation are likely for the third week of January.
This story was originally published January 7, 2025 at 7:22 AM.
