Kansas City storms kick off rainy Easter weekend. Here’s what to expect
Showers and thunderstorms swept through the Kansas City area early Thursday, kicking off several days of rainy weather in the metro, according to the National Weather Service.
Rain, accompanied by flashes of lightning and rumbles of thunder, greeted folks as they headed out on their morning commute and errands.
“So far, the risk of severe storms with this activity remains low, but not zero,” said Jonathan Kurtz, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Kansas City. “There remains a chance of some hail to quarter size and wind gusts to 60 mph with the strongest storms.”
Some stronger storms were cutting across the southern part of the metro, triggering the weather service to issue severe thunderstorm warnings.
At 6:13 a.m., a severe thunderstorm was located over Osawatomie, Kansas, and was quickly moving southeast at 45 mph. Winds gusting up to 60 mph and quarter-sized hail were the main hazards.
The weather service issued a severe thunderstorm warning for parts of Miami and Linn counties in Kansas and parts of Cass and Bates counties in Missouri.
The strongest of the morning storms are expected to be along and south of Interstate 70.
The storms are expected to end later in the morning, allowing skies to clear and become mostly sunny. Temperatures are expected to climb into the low 80s, well above the normal temperature of 66 degrees for this time of year.
More storms in Kansas City area’s forecast
The weather service said additional storms are expected to develop Thursday afternoon and evening to the north in Nebraska and Iowa, possibly clipping northern Missouri.
There is a risk of severe weather, but it’s conditional based on an area of warm air, called a cap, that could act as a lid and keep the stronger storms from forming, the weather service said.
The main threat from the storms will be large hail and damaging winds. Hail could be greater than 2 inches in diameter, the weather service said.
A cold front is expected to sink into the area on Friday before stalling over Missouri. The tendency in the forecast has been for the front to set up across southeast portions of the Kansas City forecast area. But there is a growing signal for it to stall closer to the metro or just to the north, the weather service said.
The front will stretch from the southwest to the northeast, roughly from Kansas City to Keokuk, Iowa.
The weather service said that additional showers and storms are expected along and ahead of the front Friday afternoon and evening. There will be a risk for severe weather with the initial storms, primarily large hail and strong winds.
Storms may become widespread through the evening and overnight, with heavy rainfall and flooding in areas with multiple storms that track over the same location. Areas southeast of Kansas City, especially towards the Ozarks, could see heavy rain and possible flooding.
The National Weather Service’s Storm Prediction Center has placed the southeast corner of the metro and locations to the south and east under a slight risk of severe weather. The rest of the metro is at a marginal risk.
Rain showers persist into Easter weekend
Heavy rainfall and flooding risks continue into the weekend as storm activity from Friday night is expected to continue into Saturday. The weather service said that multiple rounds of storms are possible over the same area.
On Sunday, the rain is expected to spread northward as the primary storm system tracks northeast through eastern Kansas and western Missouri, the weather service said.
The weather service said that because the Kansas City area will be on the cool side of a low-pressure system, strong to severe weather is not expected.
While the Weather Prediction Center has placed the Kansas City area under a marginal risk of excessive rainfall, the weather service said widespread flooding is not expected.
Temperatures will be in the mid-50s on Saturday and near 60 on Sunday.
Quiet weather is expected Monday, but there’s a hint of additional storm activity on Tuesday, the weather service said.
This story was originally published April 17, 2025 at 7:29 AM.
