Heavy downpours are possible as strong storms sweep through Kansas City
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Strong storms may bring damaging wind gusts and downpours Thursday afternoon.
- Scattered severe thunderstorms are possible with a risk of flooding in NW Missouri.
- Storm chances linger into Friday as heat persists and forecast uncertainty remains.
Editor’s note: For an updated forecast, including timing of the storms and possible rainfall totals, see: Torrential rains are possible in the KC area. A flood watch is in effect
Strong thunderstorms could bring heavy rainfall as they push through the Kansas City area Thursday afternoon, according to the National Weather Service.
Before the storms, hot and humid weather will persist, extending the metro’s streak of 90-degree days to a week. Temperatures are expected to climb to around 92 degrees with heat index values in the upper 90s.
Scattered showers and thunderstorms are expected to fire up in the afternoon along a front in northwest Missouri and move through the rest of the area through the evening, the weather service said.
“The severe threat is expected to coincide with the warmest times of the day,” the weather service said. Most storms will be disorganized and short-lived.
Heavy downpours possible across northwest Missouri
The best chance for severe weather will be between 3 and 9 p.m. A few strong storms will be capable of producing damaging wind gusts.
Heavy downpours and flooding are possible, especially across northwest Missouri, the weather service said.
There is some uncertainty in the timing and path of the storms. If the front progresses slowly, flooding concerns will increase, the weather service said.
The National Weather Service’s Weather Prediction Center has placed the Kansas City area and parts of Kansas and Missouri under a slight risk of excessive rainfall, the second level of a four-tier scale.
Showers, thunderstorms linger into Friday
Thunderstorms are expected to linger into Friday morning as the front stalls out south of U.S. 36, bringing more chances of storms for Friday evening, the weather service said.
A weather system is expected to move through on Friday, and the location of storms will depend on where the front stops.
A few of the forecast models suggest the best chances of storms remain to the south of Interstate 70, the weather service said. There is still considerable uncertainty about where and when the storms might occur.
Most of the weekend will be hot, humid and mostly dry, with heat index values in the 90s to low 100s. A few storms could pop up at times over the weekend.
The chance for storms and cooler weather returns early next week.
This story was originally published June 26, 2025 at 7:50 AM.
