First frost of the season? Here’s how low Kansas City’s temps could go this week
A windy start to the week means you might want to hold onto your hat and anything else not tied down. Later in the week, get ready for what could be Kansas City’s first frost of the season, with a good soaking rain coming by week’s end, the National Weather Service said.
South to southwesterly winds will pick up noticeably after sunrise on Monday, and they’re likely to stick around into the afternoon thanks to a strong cold front pushing through the area, the weather service said.
Wind gusts of 30 to 40 mph are in the forecast, with a few gusts possibly reaching 45 mph in the southwestern parts of the Kansas City forecast area.
The risk of wildfires is higher on Monday because of the windy and dry weather. Humidity will likely drop to around 30 to 40%, making it easier for fires to ignite and spread quickly, especially south of the metro, the weather service said.
Folks should also prepare for cooler weather, as temperatures will be around 72 degrees on Monday and then dip into the low to upper 60s for the rest of the week. Kansas City’s temperatures typically are in the mid-60s in mid-October.
Nights will get chillier, with the possibility of frost for Wednesday and Thursday mornings.
“For Wednesday morning, lows have moderated slightly, but it still looks like most of the area will see lows in the mid- to upper 30s, with low 40s in the urban KC area,” the weather service said in its forecast discussion.
“This puts the best frost potential mainly north of the river and in low-lying/sheltered areas south of the river.”
On Thursday, the coldest temperatures will be confined to far northwestern and central Missouri. Kansas City typically sees its first frost of the season — when temperatures dip to or below 32 degrees — around Oct. 27, based on weather data from 1888 to the present from the weather service.
If you look at more current trends, between 1991 to the present, the average first frost is around Oct. 21.
Widespread rain is becoming more likely late in the week, according to the weather service. For the 48-hour period ending at 7 a.m. Saturday, there is a greater than 40% chance for at least an inch of rain along and south of Interstate 70, and a 30% chance for at least an inch of rain south of U.S. 36 across northern Missouri.
