Weather whiplash: Kansas City set for brief warmup before sudden cold snap
Kansas City will feel a chilly start to the week, but a quick burst of warmth — and an abrupt cold snap — could shake up the forecast, according to the National Weather Service.
Temperatures fell into the upper teens early Monday at Kansas City International Airport, with wind chills in the low teens, according to observed weather conditions.
The cold will linger, with temperatures climbing to near 40 degrees in the metro.
Temperatures on Tuesday will rebound to the mid-50s, about 10 degrees above the average 44 degrees for early December in Kansas City.
The warm temperatures, combined with breezy winds, will raise the risk for grass and brush fires.
The unseasonably warm weather won’t last long, as a cold front will move through the region Tuesday night into Wednesday morning, accompanied by brisk winds, according to the weather service. Wind gusts of 30 to 40 mph are possible.
Temperatures are expected to return to normal on Wednesday and remain in the mid-40s on Thursday.
An anticipated moisture-starved system has shifted farther northeast, limiting the chance of precipitation across northern Missouri from Wednesday night into Thursday. Any rain or snow from this system will mostly fall in eastern Iowa and central Illinois.
“Some of the coldest air of the season” will attempt to spill southward on the backside of the system, the weather service said. Just how cold it will get is uncertain because of limited snow cover and changing weather patterns.
The temperature on Saturday is expected to range from a high of 22 degrees to a low of 12 degrees. The temperature on Sunday will reach 32 degrees.
