Is Kansas City’s thaw the calm before a winter whiplash? What the forecast says
A short spell of warmer weather will give Kansas City a brief break from winter’s chill, but Arctic air and a chance of snow will close out the week, according to the National Weather Service.
Temperatures dropped to around 17 degrees shortly before 6 a.m. Tuesday at Kansas City International Airport (MCI). Wind chills made it feel like 8 degrees.
By the afternoon, however, temperatures were expected to climb into the mid-40s, above the average high of 38 degrees for this time of year.
The warmup will continue with temperatures around 45 degrees on Wednesday and near-normal readings on Thursday, according to the weather service. Arctic air will move back into the area Thursday afternoon.
Arctic air arrives
“By late evening, the cold air will likely be here, sending low temperatures into the single digits for most of the area, while areas south of U.S. 50 may be able to hold onto lower teens for low temperatures,” the weather service said.
Winds could also be gusty, resulting in below-zero wind chills Friday morning.
Bone-chilling weather is expected this weekend, with temperatures struggling to reach the 20s across most of the area and multiple mornings with wind chills below minus 10 degrees. Northern Missouri could easily see wind chills between minus 10 and minus 25 degrees.
The surge of cold air will remain across the region through Saturday, with wind chills of -15 to -25 degrees. Daytime temperatures are expected to rise to around 14 degrees.
Big winter storm looms
Forecasters are watching a developing major winter storm that is expected to sweep across the southern and eastern parts of the country later this week. The storm could impact southern Missouri.
While heavy snow is possible with this storm system, the heavier snowfall is expected to remain well south of the Kansas City area, the weather service said. The highest chances of accumulation are mainly south of Interstate 70.
The probability that Kansas City will see more than an inch of snow Friday night into Saturday is about 25%, according to the weather service. That could change if the storm shifts farther north.
Sunny skies are expected to return on Sunday, allowing temperatures to climb to around 25 degrees.
