After weak tornado, Kansas City faces near-record heat and renewed severe storm threat
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- Kansas City faces near‑record warmth with highs near 80°F early this week.
- National Weather Service warns of Tuesday severe storms with hail and winds.
- Heavy rain Tuesday evening could produce localized flooding in some areas.
Days after a weak tornado touched down in the Kansas City metro area, possibly record‑breaking warmth will start the week, and another round of strong to severe storms is possible Tuesday, bringing heavy rain that could trigger localized flooding, according to the National Weather Service.
The warmup begins Sunday, with temperatures climbing to around 68 degrees. Temperatures will be even warmer on Monday, possibly breaking the daily record of 78 degrees set in 2021, according to the forecast.
Then, forecasters expect temperatures on Tuesday to reach around 80 degrees, which could be the first time this year temperatures reach the 80s. The record for that date, 84 degrees set in 1967, should be safe, the weather service said.
The main concern in the forecast is the possibility of severe weather returning to the Kansas City area. Forecasters say that, as with Friday’s storms, much will depend on cloud cover, where a warm front sets up and how the warm, humid air over the region evolves during the day.
If stronger storms form, large hail, damaging winds, and maybe a tornado will be possible, the weather service said.
The tornado risk follows Friday’s storms, which produced a weak tornado that struck at night. The weather service reported that an EF-0 tornado touched down around 11:30 p.m. in northern Shawnee, moved east along Interstate 35 into parts of Merriam and southern Wyandotte County, then crossed the state line into Kansas City before lifting just before Westport near Southwest Trafficway.
The majority of damage was to trees, with peak wind speeds estimated around 75 mph.
The National Weather Service’s Storm Prediction Center has placed the Kansas City area at a slight risk of severe weather, which is the second level out of five on its severe weather scale.
Meanwhile, northeast Missouri is at a higher, enhanced risk, the third of five levels on the severe weather scale.
In addition to the potential severe weather, there is a chance of heavy rain on Tuesday evening. Depending on the track of these storms, localized flooding could develop in parts of the Kansas City forecast area, the weather service said.
