Sizzling weekend in Wichita sets records

Wichita didn’t just time warp back to summer this weekend, it rewrote the record book along the way.

Saturday’s high of 91 degrees obliterated a record dating back nearly 125 years, according to the National Weather Service. The previous record high for Oct. 25 was 87, set in 1891. That’s just a couple of years after local weather records began being kept.

Sunday’s high of 90 tied the mark set in 1950. It’s also the latest 90-degree day in Wichita in the calendar year.

The sizzling temperatures for late October can be blamed on the robust west-southwest winds that have buffeted Wichita over the past few days, said Brad Ketcham, a meteorologist with the weather service.

Those winds coming down off the front slope of the Rockies compresses air molecules close to the surface, causing temperatures to rise significantly.

But a cold front should arrive Monday, bringing temperatures more in line with the calendar.

This story was originally published October 26, 2014 at 10:05 PM with the headline "Sizzling weekend in Wichita sets records."