Is 100 knocking on Wichita’s weather door?

Wichita can expect its warmest temperatures of the year so far over the next few days.

Some forecasters are even saying Wichita could see its first 100-degree day this year.

The National Weather Service isn’t joining that chorus, calling for highs in the upper 90s the rest of the week.

Still, “it’s possible” Wichita could reach 100, said Chance Hayes, warning coordination meteorologist with the local branch of the weather service. “Maybe.”

The heat index should hit 100 in Wichita on Friday, Hayes said. That means it will feel like 100 degrees outside even if the thermometer reading doesn’t say that.

“This is perfect wheat harvesting weather,” weather service meteorologist Andy Kleinsasser said of the hot, dry conditions.

The robust south winds of the past few days, which saw gusts of close to 40 mph in Wichita and even stronger in the Hutchinson area on Tuesday, are hardly unusual for this time of year, forecasters say.

This particular bout of windy weather is due to strong pressure systems to the northwest and southeast of Kansas, Hayes said.

“They’re just kind of squeezing the atmosphere like an accordion,” he said. “That’s what we’ve had going on the last three days. It’s been awfully windy.”

If the temperature does reach triple digits later this week in Wichita, that will be earlier than normal for the city. Wichita averages 10 to 11 100-degree days a year, with the first one usually coming around July 3.

“There was a handful of years that didn’t even reach 100, but not very many,” Kleinsasser said.

This story was originally published June 14, 2017 at 6:56 AM with the headline "Is 100 knocking on Wichita’s weather door?."