Wichita area to be under winter weather advisory

Dropping temperatures and a burst of wintry precipitation will leave Wichita and the surrounding area under a 24-hour winter weather advisory, beginning Thursday afternoon.

Andy Kleinsasser, a meterologist with National Weather Service in Wichita, said Wednesday’s autumnal high of 61 will plummet about 30 degrees or so by midafternoon Thursday, leaving the area with temperatures around the freezing mark. That, coupled with “stout north wind” and light rain that will turn to freezing mist or freezing drizzle later in the day, will “definitely slicken the roads up a bit and create some treacherous travel” conditions, he said.

He added that Thursday’s high of 50 to 55 is expected around 9 a.m.

Kleinsasser said the day’s freezing mist may transition to sleet by late Thursday into Friday morning. Friday’s temperature is expected to bottom out in the low 20s and another “pretty good north wind” will leave wind chills in the single digits, he said. The high Friday, again, should be around 30 or 32 degrees, he said.

The winter weather advisory for Wichita and the surrounding areas will be in effect from 6 p.m. Thursday until about 6 p.m. Friday, according to the National Weather Service.

“It’s well below normal of the mid-50s for this time of year,” Kleinsasser said, adding that no significant temperature jump is expected in the coming week.

“It’s really not looking like a warm-up at all.”

This story was originally published November 20, 2013 at 9:35 PM with the headline "Wichita area to be under winter weather advisory."