Wichita can expect a wet Christmas, but not a white one

Kansans dreaming of a white Christmas this year will see it only there – in their dreams.

They’re much more likely to hear thunder on Christmas Day, forecasters say. A strong storm system will roll through the nation’s midsection on Christmas Day, “but we’re going to be on the warm side” of the front, National Weather Service meteorologist Mick McGuire said.

“It’ll be a wet Christmas,” he said, not a white one.

And that will be good news for people planning to travel over the holidays, either by car or by air.

McGuire said up to an inch of rain could fall in the region on Sunday.

“An inch in December – that’s a big rain” for Kansas, he said.

Decembers are typically pretty dry, because little precipitation makes it this far north from the Gulf of Mexico this time of year, he said.

As much as the young and young-at-heart in Kansas may long for a white Christmas, data suggests it’s uncommon for the Sunflower State. Between 1980 and 2015, southern Kansas saw a white Christmas only a little more than 10 percent of the time, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Northern Kansas saw one about 25 percent of the time.

Travel forecast

Temperatures could push into the 60s on Christmas Day after several days in the 40s, McGuire said. That means ice and snow shouldn’t be travel hazards around the state this holiday weekend.

AAA is predicting more than 103 million Americans – the most on record – will travel during the year-end holidays.

That represents a 1.5 percent increase, or 1.5 million more travelers, compared to last year. The increase is expected despite one less travel day this holiday season.

The vast majority of that total – 93 million – will drive to their destination.

The increase in holiday travel this year is being driven by additional consumer spending, a result of improvements in the labor market and rising wages, AAA officials say. Reasonably low gas prices and increased consumer optimism are also factors in the increase, they said.

Anyone driving into the Rocky Mountains or the Northern Plains on Christmas Day could be dealing with snow, AccuWeather officials said Tuesday. Kansas City could see a mix of rain and snow on Sunday night.

Much colder air is behind the front, McGuire said, but by the time it reaches Wichita, the moisture will have moved north and east with the storm front.

Highs early next week are projected to reach the low 40s, which is typical for the final week of the year in Wichita, McGuire said.

Crowded airports

Just as highways are expected to see a bump in traffic over the holiday period, airports will as well.

Air travel is expected to increase by 2.5 percent, with more than 6 million Americans flying to their holiday destinations, according to AAA.

“We expect a busy holiday travel season,” Valerie Wise, a spokeswoman for Eisenhower National Airport, said in an e-mail response to questions. “Passengers can expect full flights, so we recommend you check bags. Storage in the overhead bins will be limited.”

The busiest days at the airport are shaping up to be Thursday and Friday, she said, as well as the five days after Christmas.

Wise urged fliers to review prohibited items at www.tsa.gov so they can avoid delays as they work their way through security screening in preparation for their flights. She also cautioned passengers to avoid wearing clothing with lots of bling because that could set off the metal detectors.

This story was originally published December 20, 2016 at 9:57 PM with the headline "Wichita can expect a wet Christmas, but not a white one."