How windy did it get in Wichita this week? See what the National Weather Service reported
A strong storm system passing through the Wichita area Wednesday afternoon will most likely be the end of the high wind gusts experienced the week of Oct. 28, some more than four times Wichita’s average wind speed.
“There’s a strong storm system working its way out east,” said Bryan Baerg, a forecaster with the National Weather Service’s Wichita office. “It’ll kind of shift the strongest winds off to the east of our area and going to switch to the north later today and tonight.”
The highest wind gust recorded at Wichita’s Eisenhower Airport on Tuesday was 56 miles per hour. Monday experienced a similar number, recording 53 miles per hour wind gusts.
Here’s a list of wind gusts reported in south-central Kansas on Wednesday, according to a NWS Wichita social media post:
- Russell: 58 mph
- Ellsworth: 55 mph
- Newton: 54 mph
- Parsons: 54 mph
- Salina: 54 mph
- Coffeyville: 53 mph
- Hutchinson: 53 mph
Wind gusts of 53 were reported at Wichita’s Jabara Airport. According to the National Weather Service’s annual climate normals, which uses data from 1991- 2020, the average wind speed in the area is 11.5 mph.
Baerg said another storm system expected to arrive this weekend could lead to more winds.
“We aren’t anticipating the winds approaching 60 miles an hour like we had Monday and Tuesday,” Baerg said. “Winds over the weekend may approach 30 miles an hour, but again, nothing like we’ve seen the last couple of days.”
After Wednesday night’s expected storm, not only is the weather service predicting the winds to calm down, but also the temperatures.
“We’re expecting a much cooler day tomorrow for Halloween,” Baerg said. “Temperatures tomorrow are going to be mainly in the 50s for most areas, as opposed to the 80s the last few days.”
What’s the forecast in Wichita this week?
A severe storm Wednesday night could bring golf-ball size hail, wind gusts reaching 80 miles per hour and a possibility for tornadoes. The storm is expected to hit the area between 6 to 9 p.m., but is expected to hit more east of the city.
Here’s the forecast for the upcoming week, from the National Weather Service’s website:
- Thursday, Oct. 31: Sunny with a daytime high of 60. Clear night with a low around 40.
- Friday, Nov. 1: Sunny with a high of around 67. Showers and thunderstorms likely after 1 a.m., low of 53.
- Saturday, Nov. 2: Possible showers and thunderstorms during the day with a high of 66. Storm possibilities continue through the night with a low of about 58.
- Sunday, Nov. 3: Possible showers and thunderstorms and a high of 69, chance of showers continue through the night and a low of 58.
- Monday, Nov. 4: High near 67 with chances of showers and thunderstorms during the day and through the night. Low of 47.
This story was originally published October 30, 2024 at 2:08 PM.
