Memorial Day weather forecast for Wichita includes heavy rain, flash flood watch

Memorial Day is expected to be wet in Wichita as rain storms are forecast through the rest of the holiday weekend.

The National Weather Service office in Wichita issued a flash flood watch from 4 p.m. Sunday through 7 p.m. Monday for portions of central, south-central and southeast Kansas. Multiple rounds of thunderstorms with heavy rain are predicted, and flooding is expected in low water crossings and other areas that typically flood.

Weather service forecasters predict areas that received heavy rainfall in the past week “are unlikely to be able to handle the additional heavy rainfall.”

“These areas are likely to create rapidly rising water producing the potential fast moving runoff causing potentially deadly conditions in unexpected areas,” the weather service said.

Included in the watch are Barton, Butler, Chase, Cowley, Elk, Ellsworth, Greenwood, Harper, Harvey, Kingman, Lincoln, Marion, McPherson, Reno, Rice, Russell, Saline, Sedgwick and Sumner counties.

Sunday afternoon storms in the Flint Hills and southeast Kansas could produce quarter-sized hail, 60 mph winds and funnel clouds. Sunday evening will bring another round of storms. Severe thunderstorms may produce hail up to the size of ping pong balls, wind and heavy rain overnight.

Monday has a chance for thunderstorms with heavy rain that is likely to cause localized flooding. The rainfall is expected to continue into Tuesday, an NWS hazardous weather outlook predicts.

In Wichita, the NWS forecast predicts a 20% chance of showers and thunderstorms Sunday afternoon. There is an 80% chance of rain overnight.

Memorial Day has a 90% chance of precipitation. Some of the storms could produce heavy rain. Monday night has a 70% chance of rain.

This story was originally published May 24, 2020 at 3:44 PM.