Winds around Wichita expected to increase throughout the day. Here’s what to expect

Winds in the Wichita area are expected to increase throughout the day Thursday with possible afternoon gusts in the 50-60 mph range, according to National Weather Service Meteorologist Vanessa Pearce.

The weather system, which is moving east, reached Kansas overnight. A 58 mph gust at 4:03 a.m. at the Wichita Dwight D. Eisenhower National Airport was the highest measured as of 11 a.m., she said. The strongest gust measured in the weather system — which covers a swath of land from Texas to North Dakota — was 99 mph in Glen Haven, Colorado, on Wednesday night, she said.

By late morning on Thursday, sustained winds in the Wichita area were in the high 20s. Pearce said the sustained winds could reach between 30 and 40 mph this afternoon before dying down after sunset.

The high winds and dry conditions caused the weather service to issue a red flag warning for fires. Municipalities choose whether or not to ban burns but usually set a limit to stop them after winds reach 15 mph, she said.

No fires or damage had been reported as of 11 a.m., she said.

Winds on Friday will follow a similar pattern to Thursday, she said, with gusts also projected to be in the 50-60 mph range. Sustained winds will be closer to 10 mph on Saturday.

Outside of thunderstorms, which bring higher winds, 50-60 mph winds in the Wichita area happen probably a handful of times a year, she said.

“It happens,” she said. “It’s not super common but it’s not ... unprecedented.”

This story was originally published January 14, 2021 at 12:19 PM.