Up to 2 inches of snow, wind chills as low as negative 30 in Kansas weather forecast
More snow is in the forecast for this weekend as many parts of Kansas still have snow on the ground from this past weekend’s snowfall.
People who have been staying inside due to the weather may want to get groceries or run any necessary errands soon, because the forecast calls for even colder temperatures. The additional snow and any potential ice may make driving on roads more dangerous.
“Bitter cold temperatures and very dangerous wind chills are expected this weekend,” forecasters with the National Weather Service office in Wichita said in a tweet. “Be prepared for the extreme cold.”
With Wichita currently on a four-day streak of sub-freezing temperatures, just how cold will this weekend be?
High temperatures in the city over the past several days have ranged between 15-20 degrees, with overnight lows ranging 9-11 degrees.
Friday through Monday have expected highs of 15, 11, 8 and 7 degrees, respectively. Daily low temperatures are forecasted to be 5, 2, minus 3 and minus 6 degrees, respectively. Each of those days have at least a 30% chance for snow, with the highest chance of 60% coming Sunday night.
Wind chills will make it feel even colder.
Normal temperatures in Wichita for this time of year are a high of 47 and a low of 25.
The cold temperatures have not broken any weather records so far in Wichita, but that may change over the weekend. The forecasted highs and lows on Saturday, Sunday and Monday have the potential the break five NWS records — four that are 85 years old and one that is 116 years old.
The seven-day NWS forecast shows temperatures are not expected to get above freezing for at least another week. That could potentially be “the longest number of consecutive sub-freezing days” since December 1983, the weather service said.
The Wichita forecast is similar to what is expected across much of the state.
“Another round of snow could affect the region for Friday afternoon through early Saturday,” states a regional hazardous weather outlook from NWS Wichita. “Some light snow accumulations of 1 to 2 inches are possible by Saturday morning. Meanwhile, a frigid air mass is forecast to sink slowly southward across Kansas for Friday through Monday. This will create dangerously cold wind chills with readings ranging from 10 to 30 below zero.”
The outlook, issued Wednesday afternoon, covers portions of central, south-central and southeast Kansas. Affected counties in the NWS Wichita service area include Allen, Barton, Butler, Chase, Chautauqua, Cowley, Elk, Ellsworth, Greenwood, Harper, Harvey, Kingman, Labette, Lincoln, Marion, McPherson, Montgomery, Neosho, Reno, Rice, Russell, Saline, Sedgwick, Sumner and Woodson.
In a tweet, NWS Wichita said the snow is expected to be light and fluffy. A map showed Wichita and much of south-central and southeast Kansas in the 1-inch range. North-central and northeast Kansas were in the 1-2 inches range.
“If possible, adjust your schedule to avoid being outside during the coldest part of the day, typically the early morning,” NWS Wichita meteorologists said in a tweet. “... People exposed to extreme cold are susceptible to frostbite in a matter of minutes. Areas most prone to frostbite are uncovered skin and extremities, such as hands and feed.”
Animal owners should also ensure pets and farm animals are not overly exposed to extreme cold, and property owners should ensure water pipes do not freeze, the weather service advised. Space heaters should be used with caution.
Emergency responders have warned people to stay off bodies of water. At least one Kansan has died so far this week after falling through ice and drowning.
This story was originally published February 10, 2021 at 9:30 PM.