1-3 inches of snow, freezing temperatures in NWS Wichita forecast for parts of Kansas

Freezing temperatures and 1-3 inches of snow are expected across parts of Kansas starting Monday night, meteorologists predict.

The National Weather Service office in Wichita has issued a pair of freeze watches, predicting sub-freezing temperatures Monday night into Tuesday morning and again Tuesday night into Wednesday morning. The watches covers Butler, Chase, Harper, Harvey, Kingman, Marion and Sedgwick counties.

“Frost and freeze conditions could kill crops, other sensitive vegetation and possibly damage unprotected outdoor plumbing,” the advisory states.

The first of the two freezes is expected to coincide with rain transitioning to snow across a larger area of the state.

An NWS Wichita map shows much of central Kansas is forecasted to get light snow accumulations Monday night and Tuesday morning. Snowfall of 1-3 inches is possible for areas generally west, northwest, north and northeast of Wichita. Snow is not expected in southern Kansas.

The weather service forecast for Wichita predicts the rain will transition to snow around 4 a.m. Tuesday, with an overnight low temperature at around 32 degrees and wind gusts of up to 28 mph. The chance of precipitation in the city is 70%.

A mix of rain and snow is likely to continue until noon before transitioning back to rain in the early afternoon. Daytime precipitation chances are 60% on Tuesday, with a high temperature near 47 degrees and wind gusts of up to 29 mph.

Wichita is forecasted to have a clear and cold Tuesday night, with a low near 30 degrees and widespread frost early Wednesday morning between 2 a.m. and 9 a.m. The daytime high on Wednesday will be at around 55 degrees.

Any measurable snow on Tuesday in Wichita would be tied for the second-latest spring snowfall on record. The latest measurable snowfall was 0.2 inches on April 23, 2013, weather service records show. The latest non-measurable snowfall was trace amounts on May 2, 2013, NWS Wichita said on Twitter.

Tuesday snowfall could break the 103-year-old daily record for April 20, which is 0.1 inches set in 1918.

Low temperatures on Tuesday and Wednesday are predicted to be near record-breaking cold. The current cold records are 31 degrees for April 20 and 28 degrees for April 21.

This story was originally published April 18, 2021 at 2:08 PM.