How cold will it be this winter in Wichita? See what forecasters predict for Kansas
The Wichita area is expected to see above normal temperatures November through January, according to the National Weather Service’s Climate Prediction Center. But according to one local forecaster, there’s not a strong forecast either way.
“[It’s] favor[ing] slightly warmer than average in the long long haul, [but] just not a real strong signal,” said Mickey McGuire with the National Weather Service’s Wichita office.
The United States is currently under a neutral weather pattern, but it is expected to shift to a La Niña pattern by winter. La Niña occurs when trade winds push warm water toward Asia, which brings cold water to the surface. This cold water in the Pacific then cause the jet stream to move north.
“[La Niña] tends to favor drier [winters], so kind of a continuation of what we have seen prior,” McGuire said. “That doesn’t mean we can’t get a big storm system or two over the course of the winter.”
McGuire said the Wichita area usually sees more consistent cooler temperatures starting in November.
“Over the next couple of weeks we should definitely be more consistent shots of cool Canadian air, then trend toward something more seasonable,” McGuire said.
Wichita’s weather forecast
As for the near future, McGuire said Wichitans can expect a little break from the warmer temps soon, but not for long.
“We have a couple of frontal passages this week, but for the most part, above normal into the next weekend,” McGuire said.
Here’s the Wichita forecast for the upcoming week, starting Oct. 22, from the National Weather Service’s website:
- Tuesday: Sunny with a high near 86 and a low near 55.
- Wednesday: Sunny with a high of 78 and a low of 58.
- Thursday: Sunny with a high of 88 and a low of 70.
- Friday: Sunny with a high of 70 and a low of 45.
- Saturday: Sunny with a high of 65 and a low of 46.
