High winds buffet Wichita, bringing dirt, smoke, low visibility & air quality issues

Wichita winds picked up Friday afternoon, bringing dirt and smoke from Oklahoma wildfires, dimming visibility and triggering an air quality health advisory.

The Kansas Department of Health and Environment issued an advisory just after 5 p.m., when air quality in and around Wichita was rated unhealthy. View current air quality here.

KDHE recommended healthy people limit outdoor exercise and more vulnerable people stay indoors.

Wichita saw its highest wind, a 61 mph gust, so far of the day around 3:30 p.m. when the storm was “right over the top of us,” National Weather Service meteorologist Mick McGuire said.

He said the gusts could reach a few miles per hour faster before starting to wane around 6 p.m. The other concern for the evening commute is the visibility.

“A big plume of dirt and smoke ... just now moving into our area,” he said around 3:35 p.m., adding visibility would continue to get worse for the next few hours.

The 61 mph gust was measured about 30 feet off the ground. Winds close to that time were in the low 40s.

East and west of Wichita, major highways were closed

Part of I-35 6 miles east of Emporia was closed between Road U and the Lyon/Coffey county line because of wildfire and smoke. Drivers were advised to take other routes.

In northwest Kansas, I-70 was closed because of “blowing dust,” according to the Kansas Department of Transportation. At 6 p.m., the westbound lanes were closed from Goodland to WaKeeney. Eastbound lanes were closed between Goodland and Oakley.

These other roads were closed in northwest Kansas: S. 40 between Sharon Springs and Oakley and K-27 from Goodland to Tribune.

For updates on closures, go to kandrive.gov or call 511 in Kansas.

Winds in Wichita should drop down to the 20 to 25 mph range later tonight, McGuire said.

Wind stations around the state have measured other gusts close to 61 mph but at two meters, or around 6.5 feet, off the ground. Here were the top speeds measured as of 3:20 p.m. and recorded by the Kansas Mesonet.

This story was originally published March 14, 2025 at 4:35 PM.