‘Extreme fire danger’ followed by high winds and possible rain and snow around Wichita

Monday’s idyllic weather didn’t last long.

After extreme fire danger and winds on Tuesday, winds are expected to rise again throughout the morning on Wednesday. Much of Kansas is expected to see high winds and potentially snow and/or rain.

Wichita is forecast for wind gusts to reach 60 mph. The highest winds are forecast for 8 a.m. Wednesday, but gusts will remain in the 40s until after 6 p.m., according to the forecast as of 10 a.m. Tuesday.

Additionally, Wichita has its highest chance of rain starting at 8 a.m. on Wednesday, with the highest chance of snow started around 11 a.m. before dropping to a slight chance in the afternoon. The chance of rain is expected to be gone by early afternoon.

A huge chunk of western Kansas could see blizzard conditions Tuesday night and into Wednesday. The areas in south-central Kansas most likely to be impacted by snow are west, northwest and north of Salina, where accumulation of 1 to 2 inches is possible.

The high Tuesday is expected to drop to 45 on Wednesday. The rest of the week has highs in the 60s, which is more typical weather for this time of year.

This story was originally published March 18, 2025 at 10:59 AM.