More incoming severe weather raises flooding concerns in the Wichita area

The Wichita area could see some severe weather Thursday night and Friday night, according to the National Weather Service.

Strong gusts up to 60-70 mph, nickel-sized hail and heavy rains falling on an already saturated ground are the main concerns for Thursday night and into Friday morning.

“Anyone with flooding concerns need to keep an eye on things,” said Robb Lawson, a NWS meteorologist in Wichita.

The area could start seeing severe weather after 9 p.m. Thursday, but Lawson said it should be starting in Wichita after 10 p.m. The threat of severe weather will go into the morning, but Lawson, at around 11:30 a.m., wasn’t sure exactly what time that would be.

He said an inch of rain is possible with the storm.

When will the severe weather risk end?

Wichita is in an area marked as a one on a scale of zero to five, with five being the highest risk of severe weather.

Another storm, starting late Friday or around midnight Saturday, can also bring heavy rains, and with it the concern for flooding, and damaging winds.

After that, the severe weather risk should be clear for a while, he said.

The Wichita area, including Valley Center and El Dorado, had flooding on Tuesday after several inches hit part of the area on Monday night and into Tuesday. The ground in the area is already saturated after several inches fell in the area over the Memorial Day weekend.

This story was originally published June 5, 2025 at 12:15 PM.