Wichita could see 100-degree day this week. When experts say it will feel like fall
While Wichitans are preparing for a hot week ahead, one National Weather Service forecaster says the area might soon see the weather turn.
“We still can get hot weather, obviously, for the rest of August, even in September, but [now is] when we start turning the corner,” James Cuellar, a forecaster at the NWS Wichita office, told The Eagle over the phone Aug. 6.
The first day of fall is in September, around the time Wichita may will really begin to notice lower temperatures.
“You kind of start seeing a noticeable difference, especially towards the latter half of September and into October,” Cuellar said.
This time of year is typically the warmest in the city, Cuellar said, right before the change in seasons. This week’s forecast sees highs reaching the high 90s, with a possibility of the year’s first 100-degree day.
“Our averages for daytime highs sit just around around 93, kind of in the low to mid-90s,” Cuellar said, “lows kind of sit in the low 70s.”
As for Wichita’s fall weather as a whole, Cuellar said the Climate Prediction Center favors higher-than-average temperatures for August, September and October, but hot weather shouldn’t be completely ruled out.
The seasonal temperature outlook for October, November and December are similar, with the Wichita area sitting at a 40-50% chance of seeing above-normal temperatures in the cooler months.
As for precipitation, Cuellar says the CPC doesn’t have an answer for that.
“It’s kind of just equal chances for … above or near normal,” Cuellar said. “So there’s not that strong of a signal for precipitation.”
Precipitation has been high this year for the area — enough to fill up Cheney Lake Reservoir, a point of concern for city officials after years of drought. Despite the June rainfall, the city remains under watering restrictions.
As of early August, the city has been in the middle of what Cuellar called a small break from consistently rainy weather.
“It looks like sometime beginning overnight Saturday night and Sunday [into] Monday, we kind of have some periodic storm chances,” Cuellar said. “They’re … not particularly high.”
What are Wichita’s average fall temperatures?
September typically begins with average highs in the 80s, Cuellar said, while the end of the month sees highs typically in the upper 70s. Average highs in the mid-60s usually begin at the end of the month of October, Cuellar said.
The first day of fall this year is Monday, Sept. 22.
The average last 90-degree day in Wichita is Sept. 28, according to data from the NWS recorded from 1991 to 2020. The average last 100-degree day is Aug. 17. Wichita has not seen a 100-degree day so far this year.
What does the latest weather forecast show for Wichita?
It’s a hot one this week. Here’s the latest forecast for Wichita from the weather service:
- Thursday, Aug. 7: Sunny with a high of around 99 degrees Fahrenheit and a low near 77.
- Friday, Aug. 8: Sunny with a high of around 101 degrees and a low about 78.
- Saturday, Aug. 9: Sunny with a high of about 99 degrees and a low about 70. There’s a 30% chance of thunderstorms in the evening hours.
- Sunday, Aug. 10: Mostly sunny with a high near 90 degrees. It’s follow by a 30% chance of thunderstorms in the evening with a low around 70.
- Monday, Aug. 11: Sunny with a high around 90 degrees. There’s a 20% chance of thunderstorms in the evening hours with a low around 69.
