Yes, that’s fall-like weather in Wichita’s forecast. When to expect temps to drop
After a hot month in Wichita, next week’s forecast may finally bring some joy to those who love cool weather.
A wave of cooler temperatures is expected to move into the area starting Saturday, Aug. 23, according to National Weather Service forecaster James Cuellar.
“We get a secondary push of much cooler air [that] arrives on Monday [Aug. 25], and we could see a pretty prolonged stretch of [cooler] temperatures,” Cuellar said. “Afternoon highs [are] in the 70s pretty much from Monday through most of next week.”
While Friday’s high is forecast in the 90s, Saturday could see a high of around 87 degrees Fahrenheit and a low of 64. Monday could see a more than 10-degree drop, with a high of 72 and a low of 58.
“It’s a little abnormal for this time of year [to have] these kinds of pushes a cold air, but it’s not completely unforeseen,” Cuellar said.
Could the Wichita area see record cool weather? It’s not impossible, Cuellar said.
“We’re kind of flirting with the potential for some record cool highs, but it’ll definitely be a little bit of a reach,” he said.
The coolest highs for this time of year are in the upper 70s and low 60s. The best chance Wichita has of breaking those records is Tuesday, Aug. 26, Cuellar said, which has a forecast high of 69.
“It’s not out of question,” he said.
The cooler temperatures could provide relief for hot-weather haters, who’ve had to deal with highs in the mid-90s lately. But temperature isn’t the only factor, Cuellar said.
“The thing that’s been making it feel so hot this year isn’t necessarily the temperature, but the moisture,” Cuellar said. “Because we had so much rain right at the beginning of the summer, it’s made everything super moist.”
Wichita saw record-breaking rainfall in June, ending the month more than 6 inches above normal. The rainfall led to flash flooding across the city, but also helped fill Cheney Reservoir, Wichita’s water source, which has experienced low water levels in recent years. The lake now sits at 99.44% full, according to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
The Wichita area might see more moisture this week, with chances of rain in the forecast every day.
Here’s the latest forecast from the NWS:
- Saturday: highs around 87 degrees and a low near 64, a 20% chance of showers before 1 p.m.
- Sunday: mostly sunny with a high around 84 and a low around 62, a 20% chance of showers before 1 p.m. and a 40% chance of showers and thunderstorms after 1 a.m.
- Monday: cloudy with a high around 72 and a low of 58, chance of thunderstorms before 1 p.m. and into the evening
- Tuesday: cloudy with a high around 69 and a low around 56, chance of showers all day
- Wednesday: partly sunny with a high around 72 and a 40% chance of showers
Just because there’s a possibility of rain all day doesn’t mean the area will experience downpours, Cuellar said.
“It’s not a guarantee by any means that we’ll see washouts or anything like that,” he said. “But maybe just some periodic storm chances here and there ... mostly across southern Kansas.”
In general, Wichitans shouldn’t get too comfortable with the cooler weather this week. September can usually bring spurts of hot weather.
“We could warm up a little bit, maybe see some 90s again by the time we get to September,” Cuellar said.
The first day of fall is Monday, Sept. 22. Wichitans will most likely see a noticeable consistent difference in temperatures starting in the latter half of next month and into October, Cuellar told The Eagle in a previous interview.
