Wind chills of -20? Wichita’s first ‘cold blast’ of the season forecast to hit soon
It’s been a confusing winter in Wichita.
From a 70-degree Christmas to a January with an average high that’s 10 degrees warmer than usual, it’s no secret the season has been warm compared to others. But anyone holding out for the first measurable snow might not have to wait much longer.
That’s because this weekend is expected to bring the first “cold blast” of the season, National Weather Service forecaster Bryan Baerg told The Wichita Eagle.
Wind chills as low as negative 15 — with the chance to reach negative 20 — are expected to arrive in Wichita this weekend, with the cold beginning late Thursday and lasting through Sunday.
As for snow, the exact amount can be hard to forecast this early out, Baerg said, but the NWS is expecting at least a few inches.
“We’re likely expecting at least a period of light snow throughout the day Saturday,” Baerg said. “We haven’t started signing as far as any numbers [of] how much snow we may get, but this appears to be kind of a lighter snow, so maybe a few inches is what we’re thinking.”
The weather service’s forecast shows a 40% chance of snow after noon Friday, with the chance of snow continuing into the night. Friday’s high is around 24 degrees and low is expecting to be around 5 degrees.
Saturday sees a 50% chance of snow during the day, with a 20% chance continuing into the night. The high is forecast to be near 16 with a low around 5 degrees.
While warmer weather — in this case, meaning temperatures above freezing — is expected to return next week, Baerg said, that will depend on how much snow the city receives.
“The temperatures early next week hinge upon just exactly how much snow we do get. If we end up getting more than just a couple of inches of snow, then likely our temperatures early next week will be colder than what we currently have forecast,” Baerg said.
For now, however, Monday’s high is expected to be around 35 degrees.
While snow may seem unusual given how warm this winter has been this year, Baerg said Wichita is more than likely to see more snow before spring arrives.
“We’re only in the fourth week of January. I mean, we still have several more weeks of winter,” Baerg said. “It’s likely that we’ll probably have more encounters with snow and cold before we transition into spring.”
The average temperature this January in Wichita is 39.3 degrees, while the normal is lower, at 32.9 degrees, according to Baerg.
“Thus far, we are about 6 to 7 degrees above normal,” Baerg said.
Meanwhile, the average high so far this January has been 53 degrees, a 10-degree difference from the normal of 43.
Latest Wichita, KS weather forecast
Here’s this week’s full weather forecast from the NWS:
- Wednesday, Jan. 21: Sunny with a high around 50 degrees and a low around 23
- Thursday, Jan. 22: Mostly sunny with a high around 44 and a low around 16 degrees
- Friday, Jan. 23: A 40% chance of snow after noon with a high around 24 degrees. Chances of snow continue into the evening with a low around 5 degrees
- Saturday, Jan. 24: Chances of snow continuing throughout the day with a high around 16 and a low around 5
- Sunday, Jan. 25: Sunny with a high around 27 and a low around 8 degrees
- Monday, Jan. 26: Sunny and a high around 35 degrees
This story was originally published January 20, 2026 at 12:37 PM.
