Wichita could see up to 10 inches of snow this weekend. But when will it melt?
Wichita is bracing for a winter storm that could bring 6 to 10 inches of snow, as well as below-zero wind chills and single-digit lows.
While the snow is expected to stop falling in the morning hours of Sunday, Jan. 25, it could linger on the ground for a while longer than that, National Weather Service forecaster Bryan Baerg told The Wichita Eagle.
“We’re going to stay bitterly cold through the weekend and early next week. Our highs [are] back into the teens and 20s on Monday afternoon and then ... we may get above freezing Tuesday,” Baerg said. “It all depends upon [if] it hangs around, but we’ll definitely start melting some snow by Tuesday [and] Wednesday.”
There are still chances of below-freezing temperatures Tuesday, Jan. 27. The weather service’s forecast shows a high of around 31 with a low of 8 degrees, while Wednesday, Jan. 28 sees a high of near 29 and a low around 6.
Even if temperatures push above freezing and snow begins to melt Tuesday and Wednesday, what’s left will likely linger, as the NWS forecasts another round of below-freezing temperatures will follow.
“We have a secondary surge of colder air that looks to push down [from] Canada [the] latter half of next week,” Baerg said. “So any snow pack that’s still remaining will probably remain into next weekend, as the colder air comes back.”
The snow was initially expected to arrive Friday evening. However, snow is already starting to accumulate across Kansas as of Friday afternoon, Baerg said.
“[The snow is] about four to six hours ahead of schedule, and we anticipate that trend to kind of continue,” he said. “We’ve already had a few flurries here in Wichita, but we expect as the afternoon goes on, the amount of snowfall will increase.”
Sedgwick County and city officials have encouraged residents to stay home this weekend as the snowfall is expected to lead to dangerous conditions on the road. If you do need to travel this weekend, drive slow and be extra aware of your surroundings.
This story was originally published January 23, 2026 at 1:46 PM.
