KS weather forecast: fire danger, record heat, winds strong enough to blow over semis

Record heat, winds strong enough to blow over semis and a continued drought are all forecast for Wichita and across Kansas on Wednesday.

Those weather patterns put the grassland fire threat at “very high to extreme,” according to the National Weather Service in Wichita.

Across Kansas, the winds are supposed to pick up throughout the morning, climb drastically in the afternoon and then taper off between 6 to 7 p.m., NWS meteorologist James Cueller said. The Wichita area, which will have sustained winds around 35-40 mph, could have 60 mph gusts.

Russell, Great Bend and Salina could see gusts reach 70 mph.

“We are getting into more of your record, or historical event territory” for this time of year, Cueller said.

The south, southwest winds will post the most danger to semi drivers along I-70, which runs mostly west and east, he said.

The most recent comparison to what’s expected Wednesday happened Oct. 28. The storm snapped large tree limbs and blew over semi-trucks, Cueller said.

Cueller expects slightly stronger winds Wednesday than what was seen in October.

The NWS has a list of seven precautions people can take to prepare for high winds. The list includes trimming branches away from your house and power lines. The list is available at weather.gov/safety/wind-before.

Cuellar said the high winds, drought and heat expected Wednesday are a combination Kansas would more likely see in early spring.

Drought and fire

East of the Kansas Turnpike will see more moisture in the wind, making the fire danger less severe in that area. Areas to the west won’t have the moisture and plenty of places are in a drought, making the fire danger all the worse.

Salina is in the middle of a 48-day drought, making it the sixth-longest period without measurable precipitation. Salina’s longest drought on record is 64 days, occurring in 1966 and 1923.

Wichita is also in the middle of a drought. Tuesday’s 32 days without measurable precipitation isn’t uncommon — it last happened in 2012 — but rain isn’t expected over the next week.

Wichita will have a Top 10 record if it reaches the 40-day mark, he said.

Record heat

Record temperatures for Dec. 15 are expected to be a “pretty good slam dunk” at NWS sites, he said.

Wichita, where records date back to 1888, set a Dec. 15 high of 66 degrees in 2006. It’s forecast to be 75 degrees Wednesday.

Salina, Chanute and Russell, where the NWS has weather sites, all have Dec. 15 records in the 60s, but also have Wednesday forecasts in the 70s. On Dec. 2, Wichita set its all-time record for the day with 74 degrees, surpassing the 2012 record of 69, while Chanute and Russell set December highs that day with a staggering 79 degrees.

Cooler weather is forecast to move back into the area Thursday. Next week is expected to be closer to the cooler, seasonal average temperatures.

Cuellar wouldn’t make any forecasts this early about the possibility of a white Christmas.