Wichita weather: Autumn early, wintry feel late on Thursday | The Wichita Eagle

Thursday will have two distinct moods in Wichita and across Kansas.

The weather early in the day will be rather pleasant, with highs pushing into the low 70s in Wichita on a sunny day. South winds will be rather benign, in the low teens, before shifting to the north and strengthening into the 20s by early afternoon. Gusts could approach 35 miles an hour.

Overnight lows in the Wichita area will drop to the low to mid-30s, forecasters say, with north winds remaining robust. Gusts could top 35 miles an hour.

Friday will offer sunshine in the metro area, but highs only in the mid-40s. North winds will be in the 20s, with gusts topping 30 miles an hour.

A hard freeze warning is in effect from 2 a.m. to 9 a.m. Friday across most of the western half of the state, when lows are expected to drop into low to mid-20s. A freeze warning is forecast for several more counties in central Kansas over the same time period early Friday.

A freeze watch is in effect from 1 a.m. to 10 a.m. Saturday for most of eastern Kansas, including the Wichita metro area.

For more information on current conditions, go to our weather page.