close
close

The first weather warning was issued on Wednesday and severe thunderstorms are expected

Severe storms trigger a First Warn Weather Day, our highest alert, for Wednesday.

Storms are likely to develop across much of the region on Wednesday afternoon and evening. Some of the storms are likely to be severe, bringing the threat of large hail, damaging winds and some tornadoes. Hail and high winds are the main danger, especially if gusty winds are already present before the storms even form. It won't be difficult for thunderstorms to increase the winds a bit, producing gusts of over 60 miles per hour. Tornadoes could also form as quick spin-ups are possible with Wednesday's lineup. It is a day to stay informed, which is why it has been put on high alert.

Storms could come in two rounds. The first round would take place in the late afternoon, where there could be strong storms. These would be isolated and not the primary round. It is not certain if this round will form, but if it does, it would likely be the round with the highest tornado risk. A second round will form northwest of Kansas City around sunset. This will be a solid line running across the area and will bring rain to almost everything. This round arrives at the subway around 10pm and leaves the area at midnight…more or less. There is a significant risk of wind and hail. Precipitation amounts vary greatly depending on whether you are in the heart of a thunderstorm or on the edge. Generally, a quarter to 1 inch is expected. This will be a quick storm, so they probably won't have enough time to bring major rains.

Otherwise, it will be windy on Wednesday with gusts up to 40 miles per hour. The strongest gusts will occur in the morning and it will start off warm with lows in the upper 60s. The afternoon will reach the mid 70s.

Behind the storms, it will be much cooler and drier for Halloween. It will be sunny with highs in the upper 50s and low 50s for trick-and-treaters in the evening. Friday will also be dry and cool, with a low 60s.

Get ready for the weekend as we'll be the first to warn you of more wet weather ahead. Computer forecasts are uncertain about when the next storm system will form, whether it will be Saturday or Sunday, but there is a chance of rain on Saturday. We'll be able to sort that out in the next few days, but Sunday looks pretty wet. Heavy rain will continue through Monday and Tuesday. This could be drought-killing rain, with up to half a foot of rain possible over the next seven days. This could almost make up for our rain shortfall of about 7″ for the year. Flooding is a problem, but this can be limited by the rain falling over several days.