Tracking strong storms by Friday afternoon
TONIGHT: Partly cloudy with lows in the upper 60s.
TOMORROW: Partly to mostly cloudy and hot with highs in the upper 80s. Storms developing by late afternoon into early evening could become severe with damaging winds and hail. A Weather Alert Day is in effect through late Friday night.
EXTENDED: Near-record heat will come to an end as a cold front works in from the west Thursday, bringing showers and storms to Kansas tonight. Storms are expected to dissipate by the time they get to the Missouri border Friday morning, but leftover clouds will keep us in the upper 80s for highs by afternoon. There will be plenty of instability for the development of storms ahead of the front late Friday afternoon into Friday night, but low level wind shear is expected to be low, keeping our tornado threat near zero. Storms that develop before sunset will have the potential of large hail greater than 1" diameter, and isolated 50-60 mph winds. The severe threat will wane overnight, but continued rain and a few storms will be possible overnight as the front stalls across the region. Most of Saturday is dry, with temperatures reaching the lower 80s. Another front to the north will bring the potential of a few storms late Saturday night into Sunday morning, and stalls out across northern Missouri. That will keep a few storms in the forecast on Sunday, but the day largely remains dry with highs in the low 80s. The upper level pattern will bring active weather just about each day with disturbances rolling through the area, and temperatures remain above average in the lower 80s.