textproduct: Wichita

KEY MESSAGES

- Seasonably warm conditions to continue through the weekend.

- Increasing rain chances late Sunday into Monday with the highest probabilities expected west of the Flint Hills.

DISCUSSION

Issued at 317 AM CDT Thu Oct 22 2026

A mid/upper ridge continues to build into the Central Plains while a vigorous mid/upper trough was moving into Southern California. This ridge will remain in place through Saturday resulting in a very slow progression of the west coast trough. This will keep the higher probabilities for rain west of the our forecast area through Saturday while above average temperatures prevail. We could see some highs around 80 today and Friday, with no record highs anticipated. Record highs for today and Friday range from 88-93 across the area.

As the lee trough deepens on Friday, the increasing pressure gradient will allow for breezy southerly winds, highest over central and especially western KS. Considerable mid and high level clouds will also increase as we move through the period, however above average temperatures are expected to prevail with highs mostly in the mid and upper 70s late in the week and into the weekend. As the lead wave lifts over the Northern Rockies/Northern Plains on Sat, the sfc cold front may be forced further south impacting parts of central KS which would impact forecast highs along the I-70 corridor. If this trend persists, we could see an earlier arrival of cooler air on Sat afternoon for some areas.

Increasing chances for showers with embedded thunderstorms may arrive late Sunday into Monday as the mid/upper trough finally emerges from the Southern Rockies. A cooler and more seasonable airmass will also arrive on Monday-Tuesday with highs struggling to climb out of the 50s in parts of central KS. Moderating temperatures and dry weather will quickly return as we move into the middle of the week.

AVIATION /12Z TAFS THROUGH 12Z FRIDAY/

Issued at 615 AM CDT Thu Oct 22 2026

VFR will prevail over the next 24 hours across central, south- central, and southeast Kansas. A strengthening low pressure area over the Central High Plains will result in breezy southerly winds as we move into the late morning hours, with gusts up to 20-25 kts for our central KS terminals. Breezy winds may linger into the evening and overnight hours in central KS while high clouds increase and gradually lower as we move through the night.

ICT WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES

None.