textproduct: Wichita

KEY MESSAGES

- Warming trend beginning today and lasting through Thursday with partly cloudy skies and continued dry conditions.

- Record highs possible Wednesday and Thursday.

- Cold front Thursday evening will bring a low chance of showers Thursday night and cooler temperatures for Friday & Saturday.

DISCUSSION

Issued at 224 AM CDT Tue Mar 24 2026

Currently, the forecast area is caught between the exiting trough to the east and the building ridge to the west. Easterly winds last evening have begun to turn southerly as the surface high settles off to our east. As we go through the day, the ridge that is currently centered over southern California will inch eastward over the Desert Southwest. These increasing heights and upper-level northwesterly flow will aid in our warm-up today. Afternoon highs will reach into the lower to middle 70s across the area.

As we move through Wednesday and the day Thursday, ridging will continue to shift east over the region leading to a continued warming trend with temperatures reaching into the middle to upper 80s for Wednesday. Another frontal boundary looks to sweep across the state on Thursday afternoon. However, highs will still manage to reach into the upper 80s and lower 90s ahead of this boundary. Breezy southerly winds are anticipated during the day ahead of the frontal boundary on Thursday, with gusty northerly winds behind it.

On Thursday night/Friday morning, as the front stretches across the area and pushes southeast, Gulf moisture will surge ahead of the boundary, primarily to our east. An upper-level shortwave and associated vort max will traverse the region providing the necessary lift and creating isolated shower/storm chances for eastern Kansas. Precip amounts look minimal with only our southeastern Kansas counties having a chance of up to 0.10".

Behind the front on Friday and Saturday, the trough will exit the region to the east and a surface high will settle in over the area. Slightly below normal temperatures are expected for Friday at this time with highs topping out in the middle to upper 50s. Near normal temperatures are then expected for Saturday with highs remaining near 60 degrees. By the end of the forecast period, the ridge will begin to build back in over the Plains. This will lead to increasing heights and rebounding temperatures by Sunday and into early next week.

AVIATION /12Z TAFS THROUGH 12Z WEDNESDAY/

Issued at 614 AM CDT Tue Mar 24 2026

VFR conditions expected through the period. Light easterly/southeasterly winds will turn southerly between 15-18Z. Winds will increase above 10 knots in the next couple hours with gusts this afternoon reaching between 20-25 knots. Winds will diminish below 10 knots for most locations after 00Z.

FIRE WEATHER

Issued at 238 PM CDT Mon Mar 23 2026

Tuesday... Warmer temperatures and dry conditions will be in place across the area. Breezy southerly winds across central Kansas could briefly support very high fire danger across these areas during the afternoon hours.

Wednesday & Thursday... Anomalously warm temperatures will return on Wednesday and continue into Thursday. Light winds on Wednesday will quell most fire weather concerns; however, RH values between 15-30% and temperatures in the upper 80s to low 90s will support the potential for very high fire danger across the Flint Hills and central Kansas Wednesday afternoon. Gustier winds on Thursday along with slightly drier air and slightly warmer temperatures, especially across southern and southeast Kansas, will support very high to potentially extreme fire danger across the entire area.

Friday... Dry and breezy conditions persist into Friday with very high fire danger possible. However, temperatures are forecast to be near or slightly below average.

Saturday... Continued dry and breezy conditions will support very high grassland fire danger across central Kansas during the afternoon hours.

CLIMATE

Issued at 224 AM CDT Tue Mar 24 2026

Record highs are possible on Wednesday and Thursday.

Wednesday (3/25): Wichita: Forecast - 88, Record - 89 (1956) Salina: Forecast - 91, Record - 93 (1907) Chanute: Forecast - 86, Record - 88 (1910) Russell: Forecast - 92, Record - 89 (1976)

Thursday (3/26): Wichita: Forecast - 93, Record - 83 (1918) Salina: Forecast - 92, Record - 86 (1910) Chanute: Forecast - 90, Record - 85 (1918)

ICT WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES

None.