textproduct: Wichita

KEY MESSAGES

- Patchy fog is possible Saturday morning across central and south-central KS.

- Dry and mild conditions are expected through the weekend into early next week with possible rain chances returning late next week.

- Breezy southerly winds likely on Sunday mainly in central and south-central KS.

DISCUSSION

Issued at 231 PM CST Fri Jan 2 2026

Current water vapor imagery shows an upper-level shortwave trough moving into the Central Rockies with ridging building into the western CONUS. In our area, low stratus clouds persist in northeastern KS with some of these clouds starting to erode in south- central KS. Additionally, patchy fog continues in parts of central and eastern KS stretching into areas of eastern NE.

Tonight, the aforementioned shortwave trough will move across the Central/Southern Plains. Precipitation associated with this system is expected to stay northeast of our area. Patchy fog is likely to develop in parts of central and south-central late tonight into Saturday morning especially if the low stratus clouds remain into this evening/after sunset. Confidence is low at this time for dense fog in our area as HREF probabilities are between 10-20% in central KS. Following this shortwave, upper-level ridging is progged to amplify over the western CONUS, allowing heights to rise with increasing temperatures in western and central KS. By late Saturday morning, surface high pressure will move into the area. High temperatures on Saturday will range from the upper 50s in central KS to the upper 40s in southeast KS.

On Sunday, a surface low will move into the Northern Plains, increasing the pressure gradient in the Central Plains. This will increase sustained winds to 15-20 mph with gusts up to 25-30 mph in central and south-central KS on Sunday. High temperatures will return to above normal with highs in the 50s and lower 60s on Sunday afternoon. The upper ridge will shift east on Sunday with flow aloft becoming more zonal early next week. Unseasonably warm temperatures are forecast to continue with most of the area seeing highs in the 60s to start next week. Rain chances may return late next week to the area, though confidence is not high at this time.

AVIATION /00Z TAFS THROUGH 00Z SATURDAY/

Issued at 510 PM CST Fri Jan 2 2026

As of this evening, MVFR cigs were generally located along and northeast of a KGBD-KMPR-KCNU line. Lows clouds are expected to continue building southward tonight and should impact all TAF sites by the overnight hours. Cig categories could drop to IFR or LIFR at times, especially closer to the I-70 corridor. Additionally, fog is expected to develop along the western periphery of these low clouds with KRSL and KGBD potentially seeing visibilities under 1 mile after midnight.

Conditions are expected to begin gradually improving after 12Z Friday morning, and VFR conditions are expected to return between 15-18Z late Saturday morning.

ICT WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES

None.