National Weather Service National Headquarters

• Home
• Site Map
• News
• Organization
• Search for: NWS All NOAA 

000
FXUS63 KICT 120825
AFDICT

Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Wichita KS
325 AM CDT Fri Apr 12 2024

.KEY MESSAGES...

* Unseasonably warm today through mid to late next week. Near record
  high temperatures possible Sunday.

* Strong winds fueling very high to extreme grassfire danger across
  mainly central and south-central Kansas Saturday, then again
  Monday through Wednesday.

* Potential for severe thunderstorms Monday afternoon through
  Monday night.

&&

.DISCUSSION...
Issued at 323 AM CDT Fri Apr 12 2024

TEMPERATURES...Deterministic and ensemble consensus supports a
rather warm period from today through about midway through next
week, with high probabilities for well above average temperatures.
The warmest days look to be Saturday through Monday, and also
Wednesday, when forecast high temperatures well into the 80s to near
90 degrees are probable. Record high temperatures may be threatened
on Sunday (Wichita 93 in 1936, Salina 93 in 2002, Russell 91 in
2002). By Thursday of next week, model consensus is in fairly good
agreement supporting a significant cool down, with some solutions
supporting daytime highs only in the 40s and overnight lows in the
20s-30s. Stay tuned for later forecasts, as details are refined the
next several days.

WIND...A fleet-footed shortwave will induce deepening low pressure
and associates stout/gusty south to southwest winds Saturday, with
gusts likely approaching 35 mph at times. Even stronger south-
southwest-west winds will continue Monday and Tuesday, as
unseasonably strong/deep low pressure moves through the Central
Plains, as progged by ensemble climatologies. Wind gusts exceeding
40-50 mph both days appears likely.

THUNDERSTORMS...As has been advertised with previous forecasts,
there remains potential for increasing thunderstorm chances Monday
afternoon through Monday night across the region, as a deep/strong
western CONUS upper trough and associated upper speed max approaches
from the west, overspreading a moist/unstable airmass in place
across the Central and Southern Plains. The overall synoptic setup
in conjunction with an anomalous CAPE/shear combination supports a
threat for severe thunderstorms. However, as is often the case with
strong systems like this, a slower and deeper trend is often
preferred, shifting thunderstorm initiation and associated higher-
end severe weather potential (i.e. discrete supercells) further west
over the High Plains. In this case, by the time activity reaches
central and eastern Kansas sometime Monday night, storm mode would
probably be rather messy, which would tend to reduce the higher-end
severe threat. All-in-all, uncertainty remains with the overall
evolution of late Monday`s severe potential. Stay tuned, as forecast
details continue to be refined through the weekend.

&&

.AVIATION /06Z TAFS THROUGH 06Z SATURDAY/...
Issued at 1050 PM CDT Thu Apr 11 2024

Aviation concerns are expected to remain on the low side
through the next 24 hours.

Currently have northwest flow aloft over the Plains with weak
surface high pressure also extending through the majority of the
Plains. Confidence remains high that VFR conditions will remain
in place through the next 24 hours. Winds will eventually come
around to the southeast by early Fri afternoon but will be much
lighter than they were today(Thursday).

&&

.FIRE WEATHER...
Issued at 323 AM CDT Fri Apr 12 2024

Very high to extreme grassland fire danger is probable across
central and south-central Kansas Saturday, then again Monday through
Wednesday, due to well above average temperatures and strong/gusty
winds. Stay tuned, as forecast details are refined over the
coming days.

&&

.ICT WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...None.

&&

$$

DISCUSSION...ADK
AVIATION...RBL
FIRE WEATHER...ADK