Hot, Windy Tuesday; Chance Rain Thursday.

As you can see from the map on the right, today was another hot one across the state with temperatures much above normal with respect to our daytime highs and our overnight lows. That is not likely to change much over the next few days either as we expect to remain much above normal throughout the forecast period. At least, we do have a little hope for a chance of showers/storms in the forecast before the week is out.

Short term, Tuesday will be much like today with morning lows in the low-mid 70s to start the day and afternoon highs in the lower 90s to end the day. We will also have another breezy day with southerly winds back into the 20+ range for much of the day. In fact, those winds will not relax much during the overnight hours with winds of 10-18 expected for tonight. That contributes to keeping our nights quite warm, but during the day, the breeze at least provides some helpful ventilation. Fortunately, the dew point has dropped off some today so the heat index has been about the same as the air temperature for all practical purposes during the hottest part of the day.

That is not likely to be the case through the rest of the week though and particularly for this coming weekend. Before that, we have the official beginning of Summer on Wednesday and at least the hope of a few showers/storms on Thursday. Wednesday will be a very appropriate start to Summer with above normal temperatures continuing. By Thursday though, a front will be pushing through KS and the latest data suggests it should make it to near the OK/KS state line. That will provide a focus for at least some showers/storms for Thursday and Thursday night and should also knock a few degrees off the temperature.

That system will not hang around long though and by the weekend we expect to have the hottest temperatures we have seen so far this year. Mid-upper 90s should be the general rule for Saturday, Sunday, and Monday and we should also have higher dew point temperatures to push the heat index above triple digits during that period. The only reason I am not going with actual triple digit air temperatures is that we are still relatively green and wet. However, the winds, the above normal temperatures, and the growing vegetation all place quite a demand on the available moisture so things will be drying out rather quickly.

That could set the stage for some even hotter temperatures going into next week and some of the longer range guidance is pointing that direction. Not going to jump on that bandwagon just yet though.

So, stay tuned and check back for updates.

Dick Faurot