‘Supercells’ could bring tornadoes, large hail to Kansas City area. What to know.
Wet and rainy days are in store for the Kansas City area, with the National Weather Service expecting several rounds of thunderstorms over multiple days to pass through the region.
Rain started falling in parts of the Kansas City area Thursday morning as people headed out for their commutes and errands.
Showers and maybe a few thunderstorms are expected to become more widespread throughout the day, the weather service said in its forecast discussion.
Although the threat of severe weather is low, the storms will likely bring the metro area’s first of several rounds of heavy rainfall. The weather service said between one and two inches of rain will be possible through early Friday.
Breezy weather is expected, as winds will increase to between the teens and low 20 mph in the afternoon. Gusts could be as high as the low 30s.
Temperatures will be in the low 60s, slightly below the average temperature of 68 degrees for this time of year.
Severe weather looms
Friday will bring the Kansas City area its first of several rounds of severe weather as multiple showers and thunderstorms pass through the region this weekend. The weather service said most of the storms will occur on Friday and Saturday afternoon and evening.
The weather service’s Storm Prediction Center has placed Kansas City, Overland Park, Topeka and Omaha under an enhanced risk of severe storms.
“An active severe weather day appears possible on Friday from parts of Nebraska and Iowa southward into parts of the southern Great Plains and Ozarks,” the Storm Prediction Center said. “A few tornadoes (possibly strong), large to very large hail, and damaging winds will all be possible.”
The weather service predicted storms in Kansas City between 3 and 8 p.m. on Friday.
The weather service warned that “supercells with potential for large hail, damaging winds, and tornadoes will all be possible.”
Supercells are large thunderstorms with deep and persistent rotating updrafts that look like tall storm clouds with anvils or elongated clouds at the top.
Friday also looks very windy, with winds between 20 and 30 mph and gusting up to 45 mph.
The Kansas City area is also under an enhanced risk of severe thunderstorms on Saturday.
The next round of strong to severe storms will occur from 7 p.m. Saturday to 7 a.m. Sunday. These storms are expected to bring heavy rainfall, which could lead to flash flooding. Large hail and damaging winds are also possible.
“While the area needs rainfall, a couple of inches in a night is excessive and may lead to flooding concerns across the area,” the weather service said.
On Sunday, there’s a slight risk of severe weather across southeast Kansas and central Missouri. If severe storms develop, they will be mainly east of the Kansas City area, the weather service said.
The storms will occur between 3 and 10 p.m. The main threats will be large hail and damaging winds.
The weather service said there continues to be some uncertainty in the timing and tracking of the storms. Non-severe thunderstorms will be possible outside the time windows, especially on Friday and Sunday mornings.
The storms are expected to bring three to four inches of rain to the Kansas City area. Areas where storms repeatedly pass over could see as much as six inches. Flash flooding and river flooding will be possible, especially on Saturday, the weather service said.
Reprieve from severe weather
Headed into next week, the Kansas City area is expected to get a reprieve from the potential of thunderstorms on Monday and Tuesday. Both days will have mostly sunny skies, with temperatures expected to be 70 degrees on Monday and around 80 degrees on Tuesday.
There is a possibility of showers and thunderstorms Tuesday night, but the chance of precipitation is 30 percent.
Mostly sunny skies will return on Wednesday with highs near 82 degrees.
