Happy Wednesday blog readers,
We are trying to nudge that Arctic air north today but it is a short lived "warm up." There is another round of Arctic air eyeing Kansas City as we track another winter storm moving through the Great Plains Thursday. We have been below freezing since 11:45 a.m. on Jan. 11 ... as I write this at 1 p.m. on Jan. 17 ... that means we've been frozen for:
Six days, one hour, 18 minutes and 50 seconds —OR—
- 523,130 seconds
- 8718 minutes (rounded down)
- 145 hours (rounded down)
- Six days (rounded down)
- 1.65% of 2024
But by Monday, Jan. 22, the Arctic air will be on full retreat and I can at least say that's all the Arctic air we have on tap for the month of January!
But you said more snow?
Yes, we've got a storm brewing with multiple influences hanging around the west coast today.
The impact for Kansas City will be low for snow, the real concern with the forecast continues to be the cold. A warm branch will float nearby tonight that could try and mix the atmosphere enough for some flurries, but I don't love a lot of snow out of this. If you see some snow tonight just know it is a sign the storm is approaching basically. The main snow potential (which still isn't a lot) arrives on the back side of this storm Thursday by 3-5 p.m. and lasting until 10 p.m.-12 a.m. Then, the Arctic air will come rushing back in with wind chills Friday morning between -10 to -20°.
Snow will favor areas north of Missouri River with trace to 1" of snow possible. The heavier snow should track through Iowa with this system.
The last of the Jan. Arctic air
Woohoo... this system should mark the last of the Arctic air for the month of January! But here's what you have to deal with Friday morning. That system will swing a front that pulls Artic air all the way from Colorado to Oklahoma and out to West Virginia.
For us in Kansas City, Friday morning marks the return of the dangerous cold. We are expecting wind chills to hit -10 to -20 area-wide. While the snow won't be enough to close school, this cold could make administrators think about that possibility. So if you are like me with a kid at home, be prepared for a back-up plan Friday, just in case.
The weekend stays cold but Sunday we start to push the Arctic air north, and by Monday we will be above freezing. Let's say this happens at 1 p.m. Monday just for fun. Here's where our cold snap could round out:
11 days, zero hours and 15 minutes — OR —
- 951,300 seconds
- 15,855 minutes
- 264 hours (rounded down)
- 11 days
- One week and four days
- 3.01% of 2024
By the way... since we are counting... in case you were wondering... there are 62 days until Spring :P.
