KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Good Monday bloggers,
Before we look ahead at an interesting weather set up, let's look back at the recent beneficial rainfall.
Officially, at Kansas City International Airport, rainfall from this recent rain event was 1.31". This still leaves us close to 5" below average for the year. But we would be approaching 6" below average for the year without the rain.
KCI was one of the lower totals as 2"-4" of rain occurred since last Wednesday along and east of Interstate 35. There were some locations seeing 2"-3" of rain to the west of I-35. These are radar-estimated rainfall totals. So, your rain gauge may read differently.
The main heavy rain band was located from the Texas panhandle to eastern Missouri where amounts were 2"-4" along with a few locations seeing 4"-6" of rain. It was all beneficial no matter where it rained as all areas were getting very dry.
Now to the interesting weather setup.
Tuesday-Saturday we will be tracking a storm system from the north as a hurricane forms in the southeast Gulf of Mexico.
The Wednesday upper-level flow below shows the system forming in Arkansas and the tropical system becoming a hurricane east of the Yucatan peninsula.
The Friday upper-level flow shows the system, now a big closed low, over northern Louisiana. The hurricane is entering Georgia after making landfall in the Florida panhandle Thursday. The hurricane would be named Helene and has the potential to be a category 3 or 4 at landfall.
When hurricanes make landfall in Florida, they do not affect Kansas City directly, but they could affect KC indirectly. See below.
TUESDAY:
We will see a few showers and thunderstorms track across the area as the system from the north tracks south over our area. This will be a day where we see a mix of sun and clouds, a brief downpour then sun. That is an interesting weather day itself. Highs will be in the 70s with a light wind. A few thunderstorms may produce a 20-30 mph wind gust.
WEDNESDAY:
This will be a nice Fall day as the system is a state to the south and the tropical system is intensifying in the eastern Gulf of Mexico.
THURSDAY:
The hurricane is making landfall in the Florida panhandle. You can see how showers and thunderstorms extend north into the southeast USA and then west into southern Missouri. The upper-level low is pulling moisture from the hurricane.
Thursday will still be a nice day around here with highs in the 70s and lows in the 50s with a light wind.
FRIDAY-SATURDAY:
The remnants of the hurricane are near Charlotte, North Carolina while the upper low is filled in with rain from Kansas City and south. The rain may reach much of eastern Kansas and Missouri if the upper low drifts north.
There is still a big question of how far north and west the rain tracks; It depends on the track of the upper low.
The upper low will pull moisture from Helene. But, again where will the main upper-low track?
Could all of Helene get pulled west, enhancing rainfall? Yes, but that would be an extremely rare maneuver.
WEATHER FORECAST SUMMARY:
We will be following this through the week.
Have a great week ahead.
Stay healthy.
