KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Happy Friday, Weather Blog readers!
I hope you have been staying cool this week and your air conditioner has been running properly.
The AC will start to get a bit of a rest this weekend as a front moves through by Saturday afternoon and we will enjoy some highs in the 80s for Sunday and Monday.
Friday
Today could end up being one of the hottest days out of this heat wave. Right now, Wednesday was the hottest as we got to 98 degrees thanks to afternoon sunshine and a breezy southerly wind.
I don't see any good chances of rain or even thick clouds coming through before we get through the peak heating hours of the day, by 4pm. That means we hit high temperatures of 95 to 100 degrees and a heat index of 105 to 110 degrees.
An excessive heat warning remains in effect until 9pm as the heat index may still be as warm as 95 degrees!
Saturday
Saturday will start off warm, of course. Some of us, likely north of the Missouri River, may be lucky enough to start the day off with some rainfall from a disturbance coming in from the north and west.
Otherwise, most of us will have to wait until Saturday afternoon for the rain chance to arrive with the passage of a cold front.
Since it will be so hot, storms may produce strong wind gusts and some hail but the threat of severe weather is low.
Expect it to be extra humid on Saturday afternoon and evening as humidity pools ahead of a cold front, but with the overall temperature a little cooler, the heat index won't be quite as high.
The best chance of rain will be during that period as well.
Sunday
Now, if you have outdoor plans Sunday, you may want to think of a back up plan. It won't rain all day, but a few hours of rainfall aren't out of the question, especially in the morning.
This in turn will keep temperatures cooler, but with the front still hanging by, it will still be a pretty humid.
Rainfall totals
This won't be a "drought busting" wet period but anything helps! Models indicate about a half inch or less of rain for Kansas City.
But, I wouldn't be surprised if there were spots that have closer to an inch by Sunday night, as the track of these heavy rainfall systems are tough to forecast more than 24 hours in advance.
That's why I tell people don't expect to get a ton of rainfall and if you get more than forecast, fantastic, but the hot weather will cause higher evaporation rates, so you'll have to keep water your lawn and garden either way.
Next week
We may have another mini heatwave next week as the area of high pressure shifts over New Mexico and Texas Tuesday through Thursday. That means we have a lower chance of being influenced by storms passing through the jet stream and a higher chance of being in the 'heat dome,' which pushes temperatures back up to 95 to 100 degrees.
Have a great weekend everyone!
