Category: Weather

Colder temperatures in forecast

The coldest temperatures of the season so far are expected Saturday night and Sunday morning, according to the National Weather Service forecast.

A cold front moves through tonight, and then on Saturday night, temperatures may reach a low of 18, the weather service said. During the daytime Saturday, temperatures will be around 30. Sunday’s forecast calls for temperatures of about 39.

Today’s high will be about 47, according to the weather service.

There is a slight chance of rain on Friday afternoon and evening in the region, but it was not enough to show up in the Wyandotte County forecast.

Today, it will be mostly cloudy, with a high near 47, the weather service said. An east southeast wind of 5 to 10 mph will gust as high as 20 mph.

Tonight, it will be mostly cloudy, with a low of 27, according to the weather service. A light and variable wind will become northwest 8 to 13 mph in the evening. Winds could gust as high as 24 mph.

Saturday, it will be mostly sunny, with a steady temperature around 30, the weather service said. A north northwest wind of 9 to 16 mph will gust as high as 24 mph.

Saturday night, it will be clear, with a low of 18, according to the weather service. A north northwest wind of 5 to 7 mph will become calm in the evening.

Sunday, it will be sunny, with a high near 39, the weather service said. A calm wind will become south 5 to 9 mph in the morning.

Sunday night, it will be clear, with a low of 27, according to the weather service.

Monday, it will be sunny, with a high near 49, the weather service said.

Monday night, it will be mostly clear, with a low of 23, according to the weather service.

Tuesday, it will be sunny, with a high near 44, the weather service said.

Tuesday night, it will be mostly clear, with a low of 28, according to the weather service.

Wednesday, it will be sunny, with a high near 48, the weather service said.

Wednesday night, it will be partly cloudy, with a low of 28, according to the weather service.

Thursday, it will be mostly sunny, with a high near 45, the weather service said.

Local disaster emergency declared for Wyandotte County

Teams from the Unified Government’s Public Works Department and the Board of Public Utilities have worked since late Wednesday to restore service, clear roads, and assess the damage caused by last night’s historic severe weather, according to a spokesman.

“I want to reassure the public that the Unified Government is working diligently to assess the damage caused by last night’s severe weather,” said Unified Government Mayor-CEO Tyrone Garner. “To support this effort, I have issued a state of local disaster emergency for Wyandotte County.”

Last night’s power outages peaked at more than 9,000, and Public Works teams removed 18 downed trees from local roadways.

“The State of Local Disaster Emergency advises the state of Kansas of our status after last night’s storm, and it makes the Unified Government eligible for both short-term resources assistance and long-term reimbursement if needed,” said Unified Government Emergency Management Director Matt May.

Based upon data collected since last night, much of Wyandotte County was impacted by the storm, which saw wind gusts nearing 70 miles per hour.

Public Works street superintendents are in the field today assessing damage, and work is expected to continue through the weekend. BPU teams continue to work diligently to restore power for approximately 2,000 addresses.

To report downed trees blocking roadways, call 3-1-1 or visit mywyco.wycokck.org

To report power outages, contact BPU by calling 913-573-9522

Kansas National Guard deploys helicopters to wildfires burning in Kansas

High winds, low humidity and kindling in the form of dry grasses made the state susceptible to fires

by Allison Kite, Kansas Reflector

Kansas City, Missouri — The Kansas National Guard will deploy helicopters in an effort to put out wildfires in several counties in central and western Kansas, several state departments said in a news release Thursday.

Gov. Laura Kelly declared a state of disaster emergency last week because of the risk of fire.

According to the news release, the Kansas Army National Guard will deploy Black Hawk helicopters to assist local responders in areas that are difficult for ground crews to reach. The Kansas Forest Service will also have air tankers on standby.

“Prepositioning firefighting personnel and equipment in western Kansas along with those assets responding will allow our aviation assets to quickly respond and keep Kansans safe,” Kelly said in the news release. “Local responders work heroically to respond when wildland fires threaten their communities and the state stands ready to back them up, if needed.”

Low humidity and abundant dry grass made the state susceptible to wildfires. Wednesday’s extraordinary storm system, which brought winds of more than 100 mph in some parts of Kansas, only added to that risk.

Scott Blair, a meteorologist for the National Weather Service in Kansas City, Missouri, said in some cases, power lines blown over in the high winds started grass fires.

Though the extraordinary weather system also brought thunderstorms, high winds started long before and continued after the rain. Those winds made putting out fires more difficult.

The winds also brought smoke from the fires east across the state, affecting the air quality in Topeka and Kansas City, Missouri, on Wednesday night.

While the winds have died down, risk of wildfires across central and western Kansas remained Thursday, according to the news release. Most of Kansas is in an enhanced, significant or critical fire danger outlook.

Kansas Reflector stories, www.kansasreflector.com, may be republished online or in print under Creative Commons license CC BY-NC-ND 4.0.
See more at https://kansasreflector.com/2021/12/16/kansas-national-guard-deploys-helicopters-to-wildfires-burning-in-kansas/