As of 5am the polar front we’ve been expecting for several days is in the I-80 vicinity of central and western Nebraska. It’s easy to see in temperature readings — nearly 40 ahead of the front and in the mid and upper single digits behind it. That differential will only grow during the day.
We expect the front to pass I-70 mid-afternoon, the K-61 area around sunset, I-135 and the Wichita metro early evening, and be clear of the state by midnight. Moderate south wind will help increase fire danger ahead of the front today, especially where there was no snow last week. Ahead of the front we’ll see temps generally in the 70’s, while in the immediate wake we may see drops of 20-30 degrees over the course of a couple of hours. A few minutes of freezing drizzle would even be possible in southern Kansas soon after the front passes.
It looks like the polar air sticks through Friday, then things begin to moderate for the weekend. Wind chills will be dangerous tonight through mid-day Wednesday, running single digits below zero through mid-morning tomorrow and Wednesday. Highs each day in the 20’s, lows in the lower to mid single digits. A fast-moving front will speed by on Thursday; this is expected to produce some snow, but it should be by and large an inconvenience event with max snowfalls around 3 inches. Temps warm into the 30’s Saturday and nearly seasonal 40’s Sunday.
and then