Violent Storm Risk in Wichita Saturday PM

By Alex Sosnowski, Expert Senior Meteorologist

October 13,2012; 5:58AM,EDT

 

 

A storm that brought hail and waterspouts to Southern California Thursday will bring the risk of violent thunderstorms to Wichita Saturday afternoon and evening.
A warm front developing over the southern Plains produced showers and thunderstorms from northern Oklahoma and southern Kansas to Tennessee during Friday.
Stiff southerly winds will bring in warm, more humid air over Kansas into Saturday, setting the stage for severe thunderstorms as the strengthening storm system rolls out of the Four Corners.
The most common traits of the storms as they slice eastward across central Oklahoma and Kansas Saturday will be damaging straight-line wind gusts, large hail and flooding downpours.
However, with this particular setup, a couple of discrete intense storms can produce a tornado.
Storms capable of producing a tornado were forecast to develop over eastern New Mexico and the northern Texas Panhandle to southwestern Kansas during Friday.

The greatest risk of tornadoes appears to be taking aim for northeastern Kansas to Iowa during Saturday, but a trailing line of severe storms will extend southward across the Red River.
The timing of the severe storm risk Saturday in Wichita will be from about noon Saturday until 9 p.m. Sunday, CDT.
Sunshine and a less volatile atmosphere will return to Wichita and much of the central Plains during Sunday.