Good afternoon everyone! This will be a brief update regarding fog risks Tuesday morning and the return of rain activity Wednesday. The great weather from today will continue into Tuesday with a few hiccups along the way. There is a risk for some fog development within the circled region below (southwestern KS) given temperatures falling overnight, creating an inversion above the surface. Some low-level moisture at the surface can help to generate areas of fog that will linger into the mid-morning hours before temperatures rise and the fog erodes.
Other than the fog threat, the region will remain virtually rain-free again Tuesday with a mix of sun and clouds likely in western KS/NE due to weak upper-level energy lifting into the area. Off to the east in eastern KS/NE, these areas will lack any substantial forcing, so mostly sunny skies will prevail. Given the energy in the atmosphere, we can’t rule out a few sprinkles (mainly in the NE Panhandle) during the afternoon and evening hours. However, with most layers of the atmosphere remaining unsaturated, any precipitation that falls from the clouds will have a difficult time reaching the surface as a result of evaporation. The clouds in western KS/NE will spread eastward Tuesday night into Wednesday as our next decent chance of rain returns.
Simulated radar from 4am CDT Wednesday through 1am CDT Thursday: Our next wave of light rains enters from the Rockies into the NE Panhandle around 6am CDT Wednesday. Precipitation in eastern CO will gradually work eastward into western KS during the early afternoon hours while rains in portions of the NE Panhandle lift eastward. During the evening hours, light rains will be affecting locations such as the western half of KS and portions of western NE. These rains will slowly work northeastward through the overnight hours Wednesday into Thursday. Initially it will take some time for the precipitation that shows up on radar to reach the surface as this disturbance will need to cut through the drier layers of the atmosphere. With time these rains will fall.
Here’s a look at rainfall totals through the next 60 hours: 0.25-0.5″ of rain is expected in the western half of KS and portions of western NE with locally higher amounts possible. As a reminder, these rains won’t come until early Wednesday morning at the earliest.
If you have any questions do not hesitate to reach out! Have a great rest of your day!