Soak up the sun while you can, Kansas City — the warm weather won't last.
Temperatures are expected to drop Thursday, with snow possible this weekend. Bummer, right? Not exactly, says Kansas State University climatologist Mary Knapp.
Knapp says too many warm nights in January can trick vegetation into thinking it's spring when there are still weeks of winter ahead. In this area, the last freeze is usually in April.
"So when it turns colder this weekend, people should be grateful that it has returned to that more normal temperature range, even if they don't like the cooler weather and precipitation that's expected with that system," Knapp says.
Knapp says while spring-like weather may feel like an unexpected treat in late January, it's actually not uncommon.
"Actually if we look at record highs for today's date in western Kansas, they're up in the 80s," Knapp says. "Even in eastern Kansas, you end up with record highs in the upper 70s."
Knapp says it's important to keep in mind the month started with temperatures in the teens. The last time Kansas had an unseasonably warm January was in 2006, when the average temperature was up 12 degrees statewide.
