After a warm and windy Friday with a high again above 80, the National Weather Service in Dodge City is forecasting a significant cooldown — possibly accompanied by severe thunderstorms.
In the Hays area, there is a 10 percent chance of showers or thunderstorms after 5 p.m. Friday, increasing to 30 percent to 40 percent into Saturday. The high Saturday is only expected to be in the upper-40s.
The NWS warned there is an increasing chance some of those storms, mainly along and east of Highway 283, could be severe. The main threats are strong winds gusting to 75 mph and hail in excess of 2 inches.
Skies are expected to clear by Saturday evening.
Freeze watches also were issued in portions of western Kansas for early Sunday morning.
The cooldown is expected to be short-lived, with the mercury ticking back up to the 80s by early next week.