Century old record broken in Topeka on Saturday
TOPEKA (KSNT) - If you stepped outside today, at almost any time, you would have likely felt the summertime heat on you. Yet, it's still only the middle of Spring.
Temperatures around sunrise were already at 70 degrees in Topeka, and it would only get warmer from there.
Strong winds out of the southwest continued to help bring in more heat to the region. Winds have been gusting out of the southwest at nearly 30 mph all day; that plays a huge role in how quickly our viewing area warms up.
The temperature in Topeka maxed out on Saturday at 98 degrees Fahrenheit - breaking the previous record of 92 set back in 1916. That record was set more than 100 years ago.
In Emporia, 95 degrees Fahrenheit was reached, also (unofficially) breaking the previous record high. That record was 90 set back in 1952, but it isn't considered a complete record period.
Here's a look at some of the high temperatures reported across the area Saturday:
- Topeka - 98F
- Concordia - 88F
- Emporia - 95F
- Manhattan - 94F
- Lawrence - 95F
Looking forward to Sunday, it appears that more record high temperatures may be broken. Here is where a few of the records currently stand:
- Topeka 94F (set in 1934)
- Concordia 99F (set in 2014)
- Emporia 90F (set unofficially in 1962)
Currently, models are showing another aggressive push of heat into the entire viewing area. Here is what temperatures could look like for Sunday afternoon with one of the warmer outliers:
Of course, not all models agree on just how warm it will get and there is always an outlier on predictions. With that being said, the outlier model nailed the forecast for record highs on Saturday - so it certainly shouldn't be dismissed right away!
In addition to the heat it looks like Northeast Kansas will also be under the threat of severe weather for Sunday evening so be sure to check back in for updates on the forecast.