Afternoon

Tornado sirens will sound Tuesday but severe weather isn't expected. The sirens will go off because the National Weather Service will conduct its annual tornado drill. The drill will begin at 1:30 Tuesday afternoon. The goal is for you to create severe weather plans, so you'll know what to do in a real severe weather situation. Outdoor warnings are just one of the many communications to alert Kansans to severe weather. You're encouraged to have a severe weather radio and also to tune into television and radio stations for up to the minute weather reports.

The Reno County Sheriff has released more information about a deadly boating accident on the east side of Cheney Lake Friday afternoon. Nicole Whitney Smit of Mesa, Arizona was struck by a boat's propeller when it turned around to pick her up after falling off her wake board. The 13-year-old was visiting relatives in Wichita. The sheriff's office says passengers on the boat tried to perform CPR on Smit while heading back to shore. "I couldn't believe it," said Russ Whitley as he stood on the boat marina Friday afternoon.

A power outage had some Wichitans suffering through a record 108 degrees Wednesday without their air conditioners.  The Westar Energy power failure impacted about 500 people, mostly in the College Hill area.  While it didn't last long, it led to a few scary moments.  But, there are ways to keep your home cool, even when the power is out. The outage started when a relay system failed at Westar's Mossman Substation a little after 1:00 p.m. Wednesday...

More than 6,000 customers were without power in south Wichita Saturday afternoon. Westar Energy says the power went out around 1:35pm. Substation crews have found the cause of the problem and have restored the power to the 6000 customers. The problem occurred at one of the substations in the area.

Wichita State University's Koch Arena prepares for a big celebration Friday afternoon. The Shocker basketball team is expected at the arena around 5:00 p.m. to celebrate its N.I.T. Championship with Shocker fans. Crews spent the afternoon setting up seats for the players, testing equipment and getting the place ready. Wichita police will escort the Shockers from the airport to Koch Arena.  The team is on a private charter flight and is expected to land around 4:30 p.m. Watch the celebration LIVE AT KWCH.COM when it begins.

A person walking near Sim Park in Wichita found wild marijuana plants growing there. Police say the report came in Monday afternoon. Police say there were about 50 plants. It did not appear to be an organized grow operation. The plants were simply growing in the wild, which police say is common. The plants were destroyed immediately.

Firefighters put out a house fire in El Dorado Thursday afternoon. No one was hurt when flames damaged the home in the 300 block of W. Kansas Thursday afternoon. Investigators are looking for a cause.

A skydiver was hurt in southeast Wichita this afternoon, after landing hard and hitting his head. He landed in a field in the 7000 block of South 143rd Street Saturday afternoon. Sedgwick County deputies say he was skydiving with three other people. They turned into the wind to land, but the man did not. He snagged his parachute on a tree and fell at least 20 feet. The man was flown to the hospital with critical injuries, but he is expected to be okay.

A man suffers critical burns after a grilling accident in north Wichita. It happened in the 1500 block of North Grove Sunday afternoon. Officials say the man suffered second degree burns to his back. He was taken to a Wichita hospital in critical condition.

Four people were inside the Expectations Barber Shop on North Oliver Friday afternoon when three people came in with guns. The robbers demanded money from everyone inside even customers. They took the money and left. No one was hurt. 

Wind Advisories have been hoisted for much of central and eastern Kansas ahead of a cold front moving through the state.  South winds will gust as high as 35-40 m.p.h. can be expected until the cold front passes. The winds will switch to the northwest behind the front and diminish into the evening.  Clouds will increase with showers and storms possible along and ahead of the front in south central and southeast Kansas during the afternoon.  A few storms could turn strong to severe, with large hail and high winds the main threat.  Highs today will reach the 60s to mid 70s. A few sprinkles or showers tonight behind the cold front, otherwise chilly temperatures are expected as we head out the door in the morning.  Lows will drop into the 30s and 40s.  Skies will remain mostly cloudy to partly cloudy across Kansas on Monday with drizzle and showers developing Monday night.  Cooler, cloudy weather will continue across the area through the middle of the week.  Off and on shower chances will be a part of the forecast Tuesday with better chances of measurable rainfall on Wednesday.  Even some light snow or a light wintry mix is expected in areas of central and western Kansas Tuesday into Wednesday, with some light accumulations possible in the northwest corner of the state.  Highs in the 30s and 40s will be common.

After high temperatures in the 70s across western Kansas yesterday, a blizzard warning remains in effect for those same areas this morning.  A Blizzard Warning is in effect for Colby and Hill City until 10 A.M., while a Winter Weather Advisory is in effect for central Kansas through this afternoon.  Travel is discouraged for these areas as gusty north winds to 50-60 m.p.h. will cause blowing and drifting of snow and near zero visibility at times throughout the day. Snow will continue though out the day, and begin to taper to flurries by afternoon.

The winter storm is over, so now Kansans are digging out from the mess left behind.  With the sun shining, snow is already starting to melt. Schools/Other Weather-Related Closings: Wichita schools, along with many other schools across Kansas closed again Tuesday.  However, most schools expect to be back in class Wednesday. Click for Weather Closings/Delays The City of Wichita facilities and operations are operating as scheduled today. City officials will provide updates on how the winter storm is affecting operations and facilities if necessary.

Four people were inside the Expectations Barber Shop on North Oliver Friday afternoon when three people came in with guns. The robbers demanded money from everyone inside even customers. They took the money and left. No one was hurt. 

SB I-135 to EB Kellogg is back open after a semi rollover Monday afternoon.  The area was shut down for several hours. The driver was not seriously hurt.

A skydiver was hurt in southeast Wichita this afternoon, after landing hard and hitting his head. He landed in a field in the 7000 block of South 143rd Street Saturday afternoon. Sedgwick County deputies say he was skydiving with three other people. They turned into the wind to land, but the man did not. He snagged his parachute on a tree and fell at least 20 feet. The man was flown to the hospital with critical injuries, but he is expected to be okay.

Smoke and flames damage a small Wichita apartment complex Tuesday afternoon. The fire started just before three o'clock at a 3-plex in the 1500 block of S. Meridian. Fire crews on the scene say one unit has smoke and fire damage, the other two have smoke damage. No one was hurt. Investigators are looking into how the fire started.  

Breezy, as a powerful storm system moves through Kansas this afternoon.  The potential for severe weather is greatest between 3 p.m. and 10 p.m., with large hail, high winds and even an isolated tornado or two in the strongest storms.  A "slight risk" area is outlined in "yellow" and indicates the area most likely to experience severe storms later today.  Temperatures on will reach the 70s and lower 80s. Decreasing clouds overnight in...

Wichita police are looking for the gunman who robbed a business in Southeast Wichita Thursday afternoon.  The robbery happened at Check Into Cash at Harry & Rock Road.  The suspect is described as a black male in his early 20s.  He's around 6'5" tall and was wearing all black clothing and a Halloween mask similar to the one worn in the "Scream" movies. Anyone with information is asked to call police.