Kansas Turnpike

Authorities have identified the man killed in a semi rollover on the Kansas Turnpike Wednesday afternoon. 52-year-old Abdikarim Haile of St. Cloud, Minnesota rolled his semi while exiting the Turnpike onto Kellogg.  The semi spilled soy milk on the roadway, keeping cleanup crews busy for hours. No word on what caused the crash. Scene Video Fatal crash on KS Turnpike.

Isaac will be heading toward Kansas as the holiday weekend looms. Much of the state will be missed, but southcentral and eastern Kansas will have chance for rain by Friday evening. Clear skies are anticipated for overnight with light south winds and temperatures dropping into the upper 50s west/mid 60s central and east. Highs on Thursday will be back in the mid 90s with sunny skies around the area. Gusty south winds are expected across western Kansas throughout the day. Clouds will increase by Friday with a chance for rain, mainly along and southeast of the Kansas Turnpike.

Triples are good in baseball, however in the world of Kansas weather triple digit heat is never fun!  Just like yesterday, there is enough moisture in place across south central and eastern Kansas that a late afternoon "pop-up" thunderstorm may develop here or there, but don't count on it.  The heat of the day leads to convective thermals rising through the moist (humid) atmosphere.  The net result is cumulus clouds (puffy white clouds) and if these clouds grow large enough one or two may produce a shower or thunderstorm.

Emergency crews rush to the scene of a crash on the Kansas Turnpike Thursday evening. Butler County dispatchers say one person has critical injuries. The crash happened when a driver went the wrong way in the northbound lanes of the turnpike, just west of the 21st St. toll exit.

A cold front moving through the state will trigger showers and storms this afternoon.  Some severe weather is possible for locations along and southeast of the Kansas Turnpike.  Large hail and damaging wind gusts will be the primary threat.  This cold front be the key for two weather related features: 1) it will mark the leading edge of cooler "more spring-like" temperatures and 2) it will signal, decreasing chances of severe weather as winds shift from the southeast to the north during the afternoon.

The "summer sizzle" continues today with ample sunshine and gusty winds.  Highs will be in the 90s statewide.  For some spots, those readings will be approaching or exceeding, record highs.  To go along with the heat, there will be plenty of humidity too, only adding to the uncomfortable conditions. A cold front enters western Kansas tonight bringing some relief from the heat.  Overnight lows will drop into the 50s and low 60s behind the front, while humid and warm temperatures will continue ahead of this system over eastern Kansas, with lows in the upper 60s and low 70s.   This cold front will progress eastward across the state on Sunday, bringing a chance of showers and thunderstorms to much of eastern Kansas by afternoon.

State officials are reminding drivers about public storm shelters along the Kansas Turnpike. There are nearly 30 available to drivers along the Turnpike. Most of them are in the restrooms of service area. Click Here to See Shelter List Smaller shelters are also available at the turnpike toll plazas. More than 20 people can fit comfortably in the smallest shelters-- more if circumstances require it. There are no storm shelters along I-70 or any highways controlled by the Kansas Department of Transportation.

A cold front on the way to Kansas will provide a chance for a few isolated storms in southcentral and eastern Kansas into Tuesday afternoon. South winds will help keep temperatures mild overnight with lows generally in the 50s, but far western Kansas will cool off into the 40s by early Tuesday. It will not be as windy for Tuesday with isolated storms developing late in the afternoon along the Kansas Turnpike. Severe weather can't be ruled out, but the chance for large hail and gusty winds is low. Afternoon temperatures will be in the upper 70s for most of Kansas, with slightly cooler readings in the northwest.