Cooler weather in sight as Kansas City faces two more days of dangerous excessive heat

Dangerously hot and muggy weather conditions will continue for the next two days in Kansas City before cooler temperatures and storms push their way into the metro in time for the weekend, according to the National Weather Service in Kansas City.

The Kansas City area will remain under a heat advisory through Friday as temperatures are expected to climb to near 100 degrees on Thursday with heat index values as high as 110 degrees possible.

An “Orange” ozone alert has been issued for Thursday, the second day in a row, according to the Mid-America Regional Council’s Air Quality Program.

People should protect themselves from the unhealthy air quality and help reduce pollution by planning activities for before 10 a.m. and after 7 p.m., carpool, taking the bus and postpone mowing and refueling.

What you need to know about Kansas City’s air quality and ozone levels

It has been 1,112 days since Kansas City last saw temperatures rise to 100 degrees or above, making it the seventh longest streak of days below 100 degrees.

Because of the excessive heat, the weather service is urging people to avoid outdoor activities during the afternoon. It is also discouraging afternoon an evening workouts and practices.

Those who do venture out should stay hydrated and wear light colored and lightweight clothing.

The weather service has provided a link to the Wet Bulb Globe temperature, an alternative to heat index values, which provides an indication of heat-related stress on the body at work or play in direct sunlight. Included is guidelines for rest breaks and activities taken from the Missouri High School Activities Association.

Thursday’s forecast, for example, is 92 degrees for the afternoon and evening, which indicates that practices should be limited to one hour. Additionally, football players should not wear protective equipment during practice and no conditioning activities should be held.

For all sports, there must be 20 minutes of rest breaks distributed throughout the hour of practice. Competitions should be delayed or rescheduled.

A cold front approaching form the north could bring strong to severe thunderstorms to northern Missouri.

The front will bisect the area on Friday with cooler temperatures in the 80s expected north of it hot and muggy conditions south of it.

Generally, areas south of a line stretching from St. Joseph to Sedalia, which would include the Kansas City metropolitan area, will see another hot day with highs in the 90s and heat index values near 105 degrees, according to the weather service.

Although temperatures are expected to be in the low 90s on Saturday, cooler weather in the mid-80s is expected for the remainder of the weekend into next week. Overnight night temperatures will dip into the lower 60s.