Storms to roll into Kansas City area Thursday night after Royals home opener

There’s good news for baseball fans headed to the Kansas City Royal’s home opener against the Minnesota Twins on Thursday — it will be unseasonably warm and rains are expected to hold off until after the game.

“Anyone got any big outdoor plans Thursday? We hear it’s a big day around the metro,” the National Weather Service in Kansas City said on social media. “Just after 3 p.m., temperatures should be in the lower 70s, with a good breeze out of the south. There may be some increasing clouds, but rain should hold off until the evening.”

Winds, however, will be quite gusty, reaching between 30 and 40 mph during the game.

The warm up begins Tuesday after light rain and snow, for some north of the Kansas City metro area, move out of the region. Clouds will also move out by mid-morning, giving way to afternoon sunshine, according to the weather service.

It will be a cool day, with temperatures in the metro climbing to the low 50s. Typically, Kansas City sees temperatures around 60 degrees for this time of year. Conditions continue to warm on Wednesday with temperatures returning to normal under mostly sunny skies.

It will be mostly sunny with conditions in the lower 70s on Thursday before clouds start rolling in, the weather service said.

A strong storm system is then expected to move through area Thursday night into Friday, bringing strong winds with gusts around 40 to 45 mph. Rain is also expected to return late Thursday into Friday.

There’s a threat of severe weather with another round of storms on Friday. The Kansas City area is under a slight risk for severe thunderstorms, which are expected in the afternoon and evening.

A slight risk means that scattered severe thunderstorms are likely, but they should be short-lived and not widespread, according to the Storm Prediction Center.

Damaging winds and large hail remain the primary concerns. The risk for tornadoes remain low for the Kansas City area. Areas in central and eastern Missouri, however, are at a greater risk of severe weather.

There remains some uncertainty in the forecast pertaining to the specific timing, intensity and coverage of the severe storms, the weather service said.