Thursday is a First Alert Weather Impact Day in the Kansas City area, with scattered downpours and thunderstorms expected to disrupt outdoor plans late this afternoon and evening. Development is forecast from 1 to 4 p.m., followed by larger areas of steady rain and embedded thunderstorms arriving between 4 and 8 p.m.
Thunderstorms bring lightning, and the story says delays are possible during the evening World Cup match between Tunisia and the Netherlands. The risk of damaging wind and large hail is described as low, but heavy rain and thunderstorms are expected to continue overnight, especially for communities south of Kansas City.
Potentially heavy rainfall could bring 2 to 3 inches along and south of I-70, with up to 5 inches possible in a few spots. The forecast warns that excessive rainfall may lead to flash flooding and stream and creek flooding into Friday morning.
After the storm period, heat and humidity are expected to increase over the weekend and persist through next week, with morning lows in the 70s, daytime highs in the lower 90s, and heat index values above 100 degrees.