Wichita could see 1 to 3 inches of rain starting Tuesday as a slow-moving storm system parks over Kansas. Some spots may pick up 4 to 5 inches through the end of the week, KWCH meteorologist Dean Jones reported.
The National Weather Service in Wichita issued a Hazardous Weather Outlook on Sunday, Sept. 27, warning that heavy rain will be likely with the stronger showers and storms and will lead to some flooding. Sedgwick County is among the counties covered.
No flood watches or warnings were in effect for the Wichita metro as of Sunday, Sept. 27.
The NWS said the heaviest rain for the Wichita area will likely fall late Tuesday morning, when a cold front pushes southeast through the Central Plains. Moisture levels in the atmosphere are running about 175% of normal for late September, according to the agency's forecast discussion.
The storm system is also expected to pull in remnants of Hurricane Polo as it moves through the region, adding to the rainfall potential, the NWS forecast discussion stated.
The severe weather threat remains low. However, the weather center reports a marginal severe risk west of K-177 on Wednesday, with damaging wind the main concern.
Sanders' Wichita-area forecast calls for a high of 80 degrees Tuesday with rain and storms likely, 77 on Wednesday with off-and-on rain, 76 on Thursday with more storms, and 74 on Friday with morning showers giving way to clearing skies. Overnight lows will drop from the mid-60s to the upper 50s as the front passes.
The NWS Wichita posted on X on Sunday, Sept. 27, noting the most widespread rain would come Wednesday and Thursday and urging residents to stay tuned as forecasters refine the details.
What past flooding looked like
Wichita knows what heavy rain can do to its roads. During a flooding event on the night of Thursday, June 25, the Wichita Fire Department was dispatched to 180 calls in 10 hours. Of those, 109 were water-related, including 85 vehicle floodwater incidents and 24 water service calls, the department reported. No injuries were reported that night.
A year earlier, on Tuesday, June 3, 2025, the department logged more than 80 submersion calls in a single morning, pleading with residents not to cross water-covered roads.
During the June 25 flooding, the Wichita Fire Department urged residents to stay home and warned anyone who encountered a flooded roadway to turn around and find a safe alternative.
Monday, Sept. 28, is expected to be warm and dry with highs in the low to mid-80s, giving residents a window before the rain arrives Tuesday morning.
