Friday night could bring damaging storms back to the Hays area

Forecasters are calling for significant storms to sweep across the state this evening, possibly producing strong winds, large hail and the threat of tornadoes.

The National Weather Service said the initial thunderstorms are expected to arrive in the Hays area between 5 and 8 p.m., just as Friday night football games across the region are kicking off.

“You couldn’t ask for a worse time,” said Aaron Johnson, NWS meteorologist based in Dodge City.

Johnson said the initial storms will begin to develop near Garden City and points west between 2 and 3 p.m. and expanding northeast.

The Hays area is expected to be impacted between 5 and 6 p.m., with the line of storms moving from about the WaKeeney area to the east.

The NWS weather outlook warned of wind gusts over 60 mph.

“Farther northwest, Colby, Goodland, they might not see much at all,” Johnson said.

Ellis High School has already announced the start time for Friday’s game has been moved to 6 p.m. Thomas More Prep-Marian’s game against Oakley has been postponed until Saturday. As of 9:30 a.m. Friday, no other schedule changes had been announced, but that is expected to change as more information about the timing of the storms becomes available. Check Hays Post for more as details are shared by schools.

By the time final scores start rolling in from games, Hays should be in the clear, he added, noting the storms should be out of the area by about 9 p.m.

Behind the line of storms will be cool, dry air, which will bring weekend temperatures down. The high on Friday is expected to be in the low-80s, while Saturday that high “will struggle to get into the low-70s.”

On Monday, however, a significant cooldown will arrive, with a high temperature projected only in the upper-50s.