Kansas Summer Heat Shows Up Early

Summer showed up early in Kansas. Several cities set record highs on Sunday. Among them were Salina, Chanute, and Wichita.

Wichita was the hottest. The city baked under 102 degree temperatures on Sunday. The National Weather Service says it’s the earliest the temperature ever broke the 100 degree mark in the city.

The previous record for May 4 was 94 degrees, set in 1963. It’s also the earliest day in the year the city went over 100. The previous record was May 9, 2011.

The heat caused widespread power outages in Sedgwick County.

Westar Energy says it had restored nearly all power by early Monday. The utility reported about 12,000 customers lost power Sunday.

The record high in Salina was 96, while Chanute set a record at 94.

The heat is forecast to continue, with a high near 95 Monday and 97 on Tuesday.