A Severe Thunderstorm Watch has now been extended until 1 a.m. CDT for parts of western Kansas.

The watch included the following counties: Cheyenne, Finney, Gove, Grant, Greeley, Hamilton, Haskell, Kearny, Logan, Morton, Scott, Seward, Sherman, Stanton, Stevens, Wallace and Wichita. 

80 mph winds have been reported in Dodge City. Strong winds, hail and rain will be the main concern as these storms travel through western Kansas.

Stay tuned for updates. We’ll keep you up to date with our Interactive Radar and LIVE weather coverage. Get those features and more on the free First Alert Weather App. With the app you can track storms in your area, stream the latest forecast videos and live severe weather coverage, and set customized alerts to keep you and your family informed and safe.

In the event of severe weather, click here to follow KAKE First Alert Storm Trackers in the field.

Previous update:

Severe weather returns to the forecast over the next few days, starting with Friday. 

A line of storms, some expected to be severe with damaging winds in excess of 70 mph, will move across northwest Kansas and sink southeast through the late afternoon and evening. Those storms should reach the Wichita area after sunset, a few still being strong. 

Large hail and a couple of tornadoes are possible early in the event with any storms that can remain isolated, that threat mainly across far western Kansas.

Saturday looks to be the calmest day of the next few with only a few showers and storms possible across KAKEland. Sunday, the severe weather threat ramps up again, lasting into Monday across portions of KAKEland. Large hail, damaging winds, and a couple of tornadoes are possible both days.