A Severe Thunderstorm Watch is in effect for portions of Kansas and Southwest Nebraska until 10 PM Friday.

Temperatures warmed a few degrees ahead of a potent storm system.  Early this evening, storms will enter Northwest Kansas and Southwest Nebraska.  

Damaging winds and large hail are possible with these storms.  In addition, storms will form in eastern Colorado and track into western Kansas.  These two clusters organize into a healthy storm complex.  

This dives south across western Kansas with damaging winds taking center stage into Friday night.  

Winds from 60-70 MPH will be likely along the leading edge of this complex, with sporadic gusts as high as 80 MPH.

With time overnight, weakening will occur farther south and east.  Scattered showers and storms should push into the Wichita Metro before dawn.  Leftovers linger through the morning farther east.

With the cold front nearby, new thunderstorms will form near and east of the Turnpike on Saturday evening.  A storm or two could be severe for hail and high winds into Southeast Kansas.

More isolated storms will trigger farther west.  

Temperatures will be reduced tomorrow primarily in the lower 80s with some in the upper 70s!

The effects of the cold front are still felt to end the weekend and start next week with temperatures below average.  

A low pressure system aligns to our east and keeps afternoon/evening chances for scattered showers and storms going Sunday, Monday and Tuesday.  On Tuesday, the system will begin to track away, allowing temps to gradually warm.

The chance for rain drops mid to late next week.  Highs will sizzle in the 90s by Thursday with the heat amping up the following weekend.

KSN Storm Track 3 Forecast from Chief Meteorologist Lisa Teachman:

Wichita:
Tonight: Partly to mostly cloudy. 20% chance of showers and storms. Lo: 67 Wind: SE 5-15
Tomorrow: Mostly cloudy. 30% chance of showers and storms. Hi: 83 Wind: SE 8-18
Tomorrow Night: Mostly cloudy. 40% chance of showers and storms. Lo: 66 Wind: SE/NW 5-15

Wichita Weekly
Sun: Hi: 82 Lo: 65 Mostly to partly cloudy, breezy. 30% chance of showers and storms.
Mon: Hi: 82 Lo: 66 Partly cloudy. 20% chance of showers and storms.
Tue: Hi: 86 Lo: 68 Partly cloudy. 10% chance of showers and storms.
Wed: Hi: 91 Lo: 70 Mostly sunny.
Thu: Hi: 92 Lo: 71 Mostly sunny, breezy.
Fri: Hi: 93 Lo: 73 Mostly sunny.

-Chief Meteorologist Lisa Teachman

KANSAS (KSNT) – The Kansas Courts are currently being impacted by a global cyber outage.

On Friday, Lea D. Welch, Court Administrator for the Third Judicial District issued a press release regarding a global cyber outage.

According to Welch, some electronic systems and devices may be impacted this morning.

“The issue appears to have been caused by an update to the Crowdstrike Falcon antivirus software and is affecting systems across the world,” Welch said in the press release. “Please note this is NOT the result of a cybersecurity attack.”

Welch said Microsoft and Crowdstrike are guiding the implementation of a solution. She said the Shawnee County District Court is currently open for business and that scheduled hearings will be taking place as planned. She said the courts will use paper filings and manual processes for filings. She said phone lines into and out of the courthouse may also be affected.

At 6:02 a.m., the Sheriff’s Office reported on social media that its Shawnee County Emergency Communications Center was facing technical difficulties.

At 5:25 a.m., 540 flights in the USA were canceled after a worldwide Microsoft and Crowdstrike outage. Systems worldwide are now being affected. Worldwide, there are reports of major issues in hospitals, 911 call centers, airports, ports, and more.

For more local news, click here. Keep up with the latest breaking news in northeast Kansas by downloading our mobile app and by signing up for our news email alerts. Sign up for our Storm Track Weather app by clicking here.

The Chicago White Sox (27-71) and Kansas City Royals (52-45) open a 3-game set at Kauffman Stadium Friday. First pitch is scheduled for 8:10 p.m. ET. Let’s analyze BetMGM Sportsbook’s lines around the White Sox vs. Royals odds and make our expert MLB picks and predictions for the best bets.

Season series: Royals lead 6-1

The White Sox were swept by the Pittsburgh Pirates in a 3-game weekend series in Chicago before the All-Star break. They’ve lost 4 games in a row and haven’t won a series since taking 2 of 3 against the Colorado Rockies at Guaranteed Rate Field June 28-30.

The Royals were flat heading into the break, dropping 2 of 3 games at the Boston Red Sox July 12-14. SS Bobby Witt Jr. outperformed expectations at the Home Run Derby, though. After entering tied for the 4th-longest odds to win (+500 at BetMGM Sportsbook), he lost by just 1 HR in the final to Los Angeles Dodgers CF Teoscar Hernández.

White Sox at Royals projected starters

RHP Chris Flexen vs. RHP Michael Wacha

Flexen (2-8, 4.82 ERA) makes his 19th start and 21st appearance. He has a 1.37 WHIP, 3.3 BB/9 and 6.6 K/9 in 97 IP.

• Last start: Loss, 6 IP, 2 ER, 5 H, 2 BB, 4 K in 6-2 home defeat vs. Pirates Saturday
• 2024 road stats: 1-3, 4.86 ERA (37 IP, 20 ER), 1.22 WHIP, 7.1 K/9 in 8 appearances (6 starts)
• 2024 vs. Royals: 0-1, 4.26 ERA (6 1/3 IP, 3 ER), 6 H, 2 BB, 4 K in 1 start, a 3-0 road loss April 6
• Career vs. Royals: 2-1, 2.25 ERA (20 IP, 5 ER), 1.10 WHIP, 5.4 K/9 in 4 appearances (3 starts)

Wacha (6-6, 3.83 ERA) makes his 17th start. He has a 1.24 WHIP, 2.7 BB/9 and 7.9 K/9 in 89 1/3 IP.

• Last start: Win, 5 IP, 3 ER (4 R), 7 H, 1 BB, 3 K in 8-5 victory at St. Louis Cardinals July 10
• 2024 home stats: 3-1, 3.49 ERA (38 2/3 IP, 15 ER), 1.32 WHIP, 7.9 K/9 in 7 starts
• 2024 vs. White Sox: 1-1, 1.38 ERA (13 IP, 2 ER), 0.69 WHIP, 8.3 K/9 in 2 starts
• Career vs. White Sox: 3-1, 3.89 ERA (39 1/3 IP, 17 ER), 1.07 WHIP, 9.4 K/9 in 7 starts

Who’s going yard? Here’s a breakdown of today’s best home run props with our top picks. Include the BetMGM bonus code SBWIRE to score a $1,500 first-bet offer.

White Sox at Royals odds

Provided by BetMGM Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated at 12:03 a.m. ET.

• Moneyline (ML): White Sox +170 (bet $100 to win $170) | Royals -210 (bet $210 to win $100)
• Run line (RL)/Against the spread (ATS): White Sox +1.5 (-115) | Royals -1.5 (-105)
• Over/Under (O/U): 8.5 (O: -120 | U: +100)

White Sox at Royals picks and predictions

Prediction

Royals 6, White Sox 4

Moneyline

The Royals (-210) have won 6 of 7 against the White Sox this season and have a sizable advantage at starting pitcher Friday. However, it’s hard to beat MLB long term betting into sides that are -190 or higher.

PASS. Bet the run line and/or total instead.

Run line/Against the spread

The Royals are 14-11 as run-line favorites at home this season, good for the 2nd-best record in MLB. The White Sox, on the other hand, have the 2nd-worst record in the majors as run-line underdogs on the road (20-26).

Flexen is the least profitable pitcher in MLB this season, according to OddsShark.com. If you were to bet $100 on White Sox ML every time Flexen started this season, you would be down $1,215. The White Sox have also lost 15 of his 20 appearances this year by 2 or more runs.

Wacha has been trending upwards after losing 4 of his 1st 5 decisions to start the season. He’s won back-to-back starts, and the Royals won both outings by multiple runs.

BET ROYALS -1.5 (-105).

Over/Under

The Royals have the 2nd-best home offense in MLB, averaging 5.16 runs per game, and should bounce back after scoring a total of just 4 runs over their final 2 outings before the break. It also doesn’t hurt that they’re facing Flexen, who has allowed 6 or more runs in 3 of his last 4 road starts.

BET OVER 8.5 (-120).

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