In what may well be the most underreported weather story of recent years, Kansas City enjoyed a streak of 26 consecutive days with below normal high temperatures. That streak came to an end on Friday when the thermometer topped out at 89 degrees, which is the average high for the date.
If predictions hold, Kansas City’s streak of 27 sub-90 degree days will end on Saturday. A high of 93 degrees is projected. It goes without saying that had the city experienced 27 consecutive days of above 90 temperatures, editorialists would be demanding a resumption of the Paris accords, crowds would be swarming the federal building demanding President Trump’s impeachment, and “interfaith” ministers would be holding prayer vigils in Swope Park.
Of more immediate concern, the outlook isn’t brilliant for eclipse viewing on Monday. In Kansas City there is a 60 percent chance of afternoon or evening thunderstorms. In St. Joseph, which is poised to enjoy its most fanfare since the launch of the Pony Express, the chance of thunderstorms is 40 percent.
Temperatures on Monday will be just about normal. Starting with a rainy Tuesday, another 12 consecutive days of well below normal temperatures is predicted for the region.
St. Joseph is reveling in its moment in the shade. The city’s website boasts in large celebratory letters, “Total Solar Eclipse, St. Joseph, MO, right in the middle of it all.”
For those who might want to prep for the eclipse this weekend, St. Jo has arranged a shotgun wedding between Pony Express history and early American Astronomy. The promotion for the Pony Express National Museum & Pony School is priceless Americana. It reads:
“Get your astronomy lesson with the School Marm at the Pony School,an 1860s one-room schoolhouse will be the site of astronomy lessons from the era. $5 adults, $1 for children-12. At the Pony Express Museum, meet living history character Mabel Loving, who will share her impressions of a total eclipse she experienced in 1918 in Garden City, Kansas. $6 adults/$5 seniors/$3 youth/$1 ages 4-6. Fri-Sun visit Native American lodges on the grounds and learn about how they used the sun, moon, and stars in their daily lives.”
Only in America!
