Talk About The Weather — Thursday, August 13, 2026

Kansas City is under an Extreme Heat Warning through 8 p.m. Friday. Today climbs near 100°F, with heat-index values as high as 112. Tonight only slips to around 80. District 6’s PIAC hearing opens at 6, Wicked has two performances, and the Royals have the day off.

STEP OUTSIDE KC

The 8:54 a.m. Downtown Airport observation was 85°F with a 90°F heat index. The National Weather Service takes the afternoon to near 100°F, with heat-index values as high as 112 and south gusts up to 21 mph. Tonight stays mostly clear with a low around 80. Friday reaches near 99 with a heat index up to 108; the Extreme Heat Warning remains in force through 8 p.m. Friday.

LAST NIGHT IN THE METRO

District 5’s PIAC hearing closed Wednesday evening after its 6–8 p.m. public window. The current verification crawl did not surface a separate metro-wide overnight development strong enough to replace it with an unconfirmed item. Tonight, District 6 takes the civic clock: 6–8 p.m. at the Kansas City Public Library Plaza Branch, 4801 Main Street.

ROADS, RAMPS & WRECKS

RideKC’s construction detours remain active. Holmes bridge work is rerouting Troost MAX and routes 23 and 29; the Bannister bridge project continues to affect Troost MAX and Route 25; routes 18 and 27 remain rerouted for the I-70 Improvement Project. Check the live RideKC service-alert board before leaving, especially if the afternoon heat changes how long you are willing to wait outside.

FROM THE STANDS

Chiefs training camp was scheduled for 9:15 a.m. today in St. Joseph, with wide receivers and tight ends on the autograph schedule. The Chiefs host the Rams Saturday at 3 p.m. at Arrowhead. The Royals have no game scheduled today after the Los Angeles series. Sporting Kansas City returns Saturday at Colorado at 8:30 p.m. CT.

KC LUNCH LINE

The Thursday working list stays deliberately spread across the metro: Flower Child in Prairie Village, Sauced in the Crossroads, Press’d in the River Market and Q39 in Lee’s Summit. In this heat, the practical filter is as important as the menu: confirm today’s hours, parking and the shortest walk from the car before leaving.

KC WITHOUT A COVER

Money Museum, Crown Center’s Mo Willems exhibit, Central Library and the National WWI Museum’s local-resident offer remain the low-cost working list. Check current hours and eligibility before departure. Today, an indoor room is not a compromise; it is part of the route plan.

AROUND THE NEIGHBORHOODS

PLAZA / DISTRICT 6 — tonight’s 6–8 p.m. PIAC hearing puts neighborhood infrastructure at the Plaza Branch library. WEST BOTTOMS — West Bottoms Whiskey Co., inherited industrial buildings and redevelopment remain on the reporting desk. CROSSROADS — First Friday’s 25th anniversary is still part of the district’s current story. PRAIRIE VILLAGE + LEE’S SUMMIT — Flower Child and Q39 remain recent openings to watch.

ARTS & CULTURE

Wicked is at Music Hall today with a special 1:30 p.m. Thursday matinee and the regular 7:30 p.m. performance. Timeless Mucha at the Nelson-Atkins and Parallel Eudaimonia at Bunker Center for the Arts continue through Aug. 30.

CITY HOROSCOPE

ARIES — Put the exposed errand first. TAURUS — Pick the table farthest from the glass. GEMINI — Confirm the time before crossing town. CANCER — Make the cool room the center of the plan. LEO — Save the dramatic entrance for after sunset. VIRGO — Water, route, shade, receipt. LIBRA — Choose the shorter walk. SCORPIO — Heat is not a deadline. SAGITTARIUS — Point the evening toward darker sky. CAPRICORN — Finish the civic task before six. AQUARIUS — Let one notification wait. PISCES — Look west before the crescent sets.

MOON NOTE

WAXING CRESCENT — one day after Wednesday’s 12:36 p.m. new moon, the moon is only about 1.3% illuminated around midday and sets about 8:53 p.m. The Perseids peaked overnight into Thursday; the peak has passed, but the sky remains unusually dark by summer standards.

EDITORIAL DISCOVERY

The useful object in today’s city file is a door. The hottest hours make every air-conditioned threshold part of the infrastructure; at six, the doors at Plaza Branch also become the entrance to a public hearing about what Kansas City should build next.

TOP FIVE

100°F — today’s forecast high. 112 — the highest forecast heat-index value. 1:30 PM — Wicked’s Thursday matinee. 6–8 PM — District 6 PIAC hearing at Plaza Branch. 8 PM FRIDAY — current scheduled end of the Extreme Heat Warning.

SOURCE LIST

National Weather Service Kansas City/Pleasant Hill; City of Kansas City PIAC calendar; RideKC service alerts; Kansas City Chiefs training-camp schedule; Kansas City Royals schedule; Sporting Kansas City 2026 schedule; Visit KC / Wicked; Timeanddate Kansas City moon data; Astronomical Society of Kansas City / NASA Night Sky Network; direct venue and restaurant sources.

By six, the hottest part of the day is still in the pavement. The library doors at Plaza Branch open anyway.