Talk About The Weather — Tuesday, August 25, 2026

Kansas City reached 88°F by 3:54 p.m., with a heat index of 95, before the workday gave way to a fuller Tuesday night: downtown ramps scheduled to reopen around 5, the Royals starting in Toronto at 6:07, Broadway at Music Hall, and jazz moving through Westport and the Plaza.

STEP OUTSIDE KC

At 3:54 p.m., Kansas City Downtown Airport reported fair skies and 88°F, calm wind and 10 miles of visibility. The heat index was 95. The National Weather Service keeps a slight 20% shower and thunderstorm chance before 9 p.m. and again after 5 a.m. Wednesday, with a low around 71°F.

The practical read: the hottest part of the day is nearly behind us, but pavement and parked cars are still carrying it. Keep water close, then watch the sky through dinner without treating a slight storm chance like a guarantee.

LAST NIGHT IN THE METRO

The Country Club Plaza redevelopment moved one vote closer to its financing structure Monday. Port KC took the first of three required votes tied to an estimated $149 million property-tax incentive. The proposal includes roughly 1.7 million square feet of commercial space, 824 residential units and 150 hotel rooms. Two more Port KC steps — bond authorization and bond issuance — remain before the incentive is final.

Southwest of the core, Gardner’s Planning Commission also recommended a large development proposal that includes a 15,000-seat indoor-outdoor concert venue, a 6,000-seat esports arena, a college campus and a recreational lagoon. The proposal is scheduled to reach Gardner City Council on September 21.

ROADS, RAMPS & WRECKS

MoDOT scheduled the ramp from I-670 westbound to I-35 northbound and the ramp from I-35 northbound to 12th Street closed until about 5 p.m. Tuesday for brush-removal work. Use alternate downtown ramps until the work clears, then let the evening commute normalize rather than racing the reopening.

Separate Improve I-70 KC work continues near 18th Street through Saturday, August 29, with lane and ramp closures tied to bridge construction. Outside the core, Route PP in Johnson County is closed Tuesday between SE 601 Road and Missouri Route 23 from about 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. for pavement overlay work.

FROM THE STANDS

The Royals return from Monday’s off day carrying an eight-game winning streak into Toronto. Kansas City opens the series against the Blue Jays at 6:07 p.m. Central, with Seth Lugo scheduled against Max Scherzer.

The Kansas City Current remain home this weekend after Saturday’s 1–1 draw with Seattle. North Carolina Courage visits CPKC Stadium Saturday, August 29, at 5:30 p.m. for Brain Health Awareness Night.

The Chiefs close the preseason Friday, August 28, at 7 p.m. at Arrowhead against Seattle after Saturday’s 16–15 loss in Tampa.

KC LUNCH LINE

TACO NACO KC — Three handcrafted tacos are listed at $11.88 all day Tuesday, 10 a.m. to 10 p.m., at the Westport location on Pennsylvania Avenue.

Beer Kitchen — Tendy Tuesday puts the pork tenderloin sandwich with house pub chips at $14, available all day until sold out at 435 Westport Road.

Iron Horse — The Tuesday Reuben and fries special is $10, dine-in and available all day at the Leawood and Lee’s Summit locations.

The Belfry — Tuesday shares the room with its Monday-and-Tuesday burger-and-beer offer at 1532 Grand Boulevard; save this one for later in the day if lunch has already made its choice.

KC WITHOUT A COVER

WICKED — The Kansas City run begins at Music Hall at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, with performances continuing through August 30.

New Jazz Order — The Kansas City Jazz Orchestra’s weekly big-band laboratory runs 6:30 to 9 p.m. at Westport Flea Market/Bowery. Admission is listed at $0–$15, and students are free.

Chaz on the Plaza — Live jazz is listed from 6 to 10 p.m. Tuesday at the Raphael Hotel, with no cover listed.

Beer Kitchen — Music Bingo runs 7 to 9 p.m. Tuesday and is free to play.

AROUND THE NEIGHBORHOODS

WESTPORT — New Jazz Order starts at 6:30 p.m.; Beer Kitchen’s free Music Bingo follows at 7.

DOWNTOWN — WICKED begins its Kansas City run at 7:30 p.m. inside Music Hall.

COUNTRY CLUB PLAZA — Monday’s Port KC vote moved the redevelopment financing process forward, but the tax-incentive structure still needs two more agency votes.

COUNTRY CLUB PLAZA — Chaz carries live Kansas City jazz from 6 to 10 p.m. while the district’s redevelopment financing story remains unfinished.

ARTS & CULTURE

Music Hall becomes the evening’s largest room when WICKED begins its Kansas City run at 7:30 p.m. The touring production plays through August 30, giving downtown a week of Broadway-scale movement after the daytime ramp work clears.

The smaller-room counterpoint is jazz. New Jazz Order gathers musicians at Westport Flea Market/Bowery from 6:30 to 9 p.m., while Chaz on the Plaza lists live jazz from 6 to 10 p.m. Both put Kansas City’s musical tradition in rooms where the distance between stage and audience stays short.

CITY HOROSCOPE

Aries: Take the alternate ramp before impatience chooses one for you. Taurus: Lunch can be the whole plan. Gemini: Read the fine print before repeating the biggest number. Cancer: A quiet gallery is still a night out. Leo: Let the heat change the pace, not the ambition. Virgo: One useful detail beats five loose ideas. Libra: The Plaza story is about what comes next, not only what passed. Scorpio: Keep one thing private and one thing moving. Sagittarius: Go farther than the usual block. Capricorn: Follow the document trail. Aquarius: A different room can change the question. Pisces: Watch the sky again after dinner.

MOON NOTE

The waxing gibbous moon is about 96% illuminated on Tuesday. It sets around 3:54 a.m., rises again around 6:54 p.m. and reaches its highest point near 11:52 p.m. The full moon arrives Thursday, August 27, at 11:18 p.m.

EDITORIAL DISCOVERY

New Jazz Order is the evening’s sharper discovery: a weekly big-band laboratory where the house group sets the charts, then musicians in the audience can join. It turns Kansas City jazz from heritage into a living practice, 6:30 to 9 p.m. in Westport.

TOP FIVE

1. KMKC reported 88°F and fair skies at 3:54 p.m.; the heat index was 95.

2. Two downtown ramps are scheduled to reopen around 5 p.m. after Tuesday brush-removal work.

3. Royals at Blue Jays, 6:07 p.m. Central: Seth Lugo versus Max Scherzer.

4. WICKED opens at 7:30 p.m.; New Jazz Order starts at 6:30 and Chaz carries jazz from 6 to 10.

5. The Plaza redevelopment financing advanced Monday, but two Port KC votes still remain.

SOURCE LIST

National Weather Service — https://forecast.weather.gov/MapClick.php?CityName=Kansas+City&state=MO

Missouri Department of Transportation — https://www.modot.org/node/95440

Improve I-70 KC — https://www.modot.org/projects/improvei70kc

Beacon: Kansas City — https://thebeaconnews.org/stories/2026/08/24/country-club-plaza-redevelopment-tax-breaks-approved-port-kc/

KSHB 41 — https://www.kshb.com/news/local-news/gardner-planning-commission-recommends-approval-for-development-that-would-include-15-000-seat-concert-venue

MLB Probable Pitchers — https://www.mlb.com/probable-pitchers/2026-08-25

Kansas City Current — https://www.kansascitycurrent.com/news/match-recap-kansas-city-current-draws-1-1-against-seattle-re

Kansas City Chiefs — https://www.chiefs.com/schedule/

TACO NACO KC Tuesday listing — https://www.visitkc.com/events/taco-tuesday-2/

Beer Kitchen Tendy Tuesday — https://www.visitkc.com/events/midwest-wednesdays/

Iron Horse Tuesday offer — https://www.visitkc.com/events/10-rueben-tuesday-half-price-bottled-carafe-wine-champagne/

WICKED at Music Hall — https://www.visitkc.com/events/wicked/

New Jazz Order — https://www.visitkc.com/events/new-jazz-order/

Live Jazz at Chaz and Beer Kitchen Music Bingo — https://www.visitkc.com/events/live-jazz-at-chaz/ and https://www.visitkc.com/events/beer-kitchen-music-bingo/

Timeanddate moon table — https://www.timeanddate.com/moon/usa/kansas-city?month=8