A very strong storm system is expected to affect the Midwest in the coming days. It will also have an impact here in Kansas City.

On Wednesday, Temperatures will be cold with a strong northerly wind. High temperatures will only top out around 40. A chilly rain is expected - and that rain could change over to snow late on Wednesday. Here's the thing...the ground is still very warm and should help to keep any accumulation at a minimum. Also, there is some debate as to how much moisture is left once the front moves through Kansas City. We might only see a few flurries...just something you might want to keep in mind if you're flying or driving.

Speaking of flying or driving, this storm could threaten travel in Chicago, St. Louis, Denver and even Wichita. Chicago, Denver and St. Louis could see some snow...while Wichita picks up rain.

Storm should exit the country by this weekend, but the cold air won't disappear that fast. So, please give yourself extra time...and be careful this Thanksgiving weekend!

FirstNews had a great morning today with the Kansas City Space Pirates. They are a group devoted to developing robots. In their second year, this group has been very successful.

In September, they competed for NASA in a worldwide competition. Only 22 groups participated, including some prestigious universities like M-I-T! The Space Pirates came in second place, missing a $500,000 prize by only 25 seconds! Very impressive!

It was no easy task for them...they had to create a "climber," and drag race up 100 meters in 50 seconds. Here's the thing...they couldn't use any batteries or fuel. Out of all 22 entries, nobody was able to hit that mark in the specified time. So, the prize of $500,000 increases to $2 million next year.

Folks of all ages are members of the KC Space Pirates. You can read more about them and see pictures of their robots at www.kcspacepirates.com. And if you would like to attend the next meeting of the KC Robotics Society, it will be held at Science City on December 1.

Lightning is a mesmirizing, yet scary act of nature. We're all too familiar with it here on the Great Plains.

With that said, want to see something cool?

Well, here's the background...Kevin Eldridge of Newcastle, Oklahoma, loves lightning. He creates his own, every night. And it's all from his own backyard! He has his own 16-foot Tesla coil. It's a type of transformer, named for its inventor, Nikola Tesla.

During setup, Kevin follows a strict checklist. On that checklist, dogs should be kept inside. And nobody with pacemakers should be near the device.

At first, neighbors were concerned and the fire department was called to investigate. Since then, his neighbors have accepted seeing lightning on a clear night.

Thanks to YouTube, anybody can watch this Tesla coil light up the sky. If you would like to check it out, go to http://youtube.com/user/megaelectronvolt. I have a feeling this wouldn't fly in my neighborhood!