Tracking a round of soaking rain this week

TODAY: More sunshine warms us today, back to near 60, after a only reaching 40s yesterday.

TONIGHT: Skies will begin to cloud up overnight into Thursday morning. Sprinkles may return between midnight and sunrise Thursday. Temperatures remain in the 40s.

EXTENDED: The best chances for rain don't arrive until after 9 a.m. on Thursday, when bands of showers and a few rumbles of thunder will arrive ahead of a low pressure system moving in from the southwest. Severe weather is not expected Thursday. Widespread rain soaks the region from midday Thursday into the overnight hours. This alone may bring some a quarter inch to an inch of rain. However, more rain returns on Friday. The leading bands of rain on Thursday will come along a warm front. As that leaves, Friday morning will be warm with a potential break in rainfall. This all largely depends on the path of the low. Lately, it is trending further north, meaning we could see that break early Friday morning, and a warmer environment. This would bring a better chance for thunderstorms when the cold front moves through around midday Friday. Either way, another round of rain and thunder is expected Friday from midday through the evening. Severe weather is looking unlikely in mid-Missouri, but could develop on an isolated basis south of I-44. After it's all said and done, we'll see a widespread soaking rain that dumps 1-2+ inches of rain across the region. Some showers may linger into the early hours Saturday, but the day as a whole is expected to be dry. Cooler air returns for the weekend, with highs near 50, but warmth returns next week.