Tracking rain, storms, and a temperature tumble

TODAY: Monday is a wet one, with scattered showers through the morning. Some will catch a brief break from rainfall through the noon to early afternoon hours, but a line of showers and storms will push in from west to east after 5 p.m. This line may pack an isolated wind and tornado threat. They system itself is quite dynamic and strong, but the energy for it to use is almost non-existent. A small change in energy would give this system the ability to produce storms capable of damaging winds and tornadoes, so while the threat is low, pay attention to the weather from 5-7 p.m., especially if you live west of Columbia and Jefferson city. Otherwise, it's a wet and breezy day, with winds gusting to 30-40 mph at times and over an inch of rain possible by nighttime. Temperatures will be exceptionally warm, in the upper 60s.

TONIGHT: Rain will come to an end by midnight, along a cold front that will mark the beginning of a temperature tumble into the weekend. Temperatures fall only into the 50s through Tuesday morning.

EXTENDED: It will be a cooler, but still mild day on a sunny Tuesday, with highs near 60 amid a breeze from the west. Winds may gust up to 20-30 mph at times on Tuesday. Highs continue to fall through the week. We'll only reach near 50 on Wednesday, and be confined to highs in the 40s Thursday through Saturday. Sunshine will make this more bearable, but Friday and Saturday morning will be the coldest, with lows below freezing.