Tracking daily rain chances with plenty of dry time

TODAY: Wednesday is mostly dry, and mild to warm as highs are forecast in the low 80s. Today's average high in Columbia is 79°. Winds turn from east to south this afternoon. Spotty showers and weak storms are possible between 3 and 7 p.m. Otherwise, dry conditions are forecast under partly cloudy skies.

TONIGHT: Overnight, dry conditions prevail through partly cloudy skies. Temperatures fall into the 60s overnight.

EXTENDED: It's another warm start on Thursday, which allows us once more to reach the low 80s, despite more clouds. Scattered showers will try to work in from the south on Thursday. This may begin as soon as mid-morning in the south, but rain will struggle to reach Columbia until the afternoon, if it does at all. Rain will persist overnight Thursday and into Friday, when coverage increases locally. Generally, better rain chances are forecast in the southwest, and lower chances in the northeast; however, all will have a chance at rain on Friday. This may keep highs in the 70s for more folks on Friday, but we're back to the low 80s Saturday and Sunday, when the forecast appears drier. Still, low rain chances remain for both Saturday and Sunday, as a stationary front that drives these rain chances lingers just on our western border.