Tracking weekend rain chances and more warmth

TODAY: Thursday is another dry and cool day. Partly cloudy skies are expected as clouds increase this morning. Spot showers are possible in the west today, but are generally unlikely. We likely remain dry, with highs near 80.

TONIGHT: We remain dry and cool through the evening. Shower chances climb overnight, especially after midnight.

EXTENDED: Scattered showers return after 3 a.m. Through Friday, scattered showers and thunderstorms will spread across the region, leaving a healthy chance for rainfall areawide. With rich moisture present, locally heavy rain will be possible. High temperatures will likely remain in the 70s, thanks in large part to the rain and cloud cover. Some rain may linger into Saturday morning. The odds of this are greatest south of I-70. Rain may even linger through the morning in areas near I-44. We continue to see low confidence in exit timing. Still, Saturday will trend drier with time, and warm back into the 80s quite easily with south flow returning. From there, we get hot, with ABC17 Stormtrack Weather Alert Days on Sunday and Monday for potential heat indexes near or above 105 degrees.