Mild through Thursday, rain chance Friday
TONIGHT: Skies will remain partly to mostly cloudy tonight as lows drop back into the low to mid 30s. Northeast winds at 8-13 mph will produce wind chills in the mid to upper 20s by morning.
WEDNESDAY: We’ll see some sunshine with partly cloudy skies and a mild afternoon as high temperatures reach the low 50s. Easterly winds will remain under 10 mph.
EXTENDED: Clouds return Thursday with high temperatures reaching the upper 50s. There could be a few rain showers in our northwest counties but most areas will remain dry. Overnight lows will only drop to near 40. A strong cold front will move in by daybreak Friday, dropping temperatures into the mid 40s for highs under mostly cloudy skies. A storm system will move across southern Missouri, lifting to the northeast Friday afternoon. This will spread moisture to the north with rain developing in the Ozarks and spreading north into the evening. The best chance of measurable rain Friday is south of I-70 but areas north also have a chance of rain by late afternoon. As colder air moves in behind the storm system, rain could briefly turn to snow in the evening before ending. The coldest air yet this season arrives for Christmas weekend with high temperatures only reaching the low to mid 30s Saturday and near 30 Sunday with nights dropping into the teens and low 20s. While confidence is high regarding the cold blast by the weekend, there is still uncertainty on whether we will see snow on Christmas Eve. There are signs that we’ll tap into some moisture, but anything we do get would be light and brief with the fast moving system. Christmas day looks even colder than the weekend with highs in the 20s. Watch ABC17 news for the latest forecast and follow ABC17 Stormtrack on Twitter for updates.
