Tracking rounds of storms with increasing temperatures this weekend

Today: Mostly sunny to partly cloudy with isolated storms north of I-70 in the afternoon. Highs approaching 90 degrees.

Tomorrow: Another round of storms clips our northeastern counties early in the day near sunrise. Expect another hot day in the low 90s.

EXTENDED: A cold front sets up somewhere in northern Missouri by late Sunday, triggering a round of possibly strong storms. These will mostly impact areas north of I-70 with high winds and heavy downpours possible. Rain amounts through the weekend will be around 0.25" to 0.5" for areas north of Highway 24, with trace amounts closer to I-70. Farther south, we stay dry and hot into Monday with morning temperatures in the lower 70s, which is more than 10 degrees above average. Afternoon highs reach the lower 90s, nearing a record high in Columbia. The current record is 94 so we'll get close to tying it or exceeding it. The rest of the week is hot and humid with highs in the low to mid-90s until Thursday as a pattern shift starts to take shape. Low pressure will force a cold front through the area late week, dropping highs back to the lower 80s.