Warm and mild for Christmas in Mid-Missouri

A mild pattern will continue across Mid-Missouri for the upcoming Christmas holiday.

Wednesday morning through mid-afternoon will bring rain to the area as a cold front approaches from the west.

Rain approaches our western counties early Wednesday morning, west of Highway 65 by 4-6 a.m., and spreads into Mid-Missouri by 8-10 a.m.

Most rain exits on Wednesday afternoon with a few rumbles of thunder possible due to a limited amount of instability over the area.

Temperatures will cool from 60 degrees on Wednesday to 50 degrees for the afternoon high on Christmas Eve behind the front.

Expect total rainfall amounts between .25″ and .5″, with the highest amounts east of Highway 63.

Christmas Eve and Christmas Day will be mild and dry, with our next round of rain moving in early Saturday.

Temperatures for both days will be in the low 50s. The average high on Christmas is 39 degrees and the average low is 21 degrees in Columbia, so we’ll be well above average through the holiday.

However, even with the warmer temperatures, we won’t reach the record high of 69 (1971) or the record high low temperature of 53 (1936).