Thursday Afternoon, December 15
TODAY: It’s even colder today as arctic air settles in. High temperatures only reach the low 20s north of I-70 to the upper 20s at the Lake of the Ozarks with mostly cloudy skies. Winds will shift from the northwest, becoming southeasterly in the afternoon.
TONIGHT: It will be a cold evening commute with a wind chill close to 9-12. Clouds will be on the increase overnight with temperatures in the low 20s with southeasterly wind under 15 mph.
EXTENDED: Skies remain cloudy Friday with temperatures starting off near 20 and slowly rising. Patchy freezing drizzle is possible in areas north of I-70 in the morning which could cause slick spots. It’s more likely we’ll see drizzle develop Friday evening as temperatures climb above freezing. Timing looks to be from 10PM Friday through 3AM Saturday near HWY 24. We’ll need to monitor temperatures through Friday night as drizzle develops. Temperatures will briefly reach into the lower 40s early Saturday morning before 7AM, then quickly drop into the 20s by evening and single digits overnight as another arctic blast moves in. Northwest winds of 15 mph will gust to 25 mph at times, producing bitterly cold wind chills near 0 by 9PM-10PM. From 11AM-4PM though, we’ll need to keep an eye for possibly snow showers, where a dusting looks possible. By Sunday morning a northwest breeze and dry air takes hold as high pressure starts to return and sunshine, along with frigid temperatures with highs in the upper teens, making it likely the coldest day so far. We’ll likely have wind chill values below 0 for much of Sunday, possibly reaching -10 to -15. For additional weather updates follow @ABC17Stormtrack on Twitter.