Rain becoming more likely by weekend, heavy rain possible

TONIGHT: Lingering showers and storms are expected through the night, as a cold front slowly tracks into Missouri with the best chance in our northwestern counties. Under partly cloudy skies, we’ll see temperatures bottom out near 70.

WEDNESDAY: Changes in our weather pattern start Wednesday as a frontal boundary from northern Missouri slowly moves south. This will increase our t-storm chances with scattered storms possible in the afternoon and high temperatures in the mid to upper 80s. Winds will shift from the southwest to north under 10 mph.

EXTENDED: As this front moves south and stalls out, rain chances continue Thursday into Friday with highs cooling into the upper 70s. We are also watching Tropical Storm Gordon as it tracks to the northwest. It looks to make landfall just east of New Orleans as a category 1 hurricane then track to the northwest and weaken. Current consensus brings the influx of moisture into Arkansas then up to southwestern Missouri Friday night. This moisture will likely interact with the aforementioned front, bringing widespread rain beginning as early as Friday and lasting through the weekend. While the track does bring the remnants of Gordon into Mid-Missouri, how much rain we’ll see depends on the amount of moisture left in the system. Right now it’s looking possible that as we head through the weekend many spots could see up to, if not higher, four inches of rain with the potential of flooding as we head into Saturday. The greatest rainfall amounts look to be northwest of the I-44 corridor. With the rain in place, we’ll also see cooler conditions. Highs by the weekend will likely struggle to climb out of the 70s. Make sure to stay tuned to ABC 17 News for the latest on the changing weather pattern.