Hot, windy Wednesday followed by storms and cooler air

TONIGHT: Temperatures will stay warm, only dropping to near 70 under mostly clear skies and southerly winds at 5-8 mph.

WEDNESDAY: It will be a hot, windy day with high temperatures reaching near 90 and southwesterly winds at 15-22 mph, gusting up to 35 mph in the afternoon. Outdoor burning should be avoided. The humidity will make it feel like the lower 90s in the afternoon as skies remain partly cloudy.

EXTENDED: A series of fronts will trail through the area into the weekend that will bring us rain chances and cooler temperatures. This is as the country will find itself split in half by seasons, with autumn dominating out west and stifling heat and humidity holding strong along the east coast. The first cold front moves through Thursday morning, sending a line of showers and t-storms through Mid-Missouri late Wednesday night through Thursday morning. This will also drop our temperatures to the lower 70s Thursday. Friday, the front lifts to the north as a warm front bringing temperatures back into the upper 80s, with drier conditions through the afternoon. Storms are possible north of HWY 24 Friday evening and overnight with dry weather farther south. The possibility for showers & storms continues through the weekend as the frontal system may stall out overhead. This early out it’s hard to pin down exact rainfall totals, but by this time next week we can expect heavy rainfall accumulation across the middle of the country. Areas north of I-70 may see 2-3″ by Monday, with areas south coming in closer to 1-2″. Make sure you keep up to date with the latest forecast on-air and online with ABC 17 News.