Tonight’s storms bring the return of an active weather pattern

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.

TONIGHT: The first cold front moves through tonight, sending a line of showers and t-storms through Mid-Missouri after midnight. As the storms enter from the northwest some could be on the strong to severe side, bringing the potential for damaging wind and large hail. As they move to the southeast into central mid-Mo by the morning commute, they become more scattered. However, heavy rain and lightning will be possible waking up Thursday morning. Winds will shift out of the north overnight with temperatures dropping into the low 60.

EXTENDED: .Storm activity continues into Thursday, but becoming widely scattered to isolated in nature by the second half of the day. With the cold front to the south, northerly winds will help drop our temperatures to the 60s on 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″. Monday has trended drier, but storm activity will pick up again itno the middle of next week. Make sure you keep up to date with the latest forecast on-air and online with ABC 17 News.