Tracking near record highs the next few days before rain returns

TONIGHT: Partly cloudy to mostly clear and comfortable with lows in the upper 50s.

TOMORROW: Mostly sunny and much warmer with highs in the mid-upper 80s. The record high tomorrow is 84 in Columbia, so we'll be close to breaking it by afternoon .

EXTENDED: A cold front originating from the Great Lakes is expected to reach the area late Tuesday, bringing the first of several rounds of rain forecast to last through the weekend. We'll start off the week very warm with high pressure to our south, pushing temperatures well above average in the 80s. We could see near record highs on both Monday and Tuesday before the cold front arrives. The front is expected to bring a chance for rain and a few storms starting Tuesday night, then stall out across the region through mid-late week, bringing rounds of rain and storms that could add up to 2-3" through Friday. We could see a final push of rain and storms between Friday night and Saturday, leaving us with cooler temperatures for the holiday weekend following a brief warm up on Friday into the 70s. The risk for severe weather is looking low for most of the week as wind shear remains somewhat weak, but a strong storm or two will be possible by Friday night as the cold front presses east. Exact timing of each round of rain is somewhat unclear, but the bulk of the week's rainfall will likely fall between Wednesday and Thursday.