Tracking warmth ahead of a wet weekend

TODAY: High pressure scooting in this morning, is helping to reinforce clear and calm conditions that will allow for a quick cooling of surface temperatures leading into sunrise. Starting in the 20s, it will take all the sunshine we can get and a south wind to get us to the upper 40s, just near 50 this afternoon. A mild day, with abundant sunshine is expected.

TONIGHT: We'll stay clear overnight, but winds from the south continue to keep overnight lows from dropping any cooler than the low 30s.

EXTENDED: Thursday is a mostly sunny day, with a south breeze, which is a combination that should yield 60s for highs. We'll be nearly as warm on Friday, as we encounter clouds throughout the day, ahead of afternoon rain chances. Rain will begin light, but come in waves through Saturday afternoon. Our best rain will come as we near the low pressure that is responsible, overnight. Rain will gradually end on Saturday, with temperatures reaching low 50s, before falling into the 30s that evening. As temperatures cool, there is currently a chance that snow could mix in. However, there is not a high likelihood that this happens at all, as it appears cold air and moisture may struggle to be at the same place at the same time here in mid-Missouri. Add to that, that guidance is still uncertain on a track and placement, with recent runs taking the system even further north, and lowering snow chances even more, and we have a system that is looking like mostly rain. We won't rule out the possibility just yet, but the bottom line is that we are not at this juncture expecting much in the way of wintry precipitation, and there's plenty of time for the forecast to change. After some pick up anywhere between a half to an inch of rain, this system will leave us cooler and drier on Sunday, with highs likely in the 40s Sunday, Monday and Tuesday.