Tracking a hot start to the weekend

TODAY: Thursday is another hot one, as the National Weather Service has expanded and extended the Heat Advisory in both space and time. The advisory now includes Boone, Callaway, and Montgomery counties through Friday, while areas to the south are covered through Saturday. We expect daily heat indexes in these areas to range from 100 to 105 degrees each day. A spot storm is possible in the south on Thursday afternoon, but most will stay dry and hot today under mostly sunny skies. Temperatures are forecast in the low 90s this afternoon.

TONIGHT: Temperatures remain warm overnight, falling into the 80s by sunset and 70s by midnight.

EXTENDED: Friday is very similar, with only a slight chance for storms in the northeast through the afternoon. Most are hot and dry again on Saturday, with only a slight break from the heat in the north thanks to Friday's slight chance of rain in the north. What we're tracking that is driving this is a stationary front that will wobble north and south each day through Saturday, but by Sunday, it's likely that it breaks free to the south, bringing a chance for scattered showers and storms Sunday and Monday. Highs are forecast in the 90s through Saturday, but in the 80s on Sunday. Monday and Tuesday are the first days when we have a chance for highs to stick in the 70s. This gives us a shot at a fall-like start to the season with the Autumnal Equinox coming on Tuesday at 8 p.m.