Tracking storms on Friday morning, stifling heat this weekend

TONIGHT: Increasing clouds and getting more muggy. Lows fall into the mid-60s.

TOMORROW: Mostly cloudy to start with storms likely early. Some storms may produce heavy rain. Skies clear into the afternoon, with highs in the mid-80s. Heat indices get into the upper 80s to around 90.

EXTENDED: The cooler air that had us feeling fall-like this week will continue to move off to the east over the weekend. High pressure in the upper levels of the atmosphere takes hold, bringing temperatures up as winds move in from the south. Dew points also are on the rise as moisture streams into the region. Showers and thunderstorms will be possible Friday morning as a disturbance approaches from the west, but we clear out by the afternoon. Another round of showers and storms is expected to develop late Friday night into Saturday across much of the area as warm front sets up to our west. Storms are not expected to be severe, but could bring some lightning and brief heavy rain through mid-late morning Saturday. Once we clear out, highs reach around 90 with a heat index near 100. Sunday is looking largely dry with temperatures in the low 90s and a heat index between 98-102 degrees. Next week starts off hot, but with plenty of energy to work with and a few disturbances rolling through the jet stream, we'll have a chance for afternoon storms Monday and Tuesday. More organized rain and storms will be possible along with slightly cooler temperatures by the middle of next week as another trough slides in from the west.