Tracking dangerous heat Thursday and Friday, storms this weekend

TODAY: Some clouds and showers in the morning, with a sunnier afternoon. Highs reach the upper 90s and moisture builds up to push heat indexes into the triple digits.

TOMORROW: Even warmer for Friday as we stay clear most of the day. Highs will approach 100 degrees with heat indexes around 102-104 degrees. We have a shot at breaking the record high tomorrow in Columbia at 100 degrees, set back in 1953.

EXTENDED: A slow-moving cold front moves into our north Friday night, and could eventually trigger scattered thunderstorms if temperatures get low enough to break through an atmospheric cap. Given how hot we will be during the day, I don't think we'll see much if any development until after sunset. The best chance of storms will be north of I-70 late Friday into Saturday morning before the front lifts back north during the day on Saturday. Given the lack of rain on Saturday, temperatures will warm into the low 90s. The front stays north of us to start Sunday, allowing temperatures to rise into the low 90s. By Sunday night, the front slides back in, bringing a better chance of showers and storms as it moves through Mid-Missouri into Monday. Behind the front, we cool down to near 80 on Monday and Tuesday before temperatures jump back to near normal by Wednesday. We could definitely use the rain as we're about 2" below average for June.