Tracking a cooler Thursday before heat and storms return Friday

TONIGHT: Storms diminish after sunset. Partly cloudy with patchy morning fog. Lows in the upper 60s.

TOMORROW: Clouds decrease and it's cooler with highs in the mid-80s and slightly lower humidity.

EXTENDED: As the front shifts south tomorrow, we'll experience a nice wind shift to the north that keeps highs in the mid-80s and dew points in the mid-upper 60s. It will be a more comfortable day but clouds will be slow to exit until late afternoon. Winds shift back around to the south-southwest by Friday, increasing temperatures and dew points. Highs on Friday get into the low 90s with a heat index between 95-98 degrees. There could be a few showers across our far northern counties Friday morning, but the better chance for rain will come late in the evening as a front sets up along the Iowa/Missouri border. This is where the highest threat for severe weather will lie late Friday night, with a low risk for a few strong wind gusts in our northern tier of counties (north of I-70) after midnight. The Storm Prediction Center has areas north of Highway 24 in a marginal (level 1 out of 5) risk for late Friday night/early Saturday. This first round looks to lose strength as it works south into Saturday morning, but with the low-pressure system spinning over the Midwest over the weekend, we'll have on and off storms Saturday and Sunday before it exits to our northeast Monday into Tuesday. There could be a couple of strong storms on Saturday, but I am not seeing any definitive signals for anything widespread or highly concerning at this point. Rain amounts look to range between 1-2" early next week, with 3" amounts possible across northern Missouri. Temperatures over the weekend will cool into the lower to mid-80s through Monday.