Tracking a warmer Wednesday, snow on the way Thursday

TONIGHT: Decreasing clouds, chilly with lows in the low 30s.

TOMORROW: Mostly sunny and warmer with highs in the upper 40s to near 50.

EXTENDED: We're tracking a warmer day tomorrow as highs reach the upper 40s to around 50 before the fun begins on Thursday. A strong disturbance will eject out of the Plains toward us on Wednesday, bringing precipitation to northwest Missouri by late Wednesday night into early Thursday. A stalled out boundary will serve as a divider for temperatures on Thursday, with areas north near or below freezing, and locations south above freezing early on in the day. This means precipitation could briefly start out as rain as it moves south into this warmer zone, but temperatures drastically drop as the front slides south Thursday afternoon into Thursday evening. Wind gusts are expected to be in the 15-20 mph range, making visibility an issue through Thursday night. Snow will begin from north to south, moving into Columbia and Jefferson City by lunch time if not a bit earlier on Thursday. Snow showers could intensify at times late in the day as low level winds increase across the area. Total snow amounts will be highest across northern MO, with Macon and Moberly in the 3-5" range, and 1-3" elsewhere. With road temperatures as warm as they are, we may not see impacts until later in the day on Thursday as air temperatures drop. We'll be in the 20s Friday morning with highs hovering near freezing, so untreated spots may still be slick/slushy at least until about noon on Friday. The weekend starts off cold with temperatures in the low teens Saturday morning and highs in the low 30s. Sunday we flip the switch back to spring with highs getting close to 60. Next week looks to start off warm with highs in the low 60s and potential rain by late Monday/early Tuesday.