Tracking high winds today and strong storms this evening

TODAY: Friday is a Weather Alert Day due to the combined impacts of gusty winds throughout the day and a round of storms with severe potential tonight. With sustained winds between 15-20 mph this afternoon, gusts may reach higher than 30-35 mph at times. This south wind will help to warm us near 80 again today. Strong winds and modest instability ahead of a cold front will help to create the potential for hail, damaging winds, and even a tornado with select storms within the line. The likelihood of these threats occurring in a widespread fashion is low, as this will likely be an isolated threat. These threats will be largely confined to areas west of Highway 63. Storms arrive generally after 7 pm in the west and push through the east by early Saturday morning, bringing heavy rain overnight. With areas that see repeated heavy rain, flooding may be an issue, but the overall threat is low. Read our Weather Alert Day Blog.

TONIGHT: The aforementioned front will drop our temperatures into the 40s by early Saturday morning. Rain will persist until around 3-5 am in the east, with chances for showers lingering through daybreak.

EXTENDED: We're dry by sunrise on Saturday and clearing by the early afternoon. Expect highs in the upper 50s with a cooler north air filtering in. Temperatures rebound with southerly flow early next week; sunny and 70 on Sunday, with temperatures near 70 through Tuesday. Election Tuesday still looks mostly dry, but a kink in the upper level flow may spur a quick passing shower chance. Monitor this if you have plans to wait in line to vote. We'll stay mostly dry through Thursday, but another system looks like it will try to set up Thursday night into the weekend, which will likely be our next decent chance at widespread rainfall.