Tracking cooler air Friday, mostly dry New Year’s weekend

TONIGHT: Mostly cloudy and chilly with lows in the mid-30s.

TOMORROW: Clouds gradually decrease with highs in the mid-upper 40s.

EXTENDED: We managed to break a record in Columbia with a high of 71 as of 3:00, breaking the previous record of 67 set back in 1984. I'm tracking a cold front that moves through tonight, dropping our temperatures above 20 degrees into Friday. We'll start out in the low to mid-30s Friday morning, with partial cloud cover and highs reaching the mid-upper 40s. Rain chances will be confined to the front, so most of Mid-Missouri stays dry into Friday. Saturday will be a bit warmer, but another front moving in could bring a couple sprinkles to eastern sections of the region by afternoon or evening. I don't anticipate enough rain to need an umbrella for evening plans. Sunday is warmer with a bit more sunshine as our upper pattern brings in warmer air from the southwest. Highs will top out in the upper 50s. We'll see our best chance of rain on Monday with showers likely for much of the day, and perhaps even a few thunderstorms by afternoon as temperatures reach near 60 again. Severe weather is not likely for our area, but a couple strong storms will be possible across far southern Missouri into the Ohio Valley. We'll pick up about an inch of rain or so with that. Next week will be cooler after rain exits, with temperatures falling into the 40s by Wednesday.