Tracking near-record warmth ahead of tonight’s cold front

TODAY: We'll start mostly sunny Wednesday, and with a southwest breeze sustained at 10-15 gusting at 20-30 mph, we expect temperatures to reach near 80 by early this afternoon. This will put us on record watch, as the record high at Columbia Regional Airport is 81 dating back to 2005. This warmth comes ahead of an afternoon cold front that will begin to cool us by the dinner hour. Some clouds and a sprinkle or two will arrive around the dinner hour, but otherwise it's impacts are mostly confined to temperatures.

TONIGHT: Expect a breezy night with 10-15 mph northwest winds dropping us into the 40s by Thursday morning.

EXTENDED: We may see rain on radar Thursday, but it will be too dry for it to reach the ground, so expect cloudy but dry skies. We'll be cool the rest of the week, with dry weather. Sun, some fair weather clouds, and daily highs in the 50s are expected from Thursday through Saturday. We may just get back to 60 by Sunday, and slowly climb further into the 60s through next week. Our coldest morning will be Saturday morning, where freezing temperatures are possible.