Tracking a mild night, dangerous heat returning tomorrow

TONIGHT: Partly cloudy to mostly clear overnight with lows in the upper 70s.

TOMORROW: Mostly sunny and hot with highs in the upper 90s. Heat index values rise to 105-110.

EXTENDED:  A Severe Thunderstorm Watch was just issued until 10:00 for much of eastern Mid-Missouri including Columbia and Jefferson City. So far, storms have largely stayed tame, but I am tracking another cluster that has developed just south and east of Des Moines. If that tracks farther east, most of the severe threat will be near St. Louis and east, but if it dives more southerly, we could see the threat for strong winds and hail in our area in the next few hours. Tomorrow looks dry for much of the day with highs reaching the upper 90s and a heat index between 105-110. Tomorrow night, another round of showers and storms will be possible, favoring our eastern counties yet again. As rain exits Thursday, we could rebound back into the mid-90s with a heat index up to 105. We'll feel the effects of the cold front passing to our south by Friday, but not much of a cool down is expected. Slightly lower dew points will yield a heat index around 95 for Friday and Saturday. The weekend is looking hot, sunny, and dry with highs in the low 90s. The hot streak continues into next week with the heat index creeping up by mid-week.