Tracking widespread rain and storms Friday

TONIGHT: Mostly cloudy with increasing storm chances after midnight. Lows in the upper 50s.

TOMORROW: Mostly cloudy with rain and storms through early evening. Up to 1" of rain possible. Highs in the mid-60s.

EXTENDED: Tonight, clouds begin to increase in advance of a slowly southward moving front that will trigger widespread rain and storms from north to south after midnight through early tomorrow evening. Severe weather isn't looking likely for our area, but there could be some pea size hail and winds to 30-40 mph initially. We'll be cooler because of this tomorrow with highs in the mid-60s. Rain looks much thinner and more spotty by around dinner time with the front to our south, but it starts creeping back north on Saturday, triggering a few scattered showers and storms by afternoon. We'll remain mild and muggy with highs in the mid-70s. As a deeper low pressure system moves in off the Plains, we'll see repeated rounds for rain and storms starting Sunday, with severe weather possible early in the week. Sunday will feature light to moderate showers, with the better chance for thunder to our west. The Storm Prediction Center has much of the region in a level 2/5 risk between Monday and Wednesday, but the time frame that looks most favorable will be Monday night through Tuesday night for Mid-Missouri ahead of a strong cold front as we'll have the forcing and ingredients needed to sustain heftier storms. Rain amounts between Friday and the middle of next week will add up to 1-3", with about 0.5 to 1" possible by Friday evening. A Weather Alert Day will be in effect from Monday night through late Tuesday night, with the potential to be stretched back into Monday afternoon or extended into Wednesday. Once the speed of the system becomes more clear with new data over the weekend, we'll have a better idea on exact timing of storms. At this point, all hazards are possible.