Tracking a warm Thursday ahead of strong storms late in the evening

TONIGHT: Partly cloudy and mild with lows in the upper 50s.

TOMORROW: Partly sunny and warm with highs near 80 degrees. Breezy ahead of storms moving in late in the evening.

EXTENDED: Clouds look to clear a bit heading into Thursday, allowing sunshine to warm us into the upper 70s to low 80s. Dew points also increase, making the air feel a bit more muggy ahead of a cold front that will approach overnight and bring the threat of a few severe storms and widespread rain. A Weather Alert Day is in effect late Thursday night through early Friday morning for the potential of damaging winds and a few tornadoes, especially along and west of Highway 63. Storms are expected to move in after midnight and spread east, weakening with time. The Storm Prediction Center currently has the western half of Mid-Missouri in a level 2/5 severe risk for Thursday night. About 1-1.5" of rain is possible between Thursday night and early Friday. The timing of the cold front will determine Friday's forecast, as if it slows down there, may be a few strong storms ahead of it. The most likely area for this to happen would be across southern Missouri, leaving areas north of I-70 dry and mild for the rest of Friday. Saturday is looking like the pick day of the weekend to be outside as highs reach the lower 70s with more sunshine. We'll have another shot at storms later on Sunday as severe weather is possible across the eastern Plains during the day. Either way, showers and storms are likely between Sunday night and Monday as another cold front works across the region between Monday morning and afternoon. Another 1-1.5" of rain will be possible with that system.