Tracking heavy rain through Monday afternoon, heat builds

TONIGHT: Scattered storms with heavy rain and isolated gusty winds. An additional 1-3" of rain is possible overnight into Monday morning. Lows fall to near 70 degrees.

TOMORROW: Rain and storms early, followed by isolated afternoon storms. Highs in the lower 80s.

EXTENDED: I'm tracking another round of scattered storms that will bring the concern of flooding through midday Monday as rainfall rates could yet again be high, and storms could park over areas that picked up 1-3" this morning. A Flood Watch is in effect almost area wide between now and lunch time Monday, with another 1-3" possible tonight through late Monday morning. There's also a low risk for a few strong storms, particularly before 10:00 p.m. For areas south of the Missouri River. A few of those storms could produce brief damaging wind gusts and weak tornadoes, but the highest risk for that will remain over southwest Missouri. Expect a wet Monday morning commute, with storms becoming much more isolated by afternoon. Another cluster of storms could develop to our west late Monday night into Tuesday, bringing another round of heavy rain for early Tuesday morning before heat begins to set in. The upper pattern will bring the threat of dangerous heat between Tuesday and Friday, with a chance for a cool down with rain and storms between Thursday and Friday. The hottest days will be Wednesday and Thursday as heat indices could exceed 100 degrees. The Storm Prediction Center is highlighting the potential for severe storms across northern and northeast Missouri at the top of the ridge of high pressure during this time frame, so we'll keep a close eye on that as well.