Tracking a toasty Wednesday before storms arrive by evening

TONIGHT: Partly cloudy to mostly clear and mild. Lows in the upper 50s to low 60s.

WEDNESDAY: Mostly sunny, breezy, and warm with highs getting near 80. Showers and storms possible by early evening; some could be strong with potentially large hail and damaging winds. A Weather Alert Day is in effect through 9PM.

EXTENDED: Behind Wednesday's cold front, it's quite chilly with temperatures dropping rapidly into the low 40s for Thursday morning. Expect more sunshine, but it will be cooler with highs only making it to the mid-50s. Friday will be very similar with below average temperatures and possibly some patchy frost in the morning with lows getting near freezing. Over the weekend, another front approaches Mid-Missouri, bringing the threat of scattered showers on Saturday. Rain chances continue on Easter Sunday as this front tracks across the state, leaving us 10-15 degrees cooler than normal to start next week.