A storm passing by to the west this evening will set us up for a beautiful week ahead.

The storm brought some cloud cover to the Ozarks Monday, but most of the rain risk will remain west of the area. Shower and thunderstorm chances this evening will tend to remain west of a Joplin to Versailles line.

The storm will continue to spin south into Texas by morning and will carve out a storm along the Gulf Coast. This will lead to a positive impact on our weather as it locks the area into a warm and dry mode into Friday.

Temperatures will slowly climb with lows warming into the 50s by the end of the week. Highs will warm through the 70s and will be up near 80° by Friday.

The pattern will take a wetter turn Friday night into Saturday as a cold front approaches the region. Scattered showers and thunderstorms are possible by late evening Friday, continuing on and off into Saturday.

This storm system may come with enough instability and gulf moisture to pose a risk for stronger thunderstorms in the region. It’ll be worth watching as we go through the week. At this time, severe weather chances look minimal, but there may be a risk for some heavier rain, especially late Friday night into Saturday morning.

Cooler temperatures will move in as well with highs in the 60s Saturday. Cooler-than-normal weather will continue into next week, but it will come with bright sunshine and quiet weather.