Easter Sunday was cool and wet with showers at times dampening any outdoor plans. The cooler temperatures helped reduce the risk for stronger storms with most of the thunderstorm activity confined to areas south of Hwy. 60. A few of those storms may have produced some small hail and gusty winds, but remained below severe levels.
The big story ahead is the cold and strong winds behind the front are blowing in a winter air mass. Winds will remain gusty overnight with gusts over 40 mph expected. Temperatures will tumble through the 40s and 30s with many areas looking at readings a few degrees below freezing to start the day Monday. A Freeze Warning is in effect for areas north of a Harrison, AR, to Eminence, MO, line.
FREEZE WARNING MONDAY MORNING WIND ADVISORY THROUGH SUNDAY NIGHT
Winds will remain brisk early on in the day with wind chills in the low 20s. The day will start bright though. High cloudiness will be on the increase by late morning with mostly cloudy skies developing during the afternoon. This will make for a winter feel and look with highs only in the mid to upper 40s.
The high cloudiness will thicken up some Monday night, preventing another freeze. A few sprinkles or flurries are possible to the south Tuesday morning with skies remaining mostly cloudy into the afternoon. Temperatures will remain chilly with highs in the upper 40s.
Clearing skies will open the door to another light freeze Wednesday morning. The day as a whole looks bright though with temperatures warming into the mid to upper 50s.
Even milder weather is on tap for Thursday with clouds gradually slipping in during the day. Temperatures should manage to stay a little above freezing Thursday morning with afternoon highs around 60°.
The chilly pattern won’t be done with us yet though. A wave of showers is expected on Friday. This will keep temperatures chilly with temperatures slowly warming through the 40s. We’ll also be on the backside of a cold front with skies clearing out Friday night. This may lead to a risk for near freezing temperatures Saturday morning.
Temperatures will trend higher this weekend as the overall jet stream pattern tries to flatten out a bit. This will cut off the supply of winter like air with temperatures returning to near normal over the weekend. Saturday should be dry, but showers look possible on Sunday.