Temperatures this morning were once again near freezing in many spots but soared into the 60s this afternoon. The warming trend is definitely underway and will continue into next week.

Overnight temperatures will remain above freezing in most areas and Friday is looking like our nicest day of the week. We’ll be enjoying sunshine and afternoon highs in the mid to upper 60s. Playoff football continues at area high schools, and if you’re taking in a game or taking in a movie the weather looks nice. Skies will be clear and temperatures will be cool, falling from the 50s into the upper 40s.

Saturday looks mild warming to near 70 degrees with increased clouds for the afternoon/evening. There is a slight chance for rain showers Saturday night along a weak cold front, especially in central Missouri. The front is expected to turn back to the north by Sunday.

Next week continues to be tricky to pin down on the exact timing, location, and strength of our next chances for rain. The jet stream pattern looks fairly flat with a series of weak storms zipping across the nation. A frontal zone will tend to stall in the region without much of a push to move through until the middle of next week.

Skies will likely be cloudier with some chances for showers at times. Right now the rain risk looks focused on Monday and Wednesday. A colder pattern is still expected to return by the end of next week.