A chilly morning gave way to a bright and mild afternoon. Temperatures started out in the mid 40s. In Springfield, it was 44°, the coolest morning since May 12th. Sunshine pushed temperatures to 70° this afternoon. Warm air was building to the west and will pour into the area Wednesday ahead of an approaching cold front.

For tonight, we’ll find starry skies and a southwest breeze. The increased winds will keep temperatures from bottoming out with overnight lows generally in the low to mid 50s.

The warm-up on Wednesday will be noticeable with afternoon highs around 80°, a full 10° warmer than Tuesday. Winds will be breezy out of the southwest with a shift to the northwest as a cold front moves through early in the afternoon.

Cool air will settle in for the remainder of the week. It will be a quiet first couple of days to October with mostly sunny skies, chilly nights and cool afternoons expected. The coldest morning of the fall season so far is expected Friday morning with readings dipping into the upper 30s and low 40s.

By this weekend, the next storm will be taking shape over the middle of the country. Upper-level energy digging into the trough will try to carve out a storm just northeast of the area. This will lead to cloudier skies and a chance for showers Saturday and Saturday night. If the storm is strong enough, clouds and a risk for showers will linger into Sunday. Temperatures will be cool through the weekend with highs in the mid to upper 60s Saturday and low to mid 60s on Sunday. Sunday’s temperatures potentially could be even cooler than forecast, but it depends on how strong the storm gets as it wraps up.

Cool weather will spill into next week ahead of a warming trend that will begin Tuesday. The pattern looks like it will remain dry next week, turning warm again with highs back in the 80s later in the week.