Tracking warmer days ahead with dry conditions

After a chilly start to the week, warmer weather is making a return to northwest Missouri and northeast Kansas.

Temperatures will climb into the 80s Tuesday as high pressure and a strengthening ridge of high pressure bring warmer air back into the region. Even warmer conditions are expected Wednesday, with afternoon highs reaching the mid to potentially upper 80s, especially across southern portions of the area.

A weak front will move into the region Wednesday and settle just south of the area Wednesday night. While there is a small chance for a few showers to develop Thursday as the boundary lifts north, rain chances remain very low. The best opportunity for precipitation is expected farther northwest into Nebraska, with northern Missouri only carrying a 5% to 10% chance for rain.

For the end of the week and into the weekend, warmer temperatures will stick around. Highs are expected to remain in the 80s, which is well above the normal high of around 70 degrees for early October. By late in the weekend, temperatures could run 10 to 15 degrees or more above average.

For now, the weekend looks mainly dry across northwest Missouri and northeast Kansas. Forecasters are also watching a potential tropical system that could move along the Gulf Coast, but it is not expected to bring significant rain to the area.

Rain chances may return early next week as a larger storm system develops over the western United States and eventually moves toward the central Plains.