Warming Weekend...

Temperatures today got a few degrees above forecast thanks to absolutely clear skies and a bit more mixing than expected.  Similar trends should continue through the weekend and into much of early next week with highs ranging in the mid to upper 70s for the Kansas City area.  A weak front will stall along the KS/NE and MO/IA borders on Saturday night, and continue to hold for Sunday afternoon. This front may provide some precipitation for portions of the Plains on Sunday as it stalls out.  Steady southerly flow will allow for enough lift to provide some showers and thunderstorms Sunday afternoon over northern parts of Kansas/Missouri and perhaps adjacent areas of Nebraska and Iowa.  Given marginal dew points and sufficient heating there will be instability present, and enough shear to likely warrant at least the mention of strong thunderstorms.  I will be watching the potential on Sunday for parts of Kansas, given enough shear we could see a decent thunderstorm or two, especially after sunset.  This could provide a chance for some lightning photography if it is close enough and the storm motion isn't too fast, current forecast of east motion at 25 mph would be sufficient.

Besides these small chances of showers/thunderstorms during the evening/overnight on Sunday the weekend and early next week should be very nice.  Even with some clouds in the sky the temperatures will still rise into the 70s!  Wind speeds shouldn't be too gusty during the afternoon, leaving us with a very nice day to spend outside...  I may post a quick update on the chance of thunderstorms over the weekend, otherwise enjoy the sun!