Frosty temperatures this morning gave way to warm afternoon highs over much of Western Missouri and Arkansas. Springfield hit 62°, the warmest high this year and the warmest high since before Christmas. The pattern will only get warmer as we kick off February and it looks like it will be the warmest start to February in over 20 years.
Tonight will feature an increase in high clouds and overnight lows. The cloudiness will tend to stay pretty thin through Thursday with temperatures climbing well into the 60s marking the warmest day of the year for most of the Ozarks.
We’ll keep the pattern warm through Groundhog Day too with waves of high clouds remaining thin enough for some sun and afternoon highs back in the mid-60s. By the way, it’s a tough call on whether the groundhog will see his shadow or not Friday morning with skies looking partly cloudy.
Weekend weather looks a little better today. There will still be a storm passing through the region, but the track looks a little further south. This means a drier forecast for Saturday with some hints of sunshine. Temperatures should have the opportunity to warm to 60° again Saturday afternoon. A narrow band of rain will get into Northwest Arkansas with some of the rain as far north as Monett and Branson on the Missouri side of the state line.