[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cp8Ce7nl2Jo&w=640&h=480]
RAINY DAY THURSDAY: Rain will be moving into the state from the south through the day. We may start with some brief sunshine in the far northern counties but this will quickly be shrouded with increasing cloudiness and rainfall by the late morning and early afternoon in the southern half of the state and most everywhere else before sunset. Precipitation amounts are expected anywhere between a quarter and a half inch. Some of the precipitation could be in the form of freezing rain mainly in the northwestern half of the state and only for a brief time before it changes to all rain. Some minimal ice accumulations are possible there. Thursday night will be wet as the rain continues across the state and temperatures don’t really drop a whole lot from the highs today into the 30s to lower 40s tonight. Friday will be in between one storm departing the state and another forming over Eastern Colorado. It will be mainly cloudy and some drizzle is possible but readings will be varied from the mid to upper 30s NW to the mid to upper 50s SE (perhaps a 60 in far southern Iowa or northern Missouri).
COLD TRAIN COMING: Saturday will be the change, as we see the cold air winning the battle. Temperatures will not rise much from Friday night with highs in the teens NW to lower to middle 30s SE. By Sunday, highs will be in the teens and 20s throughout the state. A wave on the stalled front off to our east may bring and far southeastern counties some light snow Saturday night into Sunday, but accumulations will be light at this time, although this may change and need to be watched in case it moves farther west than currently forecast. It looks to remain cold into next week as well.
WARMING MODERATION: Temperatures will begin to warm after about a week if the GFS pans out, perhaps back above freezing. It does look to remain dry which with the snow pack having decreased substantially across a good portion of the state wouldn’t be a good thing for farmers hoping for good soil moisture for spring planting.