Warmer Wednesday, storms late tonight

COLUMBUS, Mississippi (WCBI) – A much warmer and sunnier day is on the way, with highs close to 90. Some storms are possible this afternoon, but the better chance comes in late tonight into early Thursday.

TODAY: Warmer, with many places achieving 90 degrees this afternoon under a mostly sunny sky. A couple afternoon thunderstorms should pop up, but coverage will be much more limited compared to yesterday. Still very humid.

TONIGHT: We have some of the area (northern half) under a level 1 severe risk, for the left overs of a line of storms coming from the north. This line should pass through early Thursday morning, but should be weakening before it arrives. Nonetheless, we will watch it closely! Threats from this would be damaging winds, and for now any spin-up tornado threat should stay north of us.

THURSDAY: Rainy/stormy morning with the line of storms, with a few afternoon storms likely. Cloud cover will limit highs to the mid to upper 80s, but we could see a few bursts of sun.

BEYOND: A ridge, or “heat dome” will build in, ushering in a persistent high pressure. This will keep highs Friday into next week in the mid 90s, with a mostly clear sky. Rain chances will be substantially lower, but a few afternoon showers should squeak out thanks to all the moisture we always have this time of year.