Thursday morning will give way to afternoon heat. Sunshine will push the afternoon high to about 98 degrees, with heat index values making it feel as hot as 104. The steamy stretch is expected to continue through the weekend.
Heat Advisory Runs Through Saturday Evening
The National Weather Service has a Heat Advisory in effect through 8 p.m. Saturday, warning that prolonged heat and humidity could cause heat illness. Thursday and Friday will bring sunny skies, highs of 98 and 97 degrees, and south-southwest winds around 8 to 10 mph, with Thursday gusts reaching about 20 mph.
Overnight temperatures will offer limited relief, falling only to around 78 degrees Thursday night and 77 degrees Friday night. Saturday is expected to be another sunny 98-degree day, while the chance of rain remains close to zero through Friday and only a few percentage points Saturday.
The advisory runs through Saturday, and the extended outlook remains hot beyond the weekend. Sunday should reach 95 degrees, Labor Day will be mostly sunny near 93, and Tuesday's high should fall somewhere in the upper 80s to upper 90s.
Little Relief Before A Midweek Storm Chance
Wednesday looks slightly cooler, with a high near 94, but forecasters see a slight chance of showers and thunderstorms after 7 a.m. Until then, the forecast is dominated by sunshine, high temperatures in the mid to upper 90s and warm nights that will make it harder for homes and bodies to cool down.
Residents should drink plenty of fluids, use air conditioning when possible and avoid strenuous outdoor work during the hottest part of the day. Lightweight clothing, shaded breaks and checking on older neighbors, young children and anyone without reliable cooling can help reduce the risk of heat exhaustion or heat stroke. According to the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services’ 2022 Missouri Extreme Weather Toolkit, extreme heat events can increase both deaths and nonfatal health problems.
