Friday Afternoon Forecast 10/23/26
Friday Night: Mostly Clear, 52°F
Saturday: Mostly Sunny, 77°F
Saturday Night: Mostly Cloudy, 54°F
Sunday: Partly Sunny, 78°F
Sunday Night: Mostly Cloudy, 54°F
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General Discussion:
- Temperatures will remain seasonably warm this weekend, in the upper 70s, as a high-pressure system over the Midwest promotes a relatively clear sky. High level clouds will begin to increase Saturday due to upper-level moisture advection. Sunday night lows warm slightly into the lower 50s.
- Kotcher
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Forecasters: Cooper, Kotcher, Magnuson
Date Issued: 10/23/2026 5:00 PM CDT
Technical Discussion:
Key Messages
- A ridge of high pressure remains over the Midwest for most of the weekend that will keep conditions seasonably calm and warm.
- The ridge begins moving east and out of the forecast area by Monday at 12z.
Friday Night – Sunday Night
An upper-level ridge remains over much of the Midwest through tonight, with upper-level lows on either side of the ridge creating a classic omega-block pattern, keeping conditions calm. Overnight tonight at the 300-mb level, upper-level moisture will begin to advect in, which could see the formation of some cirrus clouds. At the 700-mb and 850-mb levels, relative humidity values stay dry (<50%) through the end of the forecast period, confining any clouds to the upper levels. The aforementioned omega-block system, paired with light surface winds from the south, will keep conditions calm and clear and allow temperatures to rebound into the upper 70s throughout the weekend.
On Sunday, the upper-level ridge will continue to push eastward, fully exiting by Monday at 12z. As the aforementioned ridge traverses, both GFS and NAM indicate some upper-level divergence entering over the forecast area Sunday 12z. However, with limited surface forcing and lower level moisture, this upper-level divergence will continue enforcing upper-level cirrus clouds. Some areas of vorticity in Kansas at the 500-mb level Monday 6z could send some mid-level clouds into the forecast area, generating slightly warmer conditions Sunday night into Monday morning.
- Kotcher
Friday: Clear, 77°F
Friday Night: Increasing Clouds, 52°F
Saturday: Cloudy, 77°F
Saturday Night: Cloudy, 52°F
Sunday: Cloudy, 78°F =============================================================================
General Discussion:
High-pressure over Columbia will hinder active weather leading to calm conditions for the weekend. Upper-level moisture will induce cloudy conditions for Saturday and Sunday. Daytime highs will stay below 80°F and overnight lows will be below 60°F.
-Osborn
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Forecasters: Osborn, Kauffman
Date Issued: 10/23/2026 9:00 AM CDT
Technical Discussion:
Key Messages:
- A high pressure system over the Lower Mississippi Valley extending through the Great Lakes is creating a blocking pattern inducing calm conditions for the weekend.
- Upper-level moisture will begin to increase Friday night (RH greater than 70%) causing the formation of cirrus clouds on Saturday and Sunday in Columbia.
Currently there’s upper-level meridional flow which would be expected to induce instability, however, a blocking high pressure system extending from the surface to 500mb is causing stable conditions for the day on Friday. This high pressure situated from the lower Mississippi area through the Great Lakes region is inducing an omega blocking pattern, hinting at the continuation of calm weather in the Mid-Missouri region for the weekend. A lack of 700mb and 850mb moisture (less than 70%) prohibits cloud formation for Friday. The lack of cloud cover will allow for stronger diurnal heating, leading to a high of 77°F, which is greater than the seasonal average for this time of year (63°F).
The high pressure will begin to traverse eastward, but the blocking pattern will continue to produce calm conditions for Columbia. 300-mb moisture will begin to increase Saturday 03z (RH greater than 70%) causing the formation of cirrus clouds for Saturday and Sunday in the Mid-Missouri area. Low-level clouds aren’t expected due to a lack of moisture at 700mb and 850mb (RH less than 70%).