Today could be a record-breaker for high temps in Joplin and other communities in Southwest Missouri. The average high for the area, now less than a week before the start of winter, is 50 degrees. Today, the National Weather Service in Springfield, (Missouri) is projecting a high in the mid-’70s.

Lead Forecaster with the NWS Steve Lindenberg says that can expect today’s storms to pass through quickly. “We won’t need to look further as we get into late Thursday night into Friday, we’re going to see a warm front move back to the north. And then we’ll see a pretty much all day rain on Friday, so we’ll have to watch out for that.” Steve says it’s likely the area will receive thunderstorms, but there is less of a chance of hail or flooding. The most severe weather is expected to be near the Arkansas and Missouri border, with drier conditions further west, and winds gusting to as high as 50 miles per hour in Northeast Oklahoma and Southeast Kansas.