Monday, December 23 forecast: Santa Claus and rainfall coming to town

Overcast skies rolled into the Ozarks today and you better get used to them as cloudy conditions will persist for the next week. While rain was off and on for today, wet weather is expected to pick up overnight.

Around midnight steady rainfall will sweep across the region. The best zone for heavy rain will be along and south of Highway 60. To the north, rainfall will be rather light in comparison.

Expect to see widespread rain for the morning hour. Rainfall will be limited to the southwest by the evening. Thankfully, precipitation is forecasted to wrap by Christmas Day. Temperatures will be mild for the 25th under mostly cloudy skies. While I am not forecasting rain on Christmas, patchy drizzle or a few sprinkles will be possible.

Our rain chances climb again after Christmas with potentially multiple waves of rain to round out the week. More specifically, Thursday night into Friday morning and during the day on Saturday. All said and done, this week may result in 1-3" of rainfall for parts of the Ozarks.

The mild pattern is here to stay. We will challenge the 60-degree mark towards the end of the week. Additionally, freezing temperatures aren't expected to return until the New Year.