Thursday, December 26 forecast: Dreary days giving way to sunshine and warmth… eventually

Fog, mist, and clouds have been a running theme over the past few days with another one on the way. Before we get to Friday though, we'll have a wave of overnight showers.

A steady rain will push across Northern Arkansas and South Central Missouri with showers filling in further north around midnight.

Showers will exit Friday morning with some lingering fog and mist. Winds will switch around to the southwest later in the day with the fog lifting. There might even be some breaks in the clouds later in the afternoon with temperatures warming into the 50s. A few showers can't be ruled out by late afternoon or early evening, but they shouldn't be too widespread.

Clouds will likely thicken up again Friday night with some patchy areas of fog and mist by Saturday morning. Another storm will swing through the region by Saturday night, but there may be a window for some sunshine before clouds thicken back up again Saturday afternoon. Rain chances will increase by early evening. Expect highs in the 50s Saturday.

Clouds will linger into Sunday morning before thinning out. But, sunshine should finally get the upper hand later in the day with temperatures warming into the upper 50s and low 60s.

We'll wind down the year with a shift back to colder weather by New Year's Eve. A storm moving through the area on Monday will produce gusty winds and unusually mild temperatures. Little to no rain is expected with the storm, but it will shift the wind direction back to cold on Tuesday. The result will be a colder finish to the year.

We should be ringing in the year with dry overnight weather Tuesday night with temperatures falling below freezing by the time the clock strikes midnight. Bright and colder weather is expected on New Year's Day with a colder look to the pattern as we push into January.