Balmy temperatures will be replaced with thunderstorms and cooler weather beginning today, a meteorologist from the National Weather Service said.

Monday's high of 67 degrees tied a record set in 1989, and is well above the average temperature of 41 for the month.

But the warm gusts of air from the South -- bringing the unseasonably warm weather--were expected to collide with a cold front, resulting in severe thunderstorms.

On Monday afternoon, National Weather Service senior forecaster Chris Noles said the thunderstorms were expected to begin after midnight and continue through this morning, with scattered showers this afternoon. He predicted an inch or two of rain.

"By [tonight] they should be moving out," said Noles, based in Paducah, Ky.

The thunderstorms were predicted to hit a majority of Missouri and Illinois and part of Kansas. The National Weather Service in St. Louis was warning about the possibility of tornadoes there Monday night.

Temperatures will continue to drop throughout the week, Noles said, with a high of 53 on Wednesday, 47 on Friday and 38 on Sunday, he said.

The warm weather Monday didn't appear to be attracting more people to the downtown area, possibly because the skies were overcast.

Christine Consalvo was the only person enjoying the warm weather and the breeze from the riverfront, as she ate her lunch outdoors.

"I usually don't come down here, but this is a nice day," she said.

lbavolek@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 123