A first weather alert day is in effect on Thursday due to the risk of widespread heavy rain and strong to severe storms.

Scattered showers are expected to develop in the western counties around sunrise, moving eastward during the morning.

In North Texas, storms are likely to spread along the I-35 corridor between 9 a.m. and noon

Some storms can produce quarter-sized hail and wind gusts of up to 60 miles per hour. In addition, an isolated tornado cannot be ruled out.

The threat of tornadoes will increase this afternoon as the storms move into East Texas.

There will also be dense fog in North Texas this morning along the Red River and southwest areas.

A dense fog warning is in effect for these regions until 10 a.m.

Temperatures will start in the mid 50s and are expected to climb to near 60 degrees this afternoon.

Once the storms pass there will be a period of calm weather conditions, with warmer temperatures continuing into Monday.

A strong cold front is expected to bring seasonal highs on New Year’s Eve.