By Corey Thompson
Published: Aug. 29, 2024 at 5:51 AM CDT|Updated: Aug. 29, 2024 at 9:49 AM CDT
CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (KCRG) - Fairly notable changes are on the way for our weather in eastern Iowa.
Your First Alert: Another hot and humid day with storms increasingly likely
A slow-moving cluster of storms has been moving through our far northern counties this morning, and continues to slowly move out of the area by midday. The rest of the TV9 viewing area has been enjoying plenty of sunshine and steadily warming temperatures. It’s also pretty humid, much like the last several days.
With the added help of a south-southeasterly breeze, which could reach 10 to 20 mph at times, we’re expecting temperatures to turn a little warmer again today. On the thermometer, this means highs in the upper 80s to low 90s. With dew points hanging around the upper 60s to low 70s, heat index values will be in the mid to upper 90s at most.
By the afternoon and evening, we’ll see the potential of new shower and storm development as we reach peak heating. The initial period to watch will be around 2:00 to 3:00 p.m. and the next few hours to follow. This is when some scattered activity could develop. This initial round could include heavy downpours as these storms would be fairly slow-moving.
The better chance for widespread storms will arrive later this evening into tonight as a cold front moves through the area. This front will likely lead to the development of a squall line of rain and thunderstorms to our west this afternoon, arriving in our far western and northwestern counties after about 7:00 p.m. This line will track to the east at a steady but moderate pace, stretching halfway across the TV9 viewing area from southwest-to-northeast by about 10:00 to 11:00 p.m., and reaching the Mississippi River within an hour or two after that. Some shower or storm activity lingers on a more scattered basis into the first few hours of daytime on Friday.
A slight risk for severe storms is in place for primarily our northwest zone for this line of storms, generally along and west of a line from Marshalltown to Decorah. Damaging wind and large hail could come with the strongest storms this evening, with an isolated tornado as a secondary risk. A stronger or isolated severe storm is still possible outside of this area, but the chances are lower due to the timing of the line of storms.
Stay weather aware during this time frame! It’s important to make sure to have ways to receive warnings that can alert you while you sleep. A NOAA Weather Radio is a great tool in this case. Make sure it’s plugged in and turned on, ready to receive warnings, before you head to bed. We also recommend the KCRG-TV9 First Alert Weather App, which can give you customized alerts for your location. Of course, we’ll also provide updates on KCRG.com and KCRG-TV9 as conditions warrant.
Comfortable conditions return for the weekend
The net result of this front will be for a fairly notable change in our air mass, with dew points dropping a decent amount and temperatures being held lower. This will be seen as soon as Friday, with highs in the upper 70s to low 80s and humidity decreasing during the day. With clear skies overnight into Saturday morning, temperatures will drop back into the 50s to start out the weekend. Highs on Saturday will be in a similar range to Friday, despite what should be mostly full sunshine throughout the day. This sets up some nice weather around the state for the first full week of high school and college football games!
Another cold front sweeps through on Saturday night into Sunday, though it won’t have the right ingredients around to be able to produce showers or storms as it does. Instead, it just reinforces the already more comfortable conditions we have with even cooler and drier air. Temperatures on Sunday look unlikely to escape the upper 70s, with dew points dropping into the 50s.
Keeping the decent weather conditions into next week
The end of the long holiday weekend is looking to be excellent, with a mix of sun and clouds likely on Labor Day itself. Temperatures start out in the upper 40s to low 50s, with highs in the low to mid 70s. As we head back to work and school on Tuesday, don’t expect much change with the nice weather still hanging around.
The biggest chance next week will be a modest warming trend toward the end of it. We’ll be back toward the upper 70s to low 80s for highs by next Thursday into Friday. No precipitation is expected within the scope of our 9-day forecast.
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