Short Term

Another tranquil and overall nice day of weather for Iowa goes into the books as we look ahead to the extended outlook. A low pressure system and associated fronts centered around Minnesota this evening may produce some additional showers this afternoon before skirting off to Illinois. Highs today were generally in the 50s and 60s with a brisk northwest to southwest wind of 5-15 MPH with gusts to 30 in some spots. Quiet weather looks to continue into tonight with lows in the mid 30s for those in the north and upper 30s for the south. A light rain/snow/freezing mix will be possible for those in the northeast as temperatures near the freezing point and a weak disturbance comes by. There should not be any notable precipitation with this, however you should be careful if you’re heading out in these areas overnight.

Thursday will likely again be tranquil with Partly Cloudy skies but much colder with highs in the mid 40s to barely struggling at 50. Winds will enhance the cold effort with gusts to 40 MPH possible as the low scoots off to the southeast.

 

By tomorrow night, the next disturbance should be entering the state causing clouds to roll in. A very cold night is anticipated with mid to upper 20s for the north and the barely low 30s for the south. Cloud cover should trap some heat in via solar insolation. There may be an isolated chance for a shower or two but the overall threat is minimal at this time.

Long Term

As we head ahead to the long term, active weather begins to take shape. We will likely see a slight warm up Friday into the mid to upper 40s to 50s before a plunge on Saturday once again, into the 40s. Winds on Friday night will be a concern with wind gusts over 40 MPH again possible. Sunday will be slightly warmer for those in the west, into the 50s, while the rest of the state hides out in the 40s.

The specific details regarding the Monday/Tuesday snowfall event are still hard to tell with multiple uncertainties. It could be said that there will a chance for a hard mix on Monday for the northern half and rain for the southern half but there are multiple variables at play. One thing that can be noted is the expected cold weather for next week. Highs don’t look to get above the 40s and 50s for the state next week. We will have to watch later runs to have a more solid forecast in the future.