[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zdZk6XwpTss&w=480&h=360]
SLOWLY WARMING: Today will continue to stay fairly cold for this time of year with readings in the upper 30s through the lower 50s from north to south today with sunny skies. Temperatures are going to start a slow and steady warm up into the 40s and 50s tomorrow and perhaps some 60s by the end of the week. A weak frontal system Thursday may get off a few more clouds and perhaps a sprinkle in far NE Iowa, with readings a few degrees cooler Friday but nothing too terribly bad at this time.
RAIN CHANCES COMING: The first in a series of systems will affect the state Saturday. A low pressure center will move across the northern portions of the state with the chance of some showers and perhaps a rumble of thunder or two. Better chances for precipitation look to be to the north of the center of Minnesota into Wisconsin where a cold rain or perhaps some wintry mix is possible there. This system moves out Saturday night with some drier weather Sunday as we’ll be in between storms. The next system approaches the state by Monday morning with some rain perhaps thunderstorms moving into the western and southwestern counties. Severe weather could be possible with this system but most likely it will be south and southwest of the state over KS, OK into TX. Rain with embedded storms looks to continue into next Tuesday as well as the storm slowly moves off to the east. Regardless of whether any severe weather affects the state or not, this would be beneficial rainfall for the farmers that are still dealing with the drought especially in the western and central counties of the state. We’ll be monitoring this system over the next couple of day with any updates and changes as model runs come along.
MORE MODEL FUN: After the departing storm early next week cold air returns for a brief time in which the precipitation could be in the form of a mix or a cold rain by Wednesday night into Thursday (10th-11th). This doesn’t look to last as the warm air returns again by the 12th ahead of another storm that could take aim at the state around the 13th and 14th. GFS shows more cold air behind that system as well with possible changeover to a mix or snow. Winter just wants to get in on any system we get as of late. More warm weather after Tax day blows in with another storm in the offing a few days thereafter. Remember this is voo-doo and can change from run to run, looking for trends past 7 days out at this time.