[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hGHLfJvbrB4&w=480&h=360]
WARM DAYS: A few warm days ahead with some chance of rain Saturday as the pattern starts to become active across the area. Today we’ll see plenty of sunshine once again with readings heading into the 50s and lower 60s across the area. A weak frontal system will move through the state late in the day into tonight but will only bring a few clouds as most of the moisture with the system will be well to the north. Friday however will be a repeat of today with 50s and 60s across the state with partly to mostly sunny skies around. Rain moves in late Friday night into Saturday with the chance of a few embedded thundershowers mixed in as well. Amounts are expected to be light and spotty with this first system with perhaps a tenth of an inch of rain or so. Some areas may get more, others less.
MORE ACTIVITY: As the first system departs, the second will be right on its heels moving into the western counties Sunday afternoon, a bit earlier than the previous runs have shown. It will be quite warm with readings well into the 60s for most of the state. That storm moves off early Monday morning with another round expected possibly Monday night into Tuesday with some more showers and perhaps thunderstorms. It still looks that any severe weather will still be off to the south of the state and that trend does look to continue although the models do diverge around this point with regards to this system. The GFS has the low pressure center moving northeast into SE Iowa by late morning Tuesday and then off into Lake Michigan by Tuesday evening. A cool rain with some thunder will be the main story around the state. The cold air we saw yesterday that possibly would change some of the precipitation over to a wintry mix isn’t has apparent yesterday but we can’t totally rule that out at this time either although it is looking less likely. A cool rain does look to continue into Tuesday night into Wednesday before ending. Clouds look to linger and temperatures will be back below average Thursday as another low sweeps northeast well SE of the state that could keep the clouds around and perhaps a sprinkle around in far SE Iowa.
WEATHER OUT YONDER: Cold weather doesn’t last long and the warm air returns with a scattered chance for some showers beginning on the 13th. A new storm looks to take shape around the 17th and 18th, that could bring the state its first bits of severe weather (outside the lone warning in eastern Iowa in January). We’ll keep watch over that and the storm next week as we draw closer.