Iowa Weather Report February 23rd 2014 – Iowa Weather Network Archives

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OZ7Fw5pji9Q&w=420&h=315]

THE COLD RETURNS: I wish I had better news for all that have put up with this winter weather, but alas I don’t. The cold is returning and looks to last through the work week. Today we will see partly to mostly sunny skies with readings in the teens and 20s across the state with some places in the southwestern counties possibly getting to 30. A system moves in on Monday with a chance of seeing some snow across the state. Current thinking is that an inch or two is possible but this run really weakens the system to the point that it may bring only flurries or light snow showers to the eastern counties of the state by Monday night into Tuesday morning. The model run is also bringing it a bit later than we showed yesterday, perhaps into the western counties late morning into the early afternoon and into the eastern counties by evening. Both the GFS and NAM are in agreement with this solution. What we also see is the polar plunge comes down from Canada after the system moves past. We may see several nights of readings at or below zero across most of the state with the better chances likely over the northern and eastern counties where there is a heavier snow pack. Nonetheless readings statewide will range between 15-20 degrees below seasonal levels for this coming week.

MARCH MADNESS: Another system could bring some light snow or a few flurries on Friday the 28th to end the month of February but this will be a possible appetizer to a bigger system that will roar in for the first couple days of March. The GFS has the system bringing in some light snow on Saturday the 1st with the main band of snowing coming in on Sunday the 2nd. This run is showing that the heaviest band of precipitation would likely be along and south of Interstate 80, however as this is still a week out, just a slight change could easily push that band north of the interstate or farther south into Missouri, missing the state entirely. Lighter snows look to continue into the 3rd as the system moves off to the east and colder air filters back down from the north. Farther into the month the GFS shows a somewhat active pattern with several systems that could bring some precipitation to the state but it’s way too early to look at them at this time when we have plenty on our plate in just the next week.