[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xbvZYN67gNw&hl=en&fs=1]

QUIET EASTER: Today will be quiet and mainly dry over the state with temperature near the climatic average for mid to late April (Upper 50s to mid 60s). There will be increasing clouds from south to north as the stalled front to the south begins to slowly retreating northbound as a warm front.

EARLY WEEK RAIN: Rain chances move back into the state late tonight through Monday into the early Tuesday morning. Amounts will remain light with 1/4 across the NW to near an inch in the SE as storm totals. There may be a thunderstorm intermixed amongst the rain but severe weather will remain well to the south. The rest of the week will be dry until next weekend when another storm could affect the state with rain on Saturday.

MAY OUTBREAK?: Out in voo-doo a big storm is taking shape across the Plains states on Wednesday May 4th. A 984mb low is forecast to be near Sioux Falls with a trailing cold front. This is likely to be the next big severe weather event in the state, however it’s over a week and a half away and things could change, but there’s likely to be a powerful storm system close by early May.

FLOODING: The Mississippi River continues to crest along the SE sections of the state. The river will fall below flood stage early this week north of Dubuque and by next weekend around Clinton down to Rock Island, barring any heavy precipitation in the next week. Other rivers across NW Iowa also remain in flood as well.