Heat, humidity and severe storms possible

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (KCRG) – There are some isolated showers and storms tonight, as the warm front moves north we will feel the heat Friday.

Some storms cannot be ruled out tonight, but the chance of them is smaller than last night. Temperatures drop from the upper 60s to the low 70s.

Your first warning: The heat returns Friday, although a few storms may linger in the north

With the progression of the warm front today into tonight, we should be almost all on the warm side by early Friday, except for communities near the Iowa-Minnesota border. This means a sticky start to the day with lots of sunshine, causing temperatures to rise quickly. Expect warm and humid temperatures again, with most of US Highway 20 experiencing highs of 90 or higher. Heat index values ​​can sometimes be in the mid to upper 90s.

Closer to the warm front north of Highway 20, a few isolated to scattered storms may move into those areas during the afternoon and evening. The best chance for storms remains outside our area to the north, in Minnesota and central Wisconsin. Ultimately, the storm activity developing to the north will push this front a bit south, allowing some storms to reach TV9’s viewing area Friday evening into early Saturday.

Your first warning: Strong to severe storm chance

That same front will begin to act as a cold front on Saturday and eventually move through the state and TV9’s viewing area. Morning showers and storms are possible, although these will generally weaken later in the morning and give us a break by mid-afternoon. This period will also be accompanied by strong warming, with temperatures rising from the mid-80s in the north to the low 90s in the south. Heat index values ​​sometimes reach 95 to 100 again.

As the front pushes into eastern Iowa, there is a good chance that new showers and storms will develop. Due to the amount of energy available to these storms, and some support from winds in the mid- and upper levels of the atmosphere, strong to severe storms are possible. The greatest chance for severe weather is the further northeast you go, where the Storm Prediction Center has outlined a small risk of storms.

Damaging winds would be the biggest threat from a severe storm on Saturday, with lower threats of large hail or an isolated tornado. The time frame is between about 3:00 PM in the northwest and 10:00 PM in the southeast as the front moves through. Stay aware of the weather during this time and be prepared to seek shelter if you have plans to be outdoors.

A bit of a break, but the heat and some storms will return

Behind the front, Sunday and Monday will bring quite pleasant summer weather. While temperatures won’t see a huge drop, highs in the 70s to mid 80s will feel a lot nicer with lower dew point values. This will keep the heat indices out of our worries for a few days, along with dry and sunny conditions.

However, the break is relatively short-lived, with heat and humidity expected to increase quickly again on Tuesday. This brings a chance of storms as early as Monday evening on the leading edge of this change. More rounds are possible later Tuesday through Wednesday, with some stronger storms possible again on Tuesday.

The latest indications we have are that calmer weather will occur towards the end of the next working week. This results in reasonable summer temperatures in the 80s, and a bit of a reprieve from muggy conditions.

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