Fair tonight, wetter this weekend

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (KCRG) – Fair weather will remain tonight, but we expect humidity and warmth to increase, with a greater chance of storms toward the end of the weekend.

The nice weather continues tonight

Tonight we can enjoy mostly clear skies as our lows drop into the 60s. Our eastern provinces cool off a bit more, into the low to mid 60s, while our western provinces drop into the mid to high 60s.

Fair weather tonight with lows around 60 degrees(KCRG First Warning Storm Team)

Tonight, wildfire smoke is still in the atmosphere, but it’s mostly stuck at the higher levels. Our air quality readings have remained fairly steady in a range that only affects those who are extremely sensitive to fine particulate pollution. Most people won’t notice it at those levels. Instead, the biggest impact remains a milky texture to the air, even when there are no clouds, and those strongly orange- or red-tinted sunrises and sunsets. Smoke levels up there could taper off later this weekend. You can always check the latest air quality readings at KCRG.com.

Smoke density and impact remain low throughout the weekend(KCRG First Warning Storm Team)

Fair, but wetter on Saturday

Saturday will start off with mostly sunny skies, but will become partly cloudy as afternoon temperatures reach the mid 80s. A southerly wind will bring more moisture throughout the day as dew points climb into the low 70s. We can also expect a gradual increase in cloud cover during the evening and overnight hours as a weak disturbance moves into eastern Iowa from the south. Tonight will be mostly cloudy with lows dropping into the mid to upper 60s.

Saturday slightly warmer and more humid(KCRG First Warning Storm Team)

Your first warning: Next chance of rain on Sunday

As the disturbance moves northward across the area on Sunday, we could see some scattered showers and a few storms pop up. We will also see a mix of clouds and sun throughout the day, which could keep our high temperatures a bit cooler. Our dew points will continue to climb into the low to mid 70s, so it will feel sticky outside regardless of the temperature.

A mix of clouds and sun with scattered showers and some possible thunderstorms on Sunday(KCRG First Warning Storm Team)

Your first warning: stormy start to the week

Sunday night and Monday are the best times for scattered showers and storms. While our chances for rain will decrease somewhat after Monday, we cannot rule out the possibility of scattered showers and storms in the middle of the workweek, especially in the afternoon and evening hours.

There is a chance of scattered showers and thunderstorms towards the end of the weekend(KCRG First Warning Storm Team)

Your first warning: hot and humid days ahead

The humidity that increases this weekend will be accompanied by warmth that increases as we begin next week. Highs reach the upper 80s to near 90 for the first half of the week. We cool off, but only by a few degrees, toward the end of next week while humidity remains high.