A cold front is expected to hit eastern Iowa on Wednesday, bringing with it significant changes.
First Alert: A Few Snow Showers as Temps Plummet
For the time being, eastern Iowa is expected to remain quiet. Tonight’s skies are generally clear, with only a few patches of clouds passing by. A sustained southerly wind helps preserve temperatures in the low to mid 20s.
Winds continue to shift in the morning of Wednesday, turning more westerly. Temperatures are still expected to reach the upper 30s to low 40s by late morning or lunchtime. Around this time, an oncoming cold front begins to move through the area.
As it does, winds will shift more to the northwest and strengthen. Gusts might reach 30 to 45 mph in the afternoon. A few scattered snow showers may occur along the leading edge of this colder air. While they are only present for a brief time in any one site, they can produce a temporary decrease in vision and a very light accumulation in the few places where they appear.
Temperatures drop in the afternoon and evening, reaching the 20s around sunset. Wind chills will be an issue, with temperatures going below zero for the first time this season for the majority of the area. These fairly cold conditions will continue for the Thursday morning commute, so dress warmly!
On Thursday, the coldest component of this air mass will pass over us, restricting high temperatures to the mid-10s to low-20s. Winds will moderate slightly during the day, but continue in the 15 to 25 mph range. Wind chills will be in the single digits above zero, even during the hottest part of the day.
Warming Trend Continues During the Weekend
If you don’t like this mid-winter glimpse, you’re in luck since things will change swiftly in the opposite direction by the weekend.
Temperatures will remain cool to begin Friday, with lows in the single digits to low tens. Lighter breezes should keep wind chills from becoming as extreme as they will be on Thursday morning. By the afternoon, highs in the mid-20s to low 30s are expected, similar to today’s weather.
Temperatures rise slightly each day on Saturday and Sunday, starting in the low 40s and ending in the upper 40s. On Saturday, there should be plenty of sun, but as Sunday progresses, more clouds will form.
A Storm Sends Precipitation to the Region
Those clouds are ahead of a storm system that may form in the Plains and move northeast by early next week. Initially, a few showers may arrive later on Sunday night into Monday, falling as rain with temperatures above freezing.
As colder air moves in behind this system, a few snow showers should fall on Tuesday. From this vantage point, both of these options seem unlikely. The area anticipated for greater precipitation appears to remain slightly outside of the TV9 viewing range.
Things can change, however, and we invite you to stay tuned for updates on this system as we move closer to it.
Another result of this storm will be the return of cooler air, with lows in the 10s and 20s and highs in the 30s by the middle of next week.
Reference: Winds gust, a few snow showers fly as temperatures crash