9:15 PM UPDATE
Tonight: Chance of storms across northern Iowa this evening otherwise mostly clear overnight with patchy fog late. Low: 53-57. Wind: N 5-10 mph.

Friday: Mostly sunny. High: 76-81. Wind: N 5-15 mph.

Friday Night: Mostly clear with patchy fog. Low: 47-53. Wind: N 5 mph.

Saturday: Mostly sunny. High: near 80.

Sunday: Mostly cloudy with a 20% chance of showers/storms. High: low-mid 70s.

Monday: Partly cloudy. High: near 80.

Tuesday: Partly cloudy. High: mid 80s.

Wednesday: Partly cloudy. High: upper 80s.

Thursday: Partly cloudy with a 20% chance of showers/storms. High: mid 80s.

There are a few storms tracking south across southeast Minnesota. Isolated storms across northern Iowa are possible this evening with wind gusts to 40 or 45 mph and small hail. Here is the radar image at 3:44 PM.

The storms will dissipate as the sun sets. The sky will become mostly clear across all of eastern Iowa this evening giving us good viewing conditions to see the International Space Station flyover. Here is the viewing information.

Time: 9:25 pm
Duration: 6 min
Path: WSW to NE

Time: 11:05 pm
Duration: 2 min
Path: NNW to NNE

The updated Drought Monitor was released this morning. The data cutoff for Drought Monitor maps is Tuesday at 6 AM. The maps, which are based on analysis of the data, are released each Thursday at 7:30 AM. The drought is getting worse across Iowa. Last week 31% of the state was in extreme drought this week it is up to 69%.

There is only one change in the burn bans across central and eastern Iowa today. Marshall County has dropped the burn ban. No other counties in central and eastern Iowa have changed the burn ban status.
High pressure will provide lots of sunshine to the area Friday and Saturday with high temperatures in the 70s. Saturday morning will be cool with temperatures dropping into the upper 40s and low 50s.

As high pressure moves east, low pressure in Nebraska Sunday morning will track across Iowa during the day. We will have a mostly cloudy sky with a chance of showers/storms. No severe weather is anticipated. The clouds and showers will keep temperatures down with highs in the low to mid 70s. Here is the position of the low Sunday morning.

As the low moves away the weather will remain quiet with a mix of sun and clouds Monday through Wednesday as high temperatures slowly warm from 80 on Monday to the upper 80s Wednesday.

The 8-14 day outlook has a something we have not seen for a while for Iowa…near to below normal temperatures and near to above normal precipitation. The time frame is Aug. 17-23.

Posted under Astronomy, Drought, Fire, Forecast Discussion