If you have photos of fall colors you would like to share…send them to me at  schnack@kwwl.com. Put FALL COLORS in the subject line. I will put all of them on the blog and will use some on the evening newscasts this fall. There is a link at the top of the blog “Fall Colors” that has the latest updates on how the leaves are changing around the Midwest.

Posted under Fall Colors, Fall Colors 2012, Photo

Submit your weather Hot Shot by clicking here.
One photo is shown on the 5 pm newscast and one on the 10 pm newscast.

Posted under Hot Shots, Photo

Tonight: Mostly clear. Low: 45-48. Wind: N 5-10 mph.

Tuesday: Mostly sunny. High: 72-75. Wind: NE 5-10 mph.

Tuesday Night: Mostly clear. Low: 44-47. Wind: SE 5 mph.

Wednesday: Mostly sunny.  High: upper 70s.

Thursday: Mostly cloudy, cooler and breezy (NW 10-20 mph) with a 30% chance of showers. High: near 60.

Friday: Partly cloudy with a 20% chance of showers and breezy (NW 10-20 mph). High: upper 50s.

Saturday: Mostly sunny. High: low 50s.

Sunday: Mostly sunny. High: mid 50s.

Monday: Partly cloudy. High: upper 50s.

The recent dry and warm weather will continue through Wednesday. We had some clouds across the area today due to a weak cold front but more were actually from the low over Alabama. The low over Alabama is forecast to track northeast taking the clouds away from Iowa. The clouds have been clearing this afternoon and the trend will continue through the evening. Here is the visible satellite from this afternoon.

There are some changes in our weather that will begin Thursday. A cold front is forecast to cross the state Wednesday night and early Thursday morning. The map below is for Thursday morning.

Cooler temperatures are expected behind the front and the wind will be a bit gusty as well. The rain amounts forecast with the front are expected to be low. Here is the rain forecast from Wednesday evening to Thursday evening.

As the low and front move away from the area high pressure moves across the middle of the country with sunshine but chilly temperatures. Here is the forecast position of the high Saturday morning.

The Saturday morning through Monday morning low temperatures will be in the low 30s. The usually colder spots might drop to the upper 20s. Despite the cool temperatures we will have sunshine for the weekend with a light breeze.

The outlook for October is below normal temperatures and near normal precipitation.

 

Posted under Forecast Discussion, Long Range Outlook

From NWS
1999: An unusually early winter precipitation event occurred as rain changed over to snow in far northwestern Iowa, with Ocheyedan and Sibley each measuring 3.0 inches of snowfall. This was the highest snow accumulation recorded in Iowa so early in the season since the snow of September 30, 1961.

1897: Unseasonably hot weather brought the temperature all the way up to 97 F at Malvern, Maquoketa, and Ottumwa, which remains tied for the highest October temperature on record in Iowa. Other reported high temperatures included 96 F at Bonaparte, 95 F at Eldora, Ovid, and Seymour, and 94 F at Mooar and Plover.

1875: The Iowa Weather Service began taking observations. Organized by Professor Gustavus Hinrichs at the University of Iowa with 60 initial weather observers, the functions of this agency are now largely maintained by the State Climatologist Office. Iowa possesses the oldest continuously operating state weather program in the nation.

This Day in National/World Weather History …

1 October 1752 → A second severe hurricane in two weeks hit the Carolinas. The Onslow County Courthouse was destroyed along with all of its records, while Beacon Island disappeared until waters receded. 1 October 1945 → A Navy plane that went down in a typhoon in the South China Sea was the first Hurricane Hunter flight ever to be lost. 1 October 1976 → Hurricane Liza brought heavy rains and winds to Mexico, causing a dam to break on the Cajoncito River, flooding the town of La Paz, and killing at least 435 people.

Posted under Weather History