After all of the rain during the last two weeks the drought conditions we have been in is obviously no longer. Here is a comparison of the Drought Monitor from this year to last year around the same time.
Now lets compare the rain totals in April through the 18th from this year to last year.
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This post was written by Schnack on April 18, 2013
A Winter Storm Watch has been posted for all of eastern Iowa Monday and Tuesday for 6″+ snow.
Here is the timing of chances of snow.
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This post was written by Schnack on March 2, 2013
The image is from the NWS.
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This post was written by Schnack on February 28, 2013
Dear Mother Nature
You win. Now lets move on.
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This post was written by Schnack on February 27, 2013
Thursday I posted on facebook and Twitter (@KWWLSchnack) that it would nice to see before and after photos to see how the storm changed the look. Here are a couple examples of the before and after. Click on photos to enlarge it.
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This post was written by Schnack on December 21, 2012
Submit your weather Hot Shot by clicking here.
One photo is shown on the 5 pm newscast and one on the 10 pm newscast.
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This post was written by Schnack on December 12, 2012
UPDATED at 4:15 PM
Tonight: Mostly clear and not as cold. Low: 17-20. Wind: Calm.
Wednesday: Mostly sunny and warmer. High: 37-42. Wind: SW 5-10.
Wednesday Night: Mostly clear. Low: 25-27. Wind: S 5-10 mph.
Thursday: Mostly sunny. High: mid 40s.
Friday: Mostly cloudy. High: near 40.
Saturday: Partly cloudy with a 20% chance of showers. High: low 50s.
Sunday: Mostly sunny. High: low-mid 50s.
Monday: Partly cloudy and windy (S 15-30 mph) with a 20% chance of showers. High: upper 50s.
Tuesday: Partly cloudy and windy (W 15-25 mph). High: mid 40s.
It was a cold start this morning with some readings in the single digits. The map below shows the morning low temperatures.
Tonight will not be as cold with lows expected to be in the upper teens.
There are some high thin clouds across Iowa this afternoon (see map below). Those clouds will move east this evening leaving behind a mostly clear sky.
Wednesday and Thursday will be a warm each day with plenty of sunshine. Mid 40s are possible on Thursday. Friday is a little tricky at this point. It will all depend on the exact position the forecast is across the area. Right now there are some indications the front will be south of Iowa. Here is the HPC forecast position of the front Friday morning.
If it is, we will have a day with lots of clouds and highs in the upper 30s and maybe some drizzle. If the front is north of Iowa, we will have sunshine and highs in the mid-upper 40s. At this point, I am leaning toward the clouds and cooler temperatures. I have not put drizzle in the forecast but I do want to mention it in the discussion. Also if we do have drizzle we have to watch when it happens in relation to the temperatures. Again, the details are yet to be known at this point.
Saturday and Sunday will be warmer with highs in the low 50s. There is a slight chance of an afternoon shower on Saturday. The weekend looks nice if you like warmer weather during this time of year.
We are tracking a cold front that is forecast to track across the state on Monday. Ahead of the cold front and south of the warm front, the wind will be strong pushing highs into the upper 50s. The cold front might bring a few showers during the afternoon/evening as it crosses eastern Iowa. Here is the forecast postion of the cold front west of Iowa Monday morning.
The cold front will be east of Iowa Tuesday with high temperatures a little cooler. The wind will still be gusty but this time from the west.
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This post was written by Schnack on November 27, 2012
We are now getting to that time of year where more people are wanting to see snow for different reasons. The one reason I hear most often is Christmas. Here are some interesting snow/Christmas facts for Waterloo by the National Weather Service. All the information below is from past years and not a forecast.
Here is some data for Waterloo: A white Christmas has occurred on 68 of 116 years, which is about 59% of the time. Last year, Waterloo moved up the record books, moving into a tie for fourth place all-time for the most consecutive white Christmases.
Most consecutive white Christmases at Waterloo:
1. 8 1983-1990 2. 5 1959-1963, 1902-1906 4. 4 2007-2010, 1967-1970, 1918-1921
Waterloo has also received quite a bit of snow in recent years. Two of the top five Christmas snow depths on record have come within the last three years.
Highest snow depths at Waterloo on Christmas morning:
1. 14 inches- 2010, 1951 3. 13 inches – 2000 4. 12 inches – 2008, 1909 6. 11 inches – 1961
7. 10 inches – 1934 8. 9 inches – 1985, 1969, 1942
Waterloo has received measurable snowfall on 22 of 117 Christmases, about 19% of the years.
Highest Waterloo Christmas Day snowfalls:
1. 7.0 inches- 1951 2. 4.7 inches – 1945 3. 4.0 inches – 1996 4. 3.0 inches – 1957 5. 2.0 inches – 1903 6. 1.5 inches – 2009, 1993, 1935 9. 1.4 inches – 1962
10. 1.2 inches – 1910
Here are the chances of a white Christmas for the lower 48.
Click here for Christmas stats in Dubuque.
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This post was written by Schnack on November 25, 2012
UPDATED at 4:15 pm
Tonight: Clear. Low: 29-31. Wind: S 5 mph
Saturday: Sunny and breezy. High: 53-57. Wind: S 10-20 mph.
Saturday Night: Mostly clear. Low: 33-35. Wind: S 5-15 mph.
Sunday: Mostly sunny and breezy (S 10-20 mph). High: mid 50s.
Monday: Mostly cloudy and breezy (S 10-20 mph) with a 20% chance of showers. High: near 50.
Tuesday: Mostly sunny. High: low 50s.
Wednesday: Mostly sunny. High: low 50s.
Thanksgiving: Partly cloudy. High: low-mid 50s.
Friday: Partly cloudy. High: low 50s.
The sky will be clear tonight allowing us the chance to see the Leonid Meteor shower tonight. The peak is tonight between midnight and sunrise Saturday. Look in the eastern sky.
There is another chance Saturday after midnight and before sunrise Sunday but the peak is tonight.
The weekend will be sunny with above normal high temperatures. The only catch to the nice weekend is that it will be breezy. This might be a good weekend to get last minute yard work done maybe put up some Christmas lights. Make sure you don’t turn them on until after Thanksgiving….just my preference…one holiday at a time.
We have been tracking the chance for a few light showers Monday. At this point the best timing for the rain would be in the morning. The afternoon does not look as wet. Here is the rain forecast from Sunday evening to Monday evening.
The rest of the busy travel week is going to be quiet leading up to and including Thanksgiving. Here is the forecast for Thanksgiving.
The 8-14 day outlook (Nov 24-30) from the Climate Prediction Center has Iowa with above normal temperatures and below normal precipitation.
College Football Forecast (Saturday)
Iowa vs. Michigan (Ann Arbor, MI)
Mostly sunny
Kickoff Temp: near 50
Missouri State vs. UNI (Cedar Falls)
Mostly sunny
Kickoff Temp: low 50s
Iowa State vs. Kansas (Lawrence, KS)
Clear
Kickoff Temp: upper 50s
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This post was written by Schnack on November 16, 2012
