Here are the latest monthly and seasonal weather outlooks from the Climate Prediction Center. After last year’s drought, it’s nice to see the “Above Normal” forecast for precipitation…

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This is the latest GFS model depiction showing moisture and cold air approaching Iowa on Sunday, March 24. Too soon for specifics, but if this is anywhere near accurate it will mean more snow chances here this weekend. Stay tuned!

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Here are the latest forecasts for the month of March…we are pretty close to the “below normal” temperature anomoly! The 3 month seasonal outlook for Meteorological Spring (March, April, May) says we’ll turn warmer again. Let’s hope the precipitation forecast turns out to be true…we need the moisture!

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Several heavy snow bands dropped over a foot of snow in a few spots. Snow amounts were lighter over Northern Iowa…also a few pockets over Southeast Iowa had lighter amounts.

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When I visited the students at West Elementary in Waukon we read the book Thundercake. The kids decided they should use the recipe in the book and make a Thundercake of their own. It looks like they enjoyed it! Now I’m hungry for chocolate cake!

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Too soon for specifics, but the latest computer models continue to indicate cyclogenesis over the Southern Plains by the middle of this week. The snapshot is the GFS model valid at 6:00 PM Thursday evening February 21. Note the intense area of low pressure over Kansas…steep pressure gradient surrounding the storm center, and abundant moisture moving up the warm conveyor belt. Also, notice the solid yellow line labeled 5400…this is typically the rain/snow line in these big winter storms. Note that the rain/snow line is well South of Iowa…that would indicate an all-snow event here. A lot can change between now and Thursday…but this storm will have our attention over the next several days.

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Come see us in Plainfield

Click here to see the Plainfield students saying hello!Tuesday February 12th was another road trip! This time I got to go visit the students in Plainfield. It feels almost like home! I’ve had the pleasure of visiting Plainfield for over 10 years…and everyone makes me feel welcome. The 5th graders and I talked about Hurricane Sandy and Winter Storm Nemo. We talked about how important the Sun is, how important snow is and how much our weather changes over the course of the year. Thanks again to the fine folks at Nashua Plainfiled Community School. I enjoyed my time there!

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Click here to see the Waterville students saying hello!Click here to see the Waukon students saying hello!I made the rounds in Allamakee County on Tuesday February 5th. First stop…West Elementary in Waukon. After that I was off down the road to Waterville. Both groups of students looked at pictures of the weather. We saw hurricanes, tornadoes, floods and different kinds of clouds. We all enjoyed the book “Thundercake”…and now I hear that the students in Waukon are going to bake a real Thundercake. How cool is that? I enjoyed my day and the chance to visit with everyone.

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The clouds parted briefly as I left home this morning…and the waning crescent Moon was nice and bright in the sky. The Moon will come up a bit earlier in the East each day until February 10…that’s when it reaches New Moon phase. After the 10th…watch for the waxing crescent Moon in the Western sky shortly after sunset. The Full Moon this month is February 25. This month’s Full Moon is called the Snow Moon.

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Cool image from one of the weather satellites! After a January cold front moved through the region, Arctic air swept over Iowa and the Great Lakes. The view from the satellite shows Lake Michigan, Lake Superior and part of Lake Huron. Note the bands of snow squalls lined up over the lakes…some of the squalls flow right into Michigan, too! Look closely and you’ll see the Mississippi River outlining the Eastern edge of Iowa.

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