Almost Hot... Almost...

Yesterday saw the temperatures skyrocket, well above even some of the forecasted highs for the day. The sun came out in full force will completely blue skies and it showed its' strength by quickly pushing temperatures up to the forecasted highs by early afternoon. This left a couple of hours of heating that warmed the state to the low 80s in some areas, while others still struggled a bit, only in the low 70s. Normal highs for the day yesterday range from 58-65 degrees, instead the spread of highs yesterday were 66-83! The lowest values of the day were found in eastern Iowa where Davenport area had reports of 69 & 66. Northeast Iowa found itself in the lower 70s, with the rest of southeast Iowa in the mid 70s. Central Iowa actually had its' higher temperatures in the northern sections, where the Fort Dodge area saw 76-78 for the range of high temperatures. The rest of central Iowa saw the mid 70s, with the lowest actually in Lamoni with a value of 72. Western Iowa was the winner, with highs in the upper 70s and lower 80s across the area. Highest values once again coming in the north actually, with Sheldon reaching the peak of 83, hottest in the state! Those values in northwest Iowa were actually some of the hottest in the nation, warmer than Texas & even Florida!!

Today some clouds in the state are keeping the sun from its' full power or in the northwest, from even showing at all. Lower 60s are currently shown in much of the southern and eastern sections of the state, northwest Iowa however is under a thicker cloud layer and only has temperatures in the mid 50s and even a couple reports only near 50 degrees. These temperatures should still rise a couple more degrees in the afternoon and allow for another day of above normal temperatures across most of the state. My weather station near Terril, IA reported a high of 78 yesterday and is currently sitting at 55 after a low last night of 42.

Forecast: Dry forecast through Thursday, with highs tomorrow in the upper 50s to the upper 60s from northeast to southwest. Highs Thursday should be a couple of degrees cooler from Wednesday, ranging from mid 50s to mid 60s. Lows during this time frame should be within the mid 30s in the northeast to mid 40s in the southwest. Thursday night will enter our first risk of showers and thunderstorms as we begin a more active pattern, precipitation chances should remain in the forecast through early Friday afternoon in the east. Lows Thursday night will be milder thanks to cloud cover, upper 30s to upper 40s across the state. Friday will see a return of southerly winds likely to help the high temps rise to the upper 60s in the west & central portions of the state. Some morning clouds in the east will keep temperatures down somewhat, but still into the 60s. A stronger wave is likely to effect the area over the weekend, the threat of severe weather is not out of the question. Above normal temperatures are still expected through the weekend, details will be mentioned later in the week.