Severe Weather Possible

The system that has affected the plains the past two days is finally bringing a severe threat to Iowa today. Cold front is currently just to the west of the state and will likely not move much until later this evening. Once it does begin to move it will likely light up with thunderstorms over much of western Iowa and eastern Nebraska. Given the hopes for some sunshine this afternoon, instability will be there to go along with decent shear and lift and thus a threat for severe weather over mainly western Iowa. The severe weather threat currently looks to only entail large hail and damaging winds, although a tornado could not be ruled out it does not look very likely. These thunderstorms will be moving to the north/northeast along the slow moving cold front, which also is going to bring the threat of heavy rain and potential flooding. A new SPC outlook is expected in approx. 30 minutes and another update on the forecast can be expected after that is released. Other updates throughout the day...

8:00 AM Update: No changes to SPC outlook for today, keeping in risk for large hail, damaging winds and a very small tornado risk. Updates will continue throughout the day today as the severe weather threat continues to become defined.

2:10 PM Update: Cold front has moved over parts of northwestern Iowa already and with this movement has triggered a line of thunderstorms from Kossuth county back southwestward to just north of Omaha. One of these thunderstorms has become severe over eastern Emmet county and is moving northeastward. Expect thunderstorms to continue over those areas and eastward this afternoon into this evening. SPC has indicated that if thunderstorms continue to become severe then a severe thunderstorm watch is probable.

6:00 PM Update: Severe Thunderstorm Watches #290, #291 & #292 are all in effect for portions of Iowa until 9 PM tonight. Thunderstorms have slowly worked their way across western and central Iowa this afternoon with several training lines. Main threat with the severe storms thus far has been large hail, only warning currently in Iowa is for Dallas county. Expect continued storms to cross central Iowa and move into eastern Iowa this evening, early tonight. Additional thunderstorms are likely to initiate and move into western Iowa late tonight and continue into tomorrow for the rest of the state.