More Thunderstorms?!

A great August day today will be followed up by several more over the weekend and into midweek next week. However, there are a few small chances of thunderstorms in the mix and the potential for some severe thunderstorms moving into the northern portions of the state late night on Friday. Despite those chances, everybody should be enjoying the weekend as the summer is on its' final stretch...

Friday will be mostly clear across the state, with little in the way of morning clouds or fog that as of late hindered the highs for the day. Highs on Friday are expected to be in the upper 80s over northeast Iowa; while low 90s should be over a majority of the state, a few mid 90s could be seen over southwest Iowa even. By Friday night expect lows to fall into the mid 60s to mid 70s across the state from northeast to southwest. Thunderstorms are expected to move through much of southern Minnesota and may also clip the northern tiers of Iowa counties. These storms may have some severe potential as they reach the IA/MN border, damaging winds as the main threat as the storms are likely to be in linear form.

The clouds and storms should be clear of the state by Saturday morning, allowing for a very warm, or hot, day over the state. Highs near 90 in the northeast, with mid 90s in central Iowa and upper 90s over western Iowa. In fact it looks as if we may even see some of the first triple digit marks of the year in parts of western Iowa. Dewpoints during the day will also be quite high, allowing heat indicies to be well above 100 in much of the state; so while you should enjoy the weather, be sure to keep hydrated and safe in such warm weather. With the high dewpoints, lows during the night on Saturday may be uncomfortable; with mid 70s in southwest Iowa to upper 60s in eastern Iowa. During the nighttime hours there are some small chances of developing thunderstorms in the northern third of the state.

Those thunderstorm chances will remain for Sunday as well, with some hot and humid conditions the atmosphere is setup for 'pop-up' or popcorn showers/thunderstorms. The severe threat is minimal with these storms, but an eye on the sky when these occur doesn't hurt. Highs for Sunday will give some relief as partly cloudy skies exist. Near 90 over the northern third of the state, with upper 90s in the southern quarter of the state; the general spread in between.
Sunday night has a continued risk of developing thunderstorms, with the eastern and northern thirds of the state getting the best probabilities currently. Lows during the night in the upper 60s for the northeast half of the state, with low to mid 70s for the southwestern half of Iowa.

The extended forecast for the work week continued the warm temperatures; upper 80s to upper 90s from northeast to southwest should be the consensus for most days. Lows in the upper 60s to mid 70s across the state during the nights as well. There does seem to be some small disturbances in the forecast, combined with the warm/humid temperatures that may allow for more thunderstorms. Those chances can be straightened out in the next update which is likely to come on Sunday as I'll be in Minneapolis over the weekend.