Wednesday's Storms Update #1

A line of showers and thunderstorms is working across the state this morning. Currently they are located from the I35 corridor in the north, stretching south/southwest through Fort Dodge, Audubon, and down south of Omaha, NE. These storms do extend about 25 miles both east/west of the line of cities mentioned. Some impressive lightning currently in Ames with the leading edge of storms; and other embedded storms that also contain lightning. The strongest cells are currently featured in southwest Iowa, with radar indicating that they are producing some heavy rainfall. Some portions of west-central Iowa have seen over a half-inch from the line of storms earlier, Sioux City, Denison, and Harlan included.

Expect this line of storms to move to the southeast fairly slow this morning. Some clearing skies are likely to occur behind this line and ahead of the actual cold front, this may set the stage for some isolated severe weather this afternoon. The SPC has highlighted portions of western Iowa in a slight risk for the potential for a few storms being capable of damaging winds and large hail. This risk for severe weather won't likely be realized until the late afternoon hours, as continued heating and lift along the front are enough to initiate the thunderstorms. Later updates will address the timing and better define the potential areas to be affected.