Snow likely tonight into Monday. a couple inches possible, then 2nd arctic blast ahead Tuesday & Wed. Thanksgiving looks sunny & Chilly with good travel condtions.

Weather Map for Monday November 25th.

Across the Midwest we have a Wintery-like pattern appearing with our 2nd arctic blast of the season already coming into play. A weak-fast area of low pressure will quickly slide across Iowa producing a quick band of snow which will drop a couple of inches, especially over Eastern Iowa, northern Illinois and Southern Wisconsin. All of this will be ahead of the next arctic blast making its way down from Canada. Highs that will be in the 30s on Monday will only be in the lower 20s again come Tuesday and Wednesday. Travel will be very easy Thanksgiving as high pressure will bring the region quiet cool and sunny weather with slowly rebounding temperatures. 

Local Eastern Iowa:

Tonight and Mondays snow
For The Eastern Iowa area the cause of tonight/tomorrows snow will be caused be a warm front. We can expect light snow to begin moving in late tonight around 12am or after. Snow will continue through the 1st part of Monday and could be heavy at times before quickly coming to an end around 11am or after. Southwest winds will gust to 30MPH at times Monday which even though highs will be in the middle 30s, will make it feel colder and could blow around some of the newly fallen snow. Snowfall accumulations are still somewhat uncertain due to not knowing where the exact placement of the band will be, however it appears as of right now most of the area will be in the 2"category, and it appears some spots will have the opportunity to see 3 possibly 4" The best area for this will be the Northeastern part closer to Monticello and Manchester. The Waterloo and Cedar Rapids metro areas will be probably see between 1-3" With Iowa City area seeing a half inch or less. Again this depends on the placement of the band, if it occurs farther north, like some models are showing, most areas will only see a half inch with higher amounts outside of our area. The ground is frozen enough that whatever snow falls will stick likely through Thanksgiving.

Tuesday and Wednesdays cold
 Tuesday and Wednesday the full brunt of the next shot of cold air will arrive. Tuesday will have blustery Northwest winds and low wind chills. Wednesday will be sunny with less winds, but both days will have highs in the middle to upper 20s with lows both nights in the lower 10s.

Thanksgiving Day-next weekend
Thanksgiving will bring lights winds with pleasantly moderating temperatures into the lower 30s. Expect easy travel conditions across the region as high pressure has a cold of our weather bring clear conditions for all areas. Lows will be in the upper 10s Next Weekend at 1st will  bring warmer temperatures in the middle to upper 30s Friday and Saturday with lows in the 20s, it will be pleasant, but winds will probably be breezy from the south. Sunday a fast moving cold front will push through dropping high temperatures back into the 20s and lows in the 10s. The front appears to go through dry.

Tonight: Snow developing, possibly moderate or heavy at times. Breezy South winds with lows in the upper 10s.

Monday, Snow in the morning, possibly moderate or heavy at times before ending. Total snowfall accumulations 1 to as much as 4" localized areas. Windy, southwest winds to 30MPH causing some blowing snow. Highs in the lower 30s with colder wind chills in the 20s. Monday night, Clear and chilly with lows in the upper 10s

Tuesday-Wednesday, Sunny and cold with blustery NW winds. Highs in the middle 20s. Wednesday not as blustery, Night time lows cold in the lower to mid 10s.

Thanksgiving Day, Sunny and nice! Light winds with highs in the lower 30s. Thursday night, Clear skies with lows in the upper 10s.

Friday-Saturday, Sunny skies with increasing S winds. Warmer with highs in the middle to upper 30s. Lows in the mid 20s

Sunday, Cloudy and colder with blustery NW winds. Highs in the upper 20s. Sunday Night, clearing skies with lows in the mid 10s.

Farther ahead Forecast

Into the 1st part of December, Monday and Tuesday will bring slightly warmer temperatures with chances for clouds coming into the picture, highs in the 30s appear likely. Tuesday the 4th a fast moving clipper system & arctic cold front may brush our area with snow and produce minor accumulations with gusty winds, which could cause a little bit of an issue it at comes true. Most snow appears to fall north of our area. Very cold temperatures with strong NW winds will be in place for Thursday the 5th. Friday the 6th another storm system right on the heels of Wednesdays one will produce another shot of snow, this time more north into Minnesota and Wisconsin. For us it will only bring briefly warmer temperatures Friday before the next cold front plows through. A Winter Storm worth watching then develops on Saturday the 7th which tracks from Arkansas to Ohio bring heavy snows and winds to our south, however it does brush Eastern Iowa and if it tracks more north we could be more effected, This one is worth watching. Very cold temperatures of course follow this winter storm and will be in place for the 1st part of the week of the 9th. Towards the middle of December the models do try to hint at the possibilities of a warm up for our area. December will be active.

November 11th snowfall totals, coldest airmas of the season-Arctic Airmass produced the areas 1st teens and single digit lows.

Snowfall at the Culver's Display Garden Marion,IA

An arctic airmass slammed into the region yesterday bring moderate heavy snow, strong northerly winds and dropping temperatures through the day on Monday. Monday morning started out mild and in the lower 40s. The cold front pushed through the the early afternoon hours and by 12pm Heavy Snow bands were moving through the area and temperatures fell into the lower 30s and upper 20s. A quick 0.60 to 1.00" of snow fell in a small but intense band of snow that moved from Minnesota through the state of Iowa. Skies cleared Tuesday night as the coldest night of the season so far was upon us. Lows fell into the into the lower teens and upper single digits, which allowed most of the snow that accumulated Monday to remain on the ground through the night adding to the Winter-Like feel., and now small ponds now have ice on them. This weather reminds me of my Northwest Wisconsin hometown. Below is a list of snowfall reports and lows seen.

Hiawatha, 0.75" 13.F
Cedar Rapids Eastern Iowa Airport, 0.70"  12.F
Solon 1.20" 12.F
Willamsburg 0.60" 12.F
Waterloo-Cedar Falls 0.60" 8.F
Independence 10.F
Iowa City 0.50" 16.F
Monticello 14.F 0.75"
Vinton 12.F 0.75"

November 5th/6th Sigificant Rainfall Ammounts & Gusty Winds

Yard November 5th 2013

Moderate to significant rainfall amounts were seen across Eastern Iowa this week all thanks to a vigorous low pressure system that moved through on Tuesday and Wednesday. The low tracked from Nebraska northwest of Des Monies then into Minnesota, this lead to mild southern air the be forced northward Tuesday. Temperatures actually rose through the day and into the night time hours, peaking around 1am with highs in the upper 50s to near 60. Waves of steady to moderate rain moved northeast through the area. Most places reported at least 0.30" of rain with the highest amounts seen in the central and northwest parts of the area, where some spots reported well over 1.00" amounts. For most communities this was the highest rainfall amounts since Mid Summer. Farther north on the storms northwest side, temperatures were much colder and snow fell, in some cases significant amounts up to 10" in parts of Southwest Minnesota. Snowfall was reported as far south as Northwest parts of Iowa near Estherville and Mars City areas 1-3" snowfall amounts were seen there. Here in Eastern Iowa, it was far to warm for snow during the time the precipitation was falling so it was all rain. It should also be noted that as the low strengthen and spun up stronger, southeasterly winds became quite gusty across our area peaking around 8pm Tuesday Evening. Sustained winds were in the 20MPH range with gusts up to 30MPH. Wind and rainfall amounts can be found below.

Independence 1.62" 28MPH
Waterloo-Cedar Falls 1.21" 28MPH
Easter Iowa Airport-Cedar Rapids 0.72" 29MPH
 Hiawatha-My Station 0.64"
Iowa City 0.47" 28MPH
Vinton 0.61" 31MPH
Washington 0.41" 28MPH
Monticello 0.31" 30MPH

October 30th-31st Rainfall amounts.

A storm system moved across Iowa over the past 2 days spreading widespread rain and even thunderstorms to the area. The center of low pressure past over Northern Iowa which brought a warm front surging northward through the day Wednesday October 30th. Warm temperatures in the upper 50s and lower 60s and high dewpoints in the 50s brought steady rain which was proceeded by lightning and thunder. The highest temperatures were seen around 12am when warmth was continuing to be pushed into our area. The rain shield from the storm spread all across Eastern Iowa, but the heaviest amounts were seen in Southeastern Iowa, where well over 1.50" even over 3" amounts were seen across the far south part of the area. Across Central and Northern areas, amounts were closer to 0.50 or 0.25 or less. Areas that say the highest amounts were south of I-80. Below is a list of rainfall amounts.


 Washington 3.17"
Iowa City 0.98"
Waterloo-Cedar Falls 0.62"
Cedar Rapids-Eastern Iowa Airport 0.51"
Hiawatha-My Station 0.46"
Vinton 0.41"
Monticello 0.32"

Fall Color Report- all areas peaking or at high color, however, fall color likely to be on the dull side for the area.

Regional Fall Color Report

Fall color across the region is peaking across Northern Iowa, Wisconsin and South Dakota. The South 1/3rd of Iowa is at high color as well as Illinois, Nebraska and Northern Missouri. Areas in Kansas and the rest of Missouri are only at moderate color at this time. Areas North and West of Minneapolis,MN to Eau Claire,WI have past peak and most trees are now bare.

Fall color in Hiawatha,IA

Fall color in most of Eastern Iowa is at peak or is near peak. Areas North of Cedar Rapids around the Highway 20 corridor around Waterloo-Cedar Falls to Independence is reporting peak color, and all other areas such as Cedar Rapids, Iowa City and Williamsburg are reporting high color. Most trees turning, Early trees are passing peak and mid-turning trees are in full color including Silver Maples & Sugar Maples, Ash, Hazelnuts, Hackberry. Late turning trees such as Oaks, Cottonwoods and Aspens are only starting to turn. When I look as the canopy of most woodlands there is still a fair amount of green in many areas, and even colored trees appear to be fairly dull. It is likely that the drought we had in August into September has put a bit of a damper on fall color across the area, however in some areas colors are bright and beautiful especially among Autumn Blaze Maples in new subdivisions in small towns and suburbs in Eastern Iowas Large Cities.

Fall Color Downtown Cedar Rapids

Fall color in Maples are bright and grasses have turned allowing for some addition the the fall color. Honey Locust Trees are turning yellow as well. In the Cedar Rapids area I've noticed the color appears the most beautiful in suburbs such as Robins, Marion and Hiawatha where Autumn Blaze Maples are highly planted, Northwest of Cedar Rapids towards Palo looking southeast at the Cedar River Valley, and the Mound View Area along the northern Cedar River Bluffs area of Cedar Rapids

This Silver Maple Maple in our yard has a bright yellow fall color.

Iowa City High Color
Cedar Rapids Metro High Color
Waterloo-Cedar Falls Peak Color
Monticello Peak Color
Williamsburg High Color
Independence Peak Color
Vinton High Color   
  

Areas 1st snow and frost report. Enitre are saw a growing season ending hard freeze, Low 20s reported

Snow accumulation Tuesday October 22nd

A couple new occurrences happened this week in terms of weather. While I was up nothing for my weekend, the areas 1st snow of the season occurred on Tuesday October 22nd from a band of light snow showers which spread across the central part of the state. Amounts were only around a trace to a quarter inch. This is earlier then snow would normally occur in Eastern Iowa as the average snow for October is 0.00"

Another occurrence in which happened this week was some areas 1st frost and freeze, these were mainly just areas which missed out on frosts earlier in the month. All areas reported a hard freeze when lows behind a cold front and the system the brought the snow dropped into the low to middle 20s during the coldest night which happened on Friday the 25th.  Even here in the city the frost was widespread and it ended the growing season. The low was 28.F here in Hiawatha. Outlying areas has lows in the lower to mid 20s.

 Eastern Iowa Airport 22.F
Waterloo 22.F
Iowa City 23.F
Mount Vernon 23.F
Vinton 25.F
Monticello 25.F
Central City 25.F
Washington 24.F
Hiawatha 28.F

Fall arriving with force. Chilly air to settle into the area with highs in the 40s and our 1st freeze likely by Monday. Snow flurries are even a possibility on Tuesday!

Regional Weather View.

Cool air has been making is way into the Upper Midwest lately and this will be the case coming into next week. This weekend a weak area of low pressure will be moving across Southern Minnesota which will spread rain and snow across that area. There is even a chance for a few inches of snow accumulation across Northern Minnesota and Wisconsin. As the low pressure system passes, there will be a brief push of warmer air across Iowa points south and highs will be in the 60s and 70s for one day ( Sunday ) However come Monday everyone will be on the cold side of the storm. Above the / represents highs Sunday compared to highs Monday.

Across Eastern Iowa Saturday will be cloudy and cool again, much like Friday was. Highs will be in the 50s and there will be breezy southeasterly winds. Saturday Night, skies will be partly cloudy and lows will drop into the low to middle 30s. Sunday we will be on the warm side of the system, and a brief push of warm air will be pushed into our area and highs will make it into the 60s before the storms cold front pushed through in the afternoon Sunday Night, there is a chance of light showers as the front pushes through otherwise it will be cloudy with lows in the upper 30s. Monday will be cold and blustery with highs only in the middle 40s. There will be a cold wind and skies will be mostly cloudy. Monday Night, skies will clear leading the our areas 1st official freeze. Not even city protected areas will be safe as temperatures will fall into the upper 20s to lower 30s so be sure to bring in houseplants for the season and cover and wanted annuals. Tuesday will be cloudy, cold and blustery there will be some wrap around showers on the back side of the low, temperatures could be cold enough that some snowflakes could mix in. Which would be Eastern Iowas 1st snow of the season. Expect lows to once again to be in the upper 20s to lower 30s Tuesday Night. Wednesday through Friday will feature clearing skies with temperatures being slow to rebound to near 50 by next Friday, with lows in the upper 20s to lower 30s.

Saturday, Cloudy & Chilly with strong southeast winds, slight chance for drizzle or sprinkles. Highs in the lower 50s Saturday Night, Clearing skies, lows in the low to middle 30s.

Sunday, Partly Sunny, gusty south winds with highs in the lower 60s. Sunday night, Cloudy skies with a chance for a few showers. Lows in the upper 30s.

Monday, Partly Sunny & Cold with blustery northwest winds. Highs in the middle to upper 40s. Monday Night, Clearing skies, Cold. Frost and freeze likely. Lows in the upper 20s to lower 30s.

Tuesday, Cloudy and Cold, Blustery North winds. A chance for a shower possibly mixing with flurries. Highs in the low to mid 40s. Tuesday Night, Cloudy skies with lows in the lower 30s.

Wednesday, Clearing skies and not as breezy. Highs in the upper 40s Wednesday Night, Partly Cloudy with lows in the lower 30s.

Thursday-Saturday, Partly Cloudy skies with highs rebounding to the upper 40s to lower 50s. Nighttime lows in the upper 20s to lower 30s.

Looking Ahead

The ahead forecast actually continues to look active. By next weekend we will be dealing with a fairly big weather producer rain showers spread across Iowa with snow in Minnesota where accumulations are possible, we could even end up with some flurries in our area. Monday through Tuesday look to be cold but dry as temperatures rebound slowly towards Halloween. Halloween at this point looks dry with seasonal temperatures. The model does show another storm system spreading heavy rains into Iowa in the early part of November.