A training session for severe weather spotters in Carroll County that was scheduled for tonight is cancelled due to the threat of, wait for it, severe weather.
National Weather Service meteorologist Brad Small says if you didn’t get your lawn mowed over the weekend, this afternoon may be your last chance for a while.
“There’ll be big changes from what we’ve seen over the weekend, with plenty of sunshine and warm temperatures,” Small says. “The chances for precipitation, particularly showers and thunderstorms, will increase sharply as we go into the night tonight, and we’ll have another round or two of storms on Tuesday.”
A Red Flag Warning is posted today for 21 northwest Iowa counties, as the fire risk is very high to extreme, but that risk will likely be long-gone soon as much-needed rain is heading in.
“The storms later tonight could be severe across western Iowa, with the main threat being large hail, even higher threats of severe weather across Nebraska and Kansas, if you’re heading that way,” Small says, “but the severe weather threat will be squarely over Iowa by Tuesday, with a slight-to-enhanced risk of severe weather that’s two out of five and three out of five on the scale.”
This may be the first round of severe weather this spring, and Small says anyone who might be new to Iowa should take note.
“Large hail, damaging winds and tornadoes will all be possible on Tuesday,” Small says, “so it’s a good idea to review your severe weather action plan, have multiple ways to receive warnings, and also have your safe shelter places identified ahead of time.”
Des Moines set a record high of 88 degrees on Sunday, beating the previous record of 87, set in 2006. Small says highs this week should drop back into the seasonal 50s and 60s, with lows in the 30s and 40s.