Thunderstorms this morning awakened many in Southeast Iowa. National Weather forecaster Linda Engebretson in the Quad Cities says they arrived before dawn.Thunderstorms were producing hail by 4 AM, then another came through between six and 7 AM, with winds as high as 80 MPH. It dropped south yesterday afternoon but a warm layer aloft kept anything from developing until this morning. Engebretson says the front that caused the morning storms will leave Iowa a much more comfortable place to live today, with lower temps and humidity. There could be record lows across eastern Iowa tomorrow morning, and dewpoints are now in the comfortable range with the Quad Cities only headed for 80 for a high — she adds by this evening it should be nice. The morning storms across the southeastern third of Iowa downed trees and powerlines, leaving many residents without electricity.
