While Iowans saw snowfall on St. Patrick’s Day a little over a week ago, some cities had near-record warmth Sunday. It’s one of those Iowa springs where you’ll likely be running the heater and the air conditioner within days of each other, maybe even on the same day.
National Weather Service meteorologist Steve Teachout says it’s not unusual. "Springtime is the volatile season of change in Mother Nature. You could have snow one week and then turn around and have fairly warm temperatures, like we’re having this week," Teachout says.
He says no records were broken in Iowa over the weekend, but there was a tie. Lamoni had 80-degrees Sunday, tying a record set in 1991. Several other cities were close to breaking records, including Mason City, Waterloo and Ottumwa, while Des Moines had 82-degrees Sunday, a day when the normal high was only 53. Teachout says don’t switch off your furnace yet as lows later this week may be back in the 30s across much of Iowa.
A Tornado Warning was issued Saturday night for Butler County in northeastern Iowa though no twister was confirmed. A hog building that was destroyed on a farmstead was believed struck by "straight line" winds, not a tornado.