Severe storms and heat are in the holiday weekend forecast. National Weather Service meteorologist Kevin Deitsch says scattered thunderstorms could develop this afternoon – with an even better chance for storms later tonight.
“Tonight, the main threat is going to be hail and isolated damaging winds, but no tornado threat,” Deitsch says.
Storms producing hail and high winds are also possible Sunday night into Monday. High temperatures today are expected to reach the upper 70s, while a warm front will push into the state overnight.
“We’re going to get pretty steamy for the weekend,” Deitsch says. “Temperatures across Iowa (on Saturday) will be in the mid to upper 80s and even some low 90s across western Iowa. On Sunday, temperatures will reach the low to mid 90s.”
The hot weather is unusual for Memorial Day weekend. Records could be broken, especially on Sunday. The record high in Des Moines for May 27th is 90-degrees, set in 1977. Normal high temperatures for late May are in the mid-70s.