Car thermometer shows the high temperature in Des Moines Thursday.
Parts of northern and central Iowa saw thunderstorms last night that brought thunder, lightning, high winds, and much-needed rain. The Waterloo area saw some of the highest rainfall totals.
Wednesday was a day of weather extremes in the Cedar Valley, beginning with record high temperatures, and finishing with heavy rains.
Temperatures yesterday afternoon reached all the way up to 104 degrees in Waterloo, beating the old record of 101 that was set 111 years ago.
Then around 9:00 last night, a system bringing rain, thunder, and lightning moved through the area. Official rainfall totals are not yet available, but National Weather Service radar estimates show that parts of eastern and southern Black Hawk County received between three and four inches of rain, with the entire area picking up at least a half inch of precipitation.
High winds accompanied the storm as well, and helped knock power out in parts of Waterloo and rural Black Hawk County. About 600 MidAmerican Energy customers were without power after the storm moved through. Nearly all of those customers have had their power restored this morning.
By Jesse Gavin, KCNZ, Cedar Falls