As the old saying goes, March is going out like a lion today as strong winds are blowing across much of Iowa. Most of the state is under a Wind Advisory until 7 o’clock tonight. Meteorologist Kurt Kotenberg, at the National Weather Service, says it’ll be a blustery day — and night. “Winds will be blowing around a good 20 to 25 miles per hour most of this afternoon,” Kotenberg says. “We could see wind gusts upwards of 35 maybe even 40 miles an hour during the thunderstorms we’re expecting to see later this afternoon.”
He says there’s a possibility for severe weather in parts of Iowa later today, as temperatures make a significant drop from the 60s and 70s. “We have dew points expected to be in the 40s, maybe low 50s, and it’s really hard to get widespread severe weather with values that low, but severe weather is still possible,” Kotenberg says. “There’s still enough forcing and things going on in the atmosphere to where we could see a few strong storms that could become severe.”
A large section of Iowa could have some rough weather in a few hours, with thunderstorms possible. “It’s looking like it will be just east of Interstate 35, from around Marshalltown to Waterloo all the way down to Ottumwa,” he says. “There’s a line that’s going to form in the late afternoon and move to the east. Scattered storms are expected with those. It’s just a question of how strong they become.”
Temperatures by Tuesday morning will be in the 20s and 30s statewide for lows, with highs tomorrow in the 40s and 50s. There is another chance of precipitation for later this week in the form of rain and snow.
(Reporting by Pat Powers, KQWC, Webster City)