Five counties in northwest Iowa are under an Extreme Heat Warning today while the rest of the state has a Heat Advisory posted.
Meteorologist Brooke Hagenhoff, at the National Weather Service, says it’s a steamy start to the week, but relief from the heat is coming soon.
“We’re expecting very warm conditions into the afternoon with a heat index from 100 to 105 or even hotter,” Hagenhoff says, “and then by the time we get into the evening hours, we’re going to have a cold front that starts to push across the state that will result in another round of thunderstorms.”
While some areas of northern Iowa got scattered light rain this morning, Hagenhoff says much wider areas of the state could see severe weather with the approaching storms.
“This round will be stronger and impact most of the state of Iowa,” Hagenhoff says. “We’re looking at damaging wind as the main concern but we could see large hail and pockets of heavy rain as well. Parts of northeast Iowa does have a low tornado threat with that afternoon and evening round of storms.”
The forecast shows we should have several days that offer a break from the extreme heat.
“It’s looking cooler and quieter for the rest of the week,” she says. “We’re looking at highs in the low to mid 80s at best and pretty dry until maybe late Wednesday and into Thursday before the next chance for any precipitation.”
The long-range forecast indicates much hotter weather is possible this coming weekend.
Another complication today, much of eastern Iowa is under an air quality alert due to wildfire smoke wafting in from the north.
(Pat Powers, KQWC, Webster City)