CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (KCRG) – The first day of school is going well weather-wise in many communities in eastern Iowa.

Quiet start to the school year

Our weather forecast for the start of Friday does not give cause for concern. Today, some areas of high clouds have moved in from the west, bringing showers and thunderstorms in Kansas and Nebraska. This precipitation will miss us, but we will feel the effects of these clouds at times today.

Otherwise, today’s scenario will generally follow that of the last few days pretty closely. Temperatures will rise fairly steadily after sunrise, reaching between 25 and 27 degrees Celsius in most areas. That’s a little warmer than yesterday, but not by much. Dew points will also stay within reasonable limits today, only reaching between 15 and 16 degrees Celsius. Again, a slight increase, but not as much as over the weekend.

Your first warning: Some storms early in the weekend, hotter and wetter weather into next week

As moisture returns to the region, scattered to isolated showers and thunderstorms may develop across parts of the region tonight. The latest advisories continue to suggest that western Iowa has a slightly higher chance of seeing this activity. However, it is close enough to TV9’s coverage area that we have a slight chance of a thunderstorm or two tonight that won’t start until after midnight.

That probability will continue during the day on Saturday, but will remain low. The warmer and wetter air mass will continue to push into eastern Iowa, leading to higher temperatures and dew points as early as Saturday. Temperatures will reach the mid-80s and dew points will likely be back in the 70s. Expect a pretty drastic difference from Saturday into early next week compared to the fairly dry air we’ve enjoyed this week.

Due to increased humidity, there is also a chance of showers and thunderstorms Saturday night. The chances are slightly higher than Friday night and Saturday due to the potential for thunderstorms to develop in eastern Iowa after dark. Severe weather is unlikely here, but some heavier rain is possible due to the humidity.

As warmer air in the atmosphere moves further north through Sunday, we should be cut off from the zone where showers and thunderstorms are more likely. This will lead to at least a few days of higher heat and humidity as skies remain mostly sunny Sunday through Tuesday. Highs on each day will be in the 30s to 35s, with Monday expected to be the warmest of the three days. Then, heat index readings could rise to 38s or more in parts of the region.

Your first warning: Another more active period ends next week

Later in the work and school week, we’ll start to see this weather pattern break up. When it occurs this time of year, it’s usually accompanied by at least a few shower and storm chances, and this should be no exception to that rule. Chances start Wednesday and continue through Friday, with the highest risk on Thursday night as a cold front moves through the region.

This front will push temperatures up from 30 to 35 degrees Celsius midweek and bring them back down to 21 degrees Celsius for most by the weekend. Dew points should also improve a bit by then.

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