Spring Arrives with Wintry Weather Ahead
CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (KCRG) - Warmer weather is back again, but it will be quickly replaced by seasonal air and a more active weather pattern to end the week.
Happy Spring Equinox! Spring officially arrives later today at 10:06 pm - the earliest in over 100 years!
Just as spring arrives astronomically, temperatures are climbing through the 50s today. Some could even reach the low 60s in the south. Mostly sunny skies with only a few high-level cirrus clouds and northwesterly winds continue throughout the day. Winds shift as a cold front advances into the area but cooler air will lag, not arriving until we get into the day tomorrow. More notable will be the increase in winds just after the front moves through, gusting to near 30 mph through the afternoon today.
Take note, the high winds and dry air couple together yet again to lead to an elevated fire risk. Please consider putting off any outdoor burning today.
Your First Alert: Cooler and more active
The cold air behind this cold front arrives tomorrow as highs fall back into the 40s and stay there for the foreseeable future.
We continue to watch the potential for a few waves of precipitation later in the week that, when coupled with the cooler air, could lead to the potential for a variety of precipitation types, and, in some cases, heavy precipitation amounts.
The first storm system comes before a more substantial shift in the pattern, dropping in from the northwest by later Thursday into Friday. This Alberta clipper-type low tracks just to our southwest, laying out a temperature gradient across the TV9 viewing area. On the cold side of the system, a rain/snow mix or all snow will likely take place, with just plain rain on the warm side south of a narrow section of a possible wintry mix.
With relatively warm temperatures in place, and recent warm temperatures keeping ground temperatures warm, accumulation could be somewhat limited. However, it does appear that the potential for snow that sticks will be in places for parts of the viewing area. Right now, the storm’s apparent track favors areas along and north of U.S. Highway 20 for that potential. This could cause impacts for your Friday morning commute, with some slick roads possible.
That system exits early on Friday, giving us a decent break through much of Saturday. Temperatures stay a little bit below normal for late March during this period, likely only in the low to mid 40s at best. After some partial clearing on Friday night, clouds increase throughout Saturday as our next storm system moves closer.
We feel the effects of that system from precipitation becoming a threat later Saturday night into Sunday. This initial push of precipitation has the best chance at providing some wintry impacts, with snow, a rain/snow mix, or rain moving in. Again, areas farther north in the viewing area are a little more favored for icy or snowy conditions here, and there will be the potential for heavier amounts.
A secondary low pressure system will follow the first, with the latest data we have showing some tendency for this second low to follow a very similar path to the first. This means that we could be in for a prolonged period where precipitation will be likely, from Sunday into at least early Tuesday. Rain, snow, and even thunderstorms will be possible in this scenario.
One thing that seems pretty certain with this weather pattern is that storm systems will have easy access to copious moisture from the Gulf of Mexico. This unusually high amount of water in the atmosphere for this time of year means that no matter what kind of precipitation falls, the liquid amounts will almost certainly exceed an inch, with totals above 2 inches well within the realm of possibility.
Of course, we are still several days away. Changes in the track or timing of these storm systems would have significant impacts on our forecast, whether increasing or decreasing the chance for precipitation, or keeping us more on the frozen or liquid side of things. We urge you to stay with us here on KCRG.com, the KCRG-TV9 First Alert Weather App, and KCRG-TV9 for updates between now and later in the week. As soon as we know of any changes, we’ll let you know.
Amid this active pattern, we’ll generally stay cooler than what most of the month has been so far. Near or below normal temperatures are likely for most of eastern Iowa from Tuesday onward, lasting into at least the middle of next week. There will be variations in temperatures as these storm systems pass by, with the potential for limited parts of the viewing area to be notably warmer than our 9-day forecast depicts depending on the placement of various warm and cold fronts. Similarly, some areas could be colder than the 9-day as it stands, which represents a bit of a middle-of-the-road outlook.
If you’re looking for warmer weather, it may take until the very tail end of March or early April for the chance for above normal temperatures to increase. However, that’s even farther out than the 9-day forecast, and is very much subject to change.
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