17 MARCH EXTENDED FORECAST

17 MARCH EXTENDED FORECAST

SKIES WILL BECOME MOSTLY TO PARTLY CLOUDY WITH TEMPERATURES WARMING CONSIDERABLY DURING THE AFTERNOON...ESPECIALLY ACROSS THE EASTERN HALF OF THE STATE. THE WARMING TREND WILL CONTINUE ON THURSDAY AS MANY LOCATIONS WILL SEE THEIR HIGHEST READINGS OF THE YEAR SO FAR. HOWEVER...THIS SPELL OF MILD AND QUIET WEATHER WILL BE SHORT LIVED AS A STORM SYSTEM IS POISED TO AFFECT THE REGION ON FRIDAY AND SATURDAY AND USHER IN COOLER TEMPERATURES INTO NEXT WEEK. RAIN WILL SPREAD FROM WEST TO EAST ACROSS IOWA ON FRIDAY...CHANGING TO OR MIXING WITH SNOW BEFORE ENDING LATE SATURDAY NITE/EARLY SUNDAY....PRECIP TOTALS WILL BE HARD TO FORECAST - HIGHLY DEPENDENT ON EXACTLY WHEN THE RAIN CHANGES TO SNOW. I'M COUNTING AN EARLY MORNING MIX CHANGING TO ALL SNOW THRU THE DAY ON SAT - WITH THE HEAVIEST SNOWFALL SOUTHEAST THRU NORTHWEST OF US (POW CTY)...........

WED 17TH AND THURS 18TH - MORNING FOG - PARTLY TO MOSTLY CLOUDS - HIGH 58-64

FRI 19TH - PARTLY TO MOSTLY CLOUDY - RAINSHOWERS/THUNDERSTORMS (POSSIBLY STRONG STORMS) LATE IN DAY AND EVENING AND GUSTY SOUTH WINDS - HIGH 53

SAT 20TH - BY EARLY MORNING: RAIN WILL CHANGE TO SNOW - A NARROW BAND OF LT TO MODERATE SNOW WILL DEVLEOP FROM THE NW AND MOVE SE ON A LINE WITH THE LEADING EDGE FROM LAMONI TO NEWTON TO WATERLOO - ALL RAIN SOUTH AND EAST OF THE LINE........POWESHIEK COUNTY: MORNING RAIN MIXED WITH SNOW BY NOON - ALL SNOW BY MID AFTERNOON LASTING THRU EARLY SUNDAY MORNING.......(TOTAL SNOW ACCUMULATION 3PM SATURDAY THRU AFTER MIDNITE: 2-4 INCHES)

SUN 21ST - SNOW SHOWERS THRU NOON THEN MOSTLY CLOUDY AND WINDY - HIGH TEMP 37

MON 22ND - PARTLY CLOUDY - HIGH TEMP 40

NEXT TIMEFRAME/WEATHER MAKER TO WATCH? 25TH THRU 28TH...............