27 MARCH EXTENDED FORECAST

27 MARCH 2010

Sunrise: 7:00 AM CDT
Sunset: 7:29 PM CDT

TODAY IN WEATHER HISTORY:
1987 - A blizzard raged from southern Nebraska to central Iowa. Snowfall totals ranged up to 17 inches at Blue Hill NE. Winds gusted to 68 mph at Carroll IA. High winds produced snow drifts twenty feet high in western Iowa, and produced wind chill readings as cold as 30 degrees below zero in Nebraska. The snowfall total of 9.4 inches at Omaha NE was a record for the date.

27 MARCH EXTENDED FORECAST

A STORM SYSTEM OVER KANSAS AND OKLAHOMA CONTINUED TO STREAM CLOUDS ACROSS IOWA. THE CLOUD COVER HELPED KEEP LOW TEMPERATURES IN THE MID 30S TO LOWER 40S. THE WIND WAS OUT OF THE SOUTHEAST AT 10 TO 15 MPH.

THE LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM TO THE SOUTH WILL TRACK ACROSS NORTHERN OKLAHOMA TODAY AND INTO THE LOWER OHIO VALLEY ON SUNDAY. A LARGE SWATH OF RAIN CAN BE EXPECTED NORTH OF THE SYSTEM ACROSS KANSAS, MISSOURI, AND THE SOUTHERN IOWA (SOUTH OF I-80). CHANCES FOR PRECIPITATION DIMINISH NORTHWARD INTO IOWA WITH VERY DRY AIR IN PLACE.

TODAY 27TH - MOSTLY CLOUDY WITH AFTERNOON RAIN SHOWERS - GUSTY WINDS - TEMP 52

SUN 28TH - MORNING RAIN SHOWERS - WINDY - THEN PARTLY CLOUDY - TEMP 56

A WARMER PATTERN WILL DEVELOP NEXT WEEK. WE WILL SEE THE WARMEST READINGS OF THE YEAR AND NO PRECIPITATION THROUGH THE WEEK......THE WEEK OF THE 29TH IS SETTING UP TO BE THE NICEST WEATHER WE'VE SEEN THUS FAR THIS YEAR......HIGH PRESSURE WILL DOMINATE AND SET UP OVER IL AND ANCHOR ITSELF THE ENTIRE WEEK. THIS WILL KEEP US UNDER PARTLY CLOUDY SKIES WITH STRONG SOUTHERLY FLOW FOR 4-5 DAYS STRAIGHT - PUSHING OUR DAILY HIGH TEMPS TO THE MID/HIGH 70'S BY LATE WEEK.

MON THRU FRIDAY 29TH-APRIL 2ND - PARTLY CLOUDY WITH GUSTY SOUTHWEST WINDS - CLOUDS WILL INCREASE LATE WEEK - TEMPS WILL RISE THRU THE WEEK FROM THE HIGH 50'S TO MID 70'S BY WEEKS END

APRIL 3RD THRU APRIL 12TH.................

JUST AS WE HAVE A GOOD WEEK OF DRYING, ANOTHER WEATHER MAKER DEVELOPS OVER THE ROCKIES EAST RANGE LATE WEEK - CLOUDS WILL INCREASE OVER THE MIDWEST - DEVLOPING A LARGE AREA OF UNSETTLED WEATHER THAT HAS THE EARMARKS TO SET IN OVER THE AREA THAT COULD LAST A WEEK TO 10 DAYS. PERIODS OF MODERATE RAINFALL IS LIKELY WITHIN ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS THRU OUT THE WEEK. IF THE PATTERN TURNS OUT LIKE I THINK IT WILL, WE'LL POSSIBLY SEE HEAVY/SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS AROUND THE 3RD, AND AGAIN ON THE 6TH - 8TH. THESE TWO TIME PERIODS WILL ALSO PRODUCE THE MOST RAINFALL OF THE WEEK - 2/3 OF THE TOTAL RAINFALL FOR THE ENTIRE MONTH OF APRIL COULD COME THRU THIS PERIOD.....

TEMPS WILL BE MORE SEASONAL BEGINNING ON THE 3RD, BUT REACHING INTO THE HIGH 60'S BY MID-PERIOD. ON OR AROUND THE 3RD, A LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM WILL KICK OUT OF THE OK/TX PANHANDLE AND TRACK NE THRU KANSAS AND IOWA - PUSHING SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS, ALONG WITH GUSTY SOUTH WINDS NORTHWARD..........

A FAIRLY STRONG FRONTAL SYSTEM WILL SHOW IT'S TEETH ON THE 6TH OR 7TH. A MONTANA LOW WILL DEVELOP ON THE FRONT AND TRACK SOUTHEAST INTO NORTHERN IOWA BY MONDAY THE 5TH. RIGHT NOW IT LOOKS LIKE STRONG SOUTHERLY FLOW WILL DEVELOP FROM THE GULF COAST NORTHWARD. AN AREA OF THUNDERSTORMS WILL DEVELOP WELL AHEAD OF THE FRONT FROM ARKANSAS - MO - IOWA ON THE 6TH.

SAT 3RD - RAIN SHOWERS/THUNDER - GUSTY SOUTH WINDS - TEMP MID 50'S

SUN 4TH - PARTLY CLOUDY - WINDY OVERNITE - TEMP HIGH 50'S

MON THRU FRI 5TH-9TH - CLOUDY - WINDY - DAILY SHOWERS/ISOLATED THUNDER - HIGH TEMP MID/HIGH 60'S - (MUCH COOLER AFTER THE 7TH)

SAT - 10TH - PARTLY CLOUDY - TEMP HIGH 60'S

SUN AND MON 11TH/12TH - CLOUDY AND RAIN

QUOTE ON TORNADO FORECAST BY JOE BASTARDI (SENIOR FORECASTER, ACCUWEATHER)
"The Big Dog is trumpetting the above normal April for tornadoes that I am forecasting. We have had well below normal so far this year, but by the end of April, we may be above normal. Get ready storm chasers, your time is coming, For the rest of us who get no joy out of bullwhips from the sky, it looks like a rough month".

Severe Weather Awareness Week -- April 5-9, 2010, COULD BE FITTING DURING THE NEXT WEEK OR SO.........
http://www.crh.noaa.gov/news/display_cmsstory.php?wfo=dmx&storyid=21228&source=0