29 MARCH EXTENDED FORECAST

29 MARCH 2010

Sunrise: 6:57 AM CDT
Sunset: 7:31 PM CDT

TODAY IN WEATHER HISTORY
1920 - The worst tornado disaster of record occurred in Chicago IL as a tornado killed 28 persons and caused three million dollars damage.

29 MARCH EXTENDED FORECAST

A RIDGE OF HIGH PRESSURE WAS STRETCHED ACROSS CENTRAL IOWA EARLY THIS MORNING. THE COMBINATION OF CLEAR SKIES AND LIGHT WINDS ASSOCIATED WITH THE HIGH PRESSURE ALLOWED TEMPERATURES TO DROP INTO THE MID 20S OVER PORTIONS OF NORTH AND CENTRAL IOWA.

THE AREA OF HIGH PRESSURE WILL SLIDE OFF TO THE EAST TODAY. SOUTHERLY WINDS WILL DEVELOP ON THE BACK SIDE OF THE DEPARTING HIGH AND WILL BRING MUCH WARMER TEMPERATURES TO THE REGION THOUGH THE END OF THE WEEK. HIGH TEMPERATURES IN THE 60S AND 70S ARE EXPECTED ON TUESDAY THEN WIDESPREAD 70S WEDNESDAY AND THURSDAY. A COUPLE AREAS IN SW IOWA MAY EVEN LOW 80'S, DEPENDING ON CLOUD COVER.....PRECIPITATION CHANCES WILL INCREASE FROM WEST TO EAST ON FRIDAY AS A COLD FRONT APPROACHES.

A WARMER PATTERN HAS DEVELOPED FOR THE WEEK AHEAD. WE WILL SEE THE WARMEST READINGS OF THE YEAR AND NO PRECIPITATION THROUGH THE NEXT 4-5 DAYS......HIGH PRESSURE WILL DOMINATE AND SET UP OVER IL. THIS WILL KEEP US UNDER PARTLY CLOUDY SKIES WITH STRONG SOUTHERLY FLOW FOR WEEK AHEAD - PUSHING OUR DAILY HIGH TEMPS TO THE MID/HIGH 70'S BY LATE WEEK.

TODAY THRU FRIDAY 29TH-APRIL 2ND - PARTLY CLOUDY WITH GUSTY SOUTHWEST WINDS - CLOUDS WILL INCREASE BY LATE FRIDAY AS SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS DEVELOP WEST TO EAST OVERNITE AND INTO THE EARLY MORNING HOURS SATURDAY - TEMPS WILL RISE THRU THE WEEK FROM THE HIGH 50'S TO MID 70'S BY WEEKS END.

APRIL 3RD THRU APRIL 14TH.................

NO REAL CHANGES TO PREVIOUS THINKING - 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.....AN AREA OF STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WILL FIRE THRU KANSAS, NW MO, AND INTO SOUTH CENTRAL IOWA.

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 - EARLY MORNING SHOWERS AND THUNDER - THEN 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 THRU TUES 10TH-13TH - PARTLY CLOUDY - TEMP HIGH 60'S

WED 14TH - SHOWERS

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