5 MARCH EXTENDED FORECAST

5 MARCH EXTENDED FORECAST

I AM STILL CONFIDENT IN THE SRN BRANCH OF THE JET STREAM REMAINING THE DOMINATE FORCE. IT'S ALSO THE THE WARMEST OF THE TWO. THEREFORE, AN ALL RAIN EVENT IS LIKELY THRU THE FORECAST PERIOD. HOWEVER, WINTER IS NOT OVER, AND PERIODS OF A RAIN/SNOW MIX (ESP AT NITE) IS NOT OUT OF THE PICTURE. I BELIEVE AVERAGE TEMPS WILL REMAIN AT OR BELOW NORMAL OVER THE NEXT TWO WEEKS...............WE WILL NOT SEE A FULL-BLOWN SPRING UNTIL APRIL.

High pressure will provide Partly Cloudy skies and warming temps. An upper level disturbance will enter the region early Saturday and provide chances of rain throughout much of Iowa...with freezing rain possibilities along and North of I80 during the early morning hours Saturday. A light glaze is possible however, temperatures are expected to quickly warm into the upper 30s to the 40s again...which will melt any ice accumulations by late morning Saturday.

SATURDAY 6TH: LOW TEMP 27 - FREEZING DRIZZLE - LT RAIN BY 9AM (ISOLATED THUNDER THRU AFTERNOON) - WIND SE 12 GUSTING TO 20MPH - HIGH 42

SUNDAY 7TH: LT RAIN AND FOG - THEN MOSTLY CLOUDY MID AFTERNOON - HIGH 43 (TOTAL PRECIP/RAIN 1/4-1/2 INCH)

MONDAY 8TH - MOSTLY CLOUDY - WIND LT AND VARIABLE - RAIN BY EVENING - HIGH 45

TUESDAY 9TH AND WED 10TH - LT TO MODERATE RAIN WITH THUNDERSTORMS - WIND EAST 12 GUSTING TO 20MPH - RAIN MAY MIX WITH SNOW OVERNITE - (PRECIP/RAIN, 8TH AND 9TH 1/2+ INCH)

THURS 11TH - RAIN/SNOW MIX

12TH-14th - CLOUDY - RAIN/SNOW

IS WINTER OVER YET??????
Not by a long shot. We are getting a little break from all the action right now, but Old Man Winter still has some tricks yet to be played.

One must note that in regard to weather, March could very well be the worst month of the year. March has it all, from raging blizzards and cold waves to devastating outbreaks of severe thunderstorms and tornadoes. About the only thing you don't see much of in March are tropical storms.

How many of you were around to witness the Great March Blizzard of 1993? The great extent of the extreme weather produced by that storm is about the worst you'll ever see anytime, anywhere.

March is an extreme time due to the titanic battle between air masses that often occurs. To the north, it's still cold enough to pass as midwinter, while to the south the atmosphere is warming by incredible rates. These temperature extremes create a huge amount of stress, which is somewhat relieved during the passage of major cyclones (storms).

No my friends, winter is not over yet. It's Just catching its wind for some other ruckus it will cause down the road.

ON THE FLIP-SIDE OF WINTER WEATHER:
Beginning in March and continuing through April, there is a great amount of turmoil in the atmosphere. This happens because of the increasing amount of heat energy being received from the sun. The strong surface heating plus cold air aloft create a very unstable environment in which the air is constantly overturning. When a strong front encounters this volatile field, the threat of severe thunderstorms becomes high. Interaction with the jet stream can cause the thunderstorms to unleash strong surface winds and destructive tornadoes. On average, the frequency of tornadoes increases significantly during March and April, and reaches peak in May and early June.

Story by AccuWeather.com Senior Meteorologist John Kocet