18 JULY 2010 EXTENDED FORECAST

18 JULY 2010 EXTENDED FORECAST

MOST OF POW COUNTY DODGE A BULLET THIS MORNING.............

A CLUSTER OF STRONG THUNDERSTORMS DEVELOPED OVER NORTHWEST IOWA AND MOVED SOUTHEAST ACROSS THE STATE. HIGH WINDS OF 60 TO AS MUCH AS 85 MPH WERE REPORTED FROM NORTHWEST...INTO CENTRAL...AND PARTS OF SOUTH CENTRAL IOWA. HEAVY RAINFALL OCCURRED WITH THE STORMS WITH RAINFALL OF 1 TO 2 INCHES WITH THE HEAVIER STORMS.....RADAR INDICATED RAINFALL AMOUNTS SHOWS 1 INCH IN EXTREME SOUTHWEST POW COUNTY - LOCAL OBSERVATIONS SHOWED WIND GUSTS TO 30 MPH IN GRINNELL - 31 MPH IN MARSHALLTOWN - 84 MPH IN DES MOINES - 65 MPH IN WAUKEE - 60 MPH DES MOINES AIRPORT - 52 MPH IN NEWTON - AND 40 MPH IN KNOXVILLE..........A TORNADO WARNING WAS ISSUED BASED ON DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED STORMS SOUTH AND WEST OF OSKALOOSA.............

A COLD FRONT EXTENDING FROM WESTERN LAKE SUPERIOR...SOUTHWEST THROUGH WESTERN IOWA...INTO WEST CENTRAL KANSAS WILL MOVE SOUTHEAST TODAY. THE FRONT WILL STALL...EAST TO WEST ALONG THE IOWA/MO BORDER. THUNDERSTORMS WILL PERSIST ALONG AND AHEAD OF THE COLD FRONT TODAY AND TONIGHT.

AS THE FRONT STALLS...THUNDERSTORMS WILL DEVELOP ON BOTH SIDES OF THE FRONT. PERIODIC THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED FROM LATER TONIGHT THROUGH MUCH OF THE UPCOMING WEEK.

TEMPERATURES WILL BE SEASONABLE OVER IOWA AND AREAS NORTH THIS WEEK. THE HOT AND HUMID WEATHER WILL BE CONFINED TO THE SOUTHERN HALF OF IOWA (SOUTH OF I-80) AND AREAS SOUTH.

RING OF FIRE SET UP. HIGH PRESSURE CURRENTLY SITUATED OVER THE SOUTHWEST UNITED STATES WILL SLIDE SLOWLY EASTERWARD OVER THE WEEKEND - FORCING ANY SYSTEM DEVELOPMENT OVER THE WEST COAST TO MOVE STRAIGHT EAST, AND STAY WELL NORTH OVER THE NORTHERN PLAINS IN THE WEEK AHEAD. IOWA WILL BE ON THE NORTHERN FRINGES OF THE HIGH PRESSURE - MAKING US SEASONABLY WARM, AND A HIT AND MISS THUNDERSTORM TARGET THRU LATE WEEK. WE'LL SEE SHOWERS AND STORMS BREAKOUT AT ANY TIME ALONG THE STALLED FRONT. ANY STORM THAT DOES DEVELOP WILL BE CAPABLE OF HEAVY RAIN.

TODAY 18TH - MOSTLY TO PARTLY CLOUDY - SHOWERS ENDING THIS MORNING - THEN REDEVELOPING LATER THIS AFTERNOON SOUTH OF I-80 - TEMP NEAR 90

MONDAY THRU WEDNESDAY 19TH THRU 21ST - HOT/HUMID - PARTLY TO MOSTLY CLOUDY WITH DAILY SHOTS AT SHOWERS AND STORMS - HEAVY RAIN POSSIBLE MONDAY EVENING INTO TUESDAY MORNING - THEN AGAIN TUESDAY NIGHT INTO WEDNESDAY - TOTAL RAINFALL AMOUNTS REACHING 3 INCHES - TEMPS HIGH 80'S

THURSDAY THRU SATURDAY 22ND THRU 24TH - PARTLY CLOUDY WITH ISOLATED SHOWERS/STORMS - ALONG AND NORTH OF I-80 - GUSTY SW WIND - TEMPS NEAR 90

SUNDAY THRU THURSDAY 25TH THRU 29TH - PARTLY CLOUDY - HOT AND HUMID WITH HIGH TEMPS STEADY IN LOW 90'S THRU THURSDAY - DAILY HEAT INDEX OF AROUND 105F - EXPECT THUNDERSTORMS LATE WEDNESDAY INTO THURSDAY COOLING TEMPS BACK DOWN TO THE MID/HIGH 80'S AND HEAT INDEX'S BACK BELOW 90.................