CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (KCRG) – Parts of TV9’s coverage area could experience severe thunderstorms as a cold front moves through.

Your first warning: Danger of severe weather until the early morning hours

The Storm Prediction Center has issued a severe weather warning for parts of the broadcast area until 10 p.m. Although many areas are not yet covered by this warning, the risk of severe weather extends to large parts of TV9’s broadcast area this evening.

While there has been little widespread severe weather so far this evening, there have been some reports of hail and strong winds near the Iowa-Minnesota border. This gives an idea of ​​how high the risk is, and the threat of stronger storms is not quite over yet.

Accumulated thunderstorms are still possible for the remainder of the evening into the early hours of Friday morning. This activity will generally move eastward at 30 to 40 mph. Heavy hail and damaging winds are the primary dangers with these storms if a storm organizes to become severe. Isolated tornadoes cannot be ruled out with this line of storms, but conditions suggest that would be a secondary threat.

Pay attention to the weather during this time! It’s important that you have ways to receive alerts that can alert you while you sleep. A NOAA weather radio is a great tool in this case. Make sure it’s plugged in, turned on, and ready to receive alerts before you go to bed. We also recommend the KCRG-TV9 First Alert Weather App, which will give you customized alerts for your location. Of course, we also provide updates on KCRG.com and KCRG-TV9 as needed.

If a storm is approaching your area, seek shelter indoors. If a warning is issued, move to the lowest level of your home, away from windows. In the case of a tornado warning, put as many walls as possible between you and the outside world, such as an indoor closet or bathroom. A basement is best if you have one. Cover your head and neck with pillows or blankets, or a bike helmet if you have one. If you’re in an RV, exit it to find better shelter. If you’re surprised outdoors, try to find indoor shelter. As a last resort, lie flat in a ditch, protecting your head and neck. Do not seek shelter under bridges or overpasses.

For many of us, storm activity should subside after midnight, but for communities in our southern zone and along Iowa’s eastern border, it could linger until about 2:00 a.m. After that, we can all expect clearing skies and calmer conditions with lows in the low 60s.

Your first warning: Expect a break on Friday, more rain and storms this weekend

It doesn’t look like much cooler air will arrive in eastern Iowa behind this cold front, giving us a chance for severe weather. Highs will still be in the 30s and 35s on Friday, with a fair amount of humidity still present. Skies will return to mostly sunny skies, however, and the forecast for Friday night promises dry weather for the area’s high school football games.

Wet weather returns Saturday through early next week. There will be intermittent rain and a few thunderstorms, but Saturday will start dry for most of us. The wettest period is expected to be Saturday night into Sunday night, and may even last into Monday for some of us. Before that, activity should be a little more scattered on Saturday.

Because repeated heavy rains are possible over the next few days, the rainfall amounts between all of these rains could be significant. Rainfall amounts could easily exceed 1 inch in many places, and with several heavier rains and storms, rainfall amounts could be 2 inches or more.

Some relief after the significantly above-average temperatures next week

If you’ve been hoping for conditions that feel a little more like the calendar, then next week is the time to look forward to. Temperatures will get noticeably cooler starting on Sunday, with highs reaching just 18 to 21 degrees on Sunday and Monday, while there will be widespread clouds, showers and storms.

Once the major storm system moves away, the 9-day forecast will include more sunshine for Tuesday and the days following. This may bring highs back up a bit toward the mid 70s, with overnight lows in the upper 40s to mid 50s. While this is still a bit above normal in many cases, it brings us closer to what might be expected for late September.

Dry weather is also likely during this time, at least within our 9-day period.

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