Storm chances shifting east with wildfire smoke expected this weekend
The storm complex from Nebraska fell apart before reaching most of south-central Iowa this afternoon.
A lot of this was attributed to the clouds that blew ahead of the storms which slowed down daytime heating.
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There are still some storms forming over our far southeast, eastern and northern counties that could pack a punch in terms of gusty winds, hail and locally heavy rain through the mid to late evening hours. Our next big weather feature for the upcoming weekend will be the unfortunate return of wildfire smoke. This round of smoke is coming from fires that are burning out of control in parts of British Columbia and Alberta and will blow into the Upper Midwest via northwesterly winds through the atmosphere. This next round of smoke will grip pretty much all of Iowa and several surrounding states beginning Saturday morning and lasting through at least Monday. Expect hazy skies and air quality to be impacted as this smoke will mix down to the surface. Possibly by Tuesday, may start to see the smoke move out of Central Iowa as the winds in the mid and upper atmosphere start to become more westerly.
Outside of the smoke, there will be a couple of chances for isolated to scattered storms this weekend. On Saturday, there will be a low chance of a stray storm over north-central and northeast portions of the state during peak heating hours. On Sunday, coverage will increase as a cold front moves across the state. A few strong storms with gusty winds and hail cannot be ruled out during the afternoon and evening hours. Cooler and drier air will filter in behind the cold front on Monday leading for a pleasant day outside of the wildfire smoke. This will be short-lived, however, as warm moist air makes a comeback for the middle of next week with additional chances for storms next Tuesday and Wednesday.
Iowa weather forecast
Tonight: A chance of thunderstorms early then partly to mostly cloudy. Low 66F. Winds W at 5 to 10 mph.
Saturday: Partly cloudy. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. High 86F. Winds WNW at 10 to 15 mph.
Saturday night: A few clouds from time to time. Low 65F. Winds SE at 5 to 10 mph.
Sunday: Sunny to partly cloudy with isolated storms developing in the afternoon. High 87F. Winds NW at 5 to 10 mph.
Sunday night: Scattered thunderstorms in the evening, with mostly clear skies overnight. Low 61F. Winds NW at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 40%.