While some of us in Siouxland saw heavy rain a couple of nights ago, others have been getting it since then.  Wednesday night it was southern and eastern Iowa getting in on the brunt of it.  Here’s a rainfall map of last night’s storms in Iowa:

Iowa rainfall

The area in red you see in southern Iowa is where Corydon, IA, had a measurement of 6.55 inches of rain.  

As these heavy rains have beenmoving east, we’ve finally been getting in on more sunshine.  This will continue into tomorrow despite the fact that a cold front will be moving in during the afternoon.  The front might be just enough to develop a shower, but the bigger story will be the cooler air it brings in for the weekend.  We’ll have all the details on News Channel 4 at 5, 6, and 10.

Ron Demers

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You heard it right, another shot of fall feeling air is on tap for the weekend. This shot of cool air looks very similar to many that we have experienced this summer.  Remember back in July when around the 4th of July some spots in the Dakotas were in the 60s while Sioux City and many other locations were in the 70s?  This system will bring about the same type of temperature spread for the Plains.  That will mean high temperatures in the northern portions of our area will be in the 60s, and the rest of us see 70s Saturday and Sunday. 

Forecast:

How does it get this cool in the summer?  It’s usually rain that wipes out the typical summer heat, but this time around it’s an upper level low dropping in from Canada. 

Saturday morning look at upper level flow:

Monday morning:

They’ll get the worst of the cool weather in the Great Lakes and northeast, while we start warming things up next week back to average as a warm weather upper level ridge flattens and pushes in from the Rockies.

Dave Winslow

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It turned out to be quite lightning-filled, rumbly night across Siouxland Monday night.  The storms started here in Sioux City shortly before 11:30 and didn’t end until the middle of the night.  These storms were “training” across the same area which can lead to some big rain totals.  Here’s a few examples that I’m talking about:

Monday Night

Now, while the airport here in town picked up the 1.93″ that you see in the graphic, we didn’t have quite as much here at KTIV with 1.24″ getting dumped from our rain gauge.  And then there was the other extreme as well with a report of 3″ coming in from the Morningside area.

We will not have a repeat performance tonight as our front is going to be farther south and that’s where the heavier rains should move to as well.

Tuesday night

And if the humidity is starting to get to you, good news.  It will become less humid overnight and the days ahead should be very mild and not humid at all.  Enjoy!

Ron Demers

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Some locations received 6-9″ of rain in both June and July, but August has been a bit drier. Here’s a look at Sioux City’s yearly and monthly precipitation update:

Are the rain chances tonight good? At this point they look pretty decent, and thankfully most of the storms won’t be severe.  Tune into KTIV News Channel 4 to see more about our rain potential with Chief Meteorologist Ron Demers at 5, 6, and 10 pm.
Dave Winslow

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A Severe Thunderstorm Watch has been posted for much of Siouxland tonight (Wednesday night) until 2 am.  Here’s the watch and the way the radar looked at 5:30 pm.

Severe T-Storm Watch 8/19/09

A cold front is pushing through Siouxland and the storms are forming just ahead of it.  The main threat from the storms will be large hail and wind.  The storms will push to the east throughout the night leaving just a few pop up showers left over on our cooler and windier Thursday.  Stay tuned to News Channel 4 for all of your severe weather updates.

Ron Demers

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One last update on this possible severe weather scenario until Chief Meteorologist Ron Demers steps in for the afternoon and evening shift.  We’re starting to see a little sunshine, and severe weather still looks to be on tap with hail and gusty winds the primary threats in the late afternoon and evening.  Here’s a link to a video forecast with a little more details and some fancy graphics to look at:

http://www.ktiv.com/Global/category.asp?C=123695&nav=menu1474_3

As Ron mentioned in a previous post, you can sign up for Storm Track 4 Weather Call at our website if you would like to get immediate calls to your phone with a recorded severe warning from Chief Meteorologist Ron Demers.

Dave Winslow

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We’ve been on the edge of the heightened risk area for severe storms but now the SPC has included portions of MN and the Dakotas into their outlook. 

The big question remains whether or not we can see some peeks of sun, but even without that happening this cold front and upper level storm system pushing through the Northern Plains should set the stage for severe storms after 4 PM in our area with primarily some gusty winds and large hail as the biggest threats.  We’ll have more about this online and on KTIV News Channel Four.

Dave Winslow

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After a pleasant couple of days, things could change a bit on us.  In fact, you may have noticed the humidity levels getting higher during the day today.  That additional moisture is going to combine with a cold front tomorrow afternoon to give us a chance of thunderstorms.

Our first chance of a storm could come later tonight as some storms out west could move into the area.  But better chances occur Wednesday afternoon as a cold front meets up with the humid air that will be over us.  I think the heaviest of rains move east before nightfall and that’s why the greatest severe chances are to the southeast of much of the Siouxland region.

With the front moving east of here by Wednesday night, you’ll see a noticeable change in our weather Thursday as it gets cooler, windier, and less humid.

If any severe storms pop up, stay tuned to News Channel 4 and we’ll keep you updated.  Also, check out our new offering called Storm Track 4 Weather Call where our automated system will call you if your home is in a warning, no matter the time of day.  Here’s a link for more information on it:  http://www.ktiv.com/global/Category.asp?c=170187

Ron Demers

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It’s been a while since many of us have seen an organized severe weather episode, but that could change Wednesday evening.  It may be a bit of a surprise to be contemplating severe weather because the humidity has disappeared over the last couple of days and it just feels tranquil.  You will be saying, “what a difference a day makes” by tomorrow afternoon as the humidity increases.  Dew points in the early afternoon Wednesday will be feeling tropical:

By Wednesday evening:

SPC outlook:

The timeframe for severe weather breaking out looks to be late afternoon and early evening, though there will be storms before this too. Be sure to check by from time to time either by watching our newscasts or internet video forecasts and blog postings.

Dave Winslow

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This weekend was a big one for tropical weather.  In my last blog (on Friday) I explained how the Atlantic Ocean was off to a slow start.  Well that’s all changed now.  Check out the Storm Team 4 Video Blog for an update.

Mike Zwier

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