Weather Forecast

KCRG TV9 First Alert Forecast For Dubuque and the Tri-States

KCRG Weather Blog

More below average temperatures to come

Have you been loving the below-average temperatures we’ve been having in Eastern Iowa? It looks like we are going to continue that trend heading into September. The Climate Prediction Center put out their 8-14 day outlook, which puts the state of Iowa under in the blue, which means below normal temperatures. This holds true with our forecast at this point, with highs only in the low to mid-70s in the extended forecast. Lows overnight look to stay in the 50s for most locations as well, with the more northern portions of our area with the possibility with the 40s. Although it may not be fall yet, the new season is just around the corner. The first official day of fall is September 23rd.

Are we done with highs in the 90s?

Statistically, time is ticking away! Our 90-degree window closes quickly after about the first week of September. Odds are about 1-in-4 to reach 90 degrees during the first week of September, but reduce to about 1-in-14 by the second week! Odds continue to lower from there. While there can be random spikes in temperature, the general trend is down in September. Our 9-Day Forecast continues to show a cooler trend for the very end of August. Just beyond, the first week of September could be cool as well with highs mainly in the 70s.

This week’s rain helped improve the drought

Last week’s Drought Monitor showed drought developing across parts of Iowa. This week’s Drought Monitor, which includes weather data through 7 a.m. Tuesday, shows improvement where the heaviest rain fell both Sunday morning and early Tuesday. One moderate drought area, roughly between Highway 30 and Interstate 80 west of the Cedar Rapids/Iowa City areas, is now completely gone. Moderate drought is still noted in Linn County toward the east, then south to the Quad Cities. It also wraps back toward Mount Pleasant. Abnormally dry conditions, which are not considered drought, continue for many areas generally south of Highway 20. Again, some of the rainfall from Tuesday’s storms is not included in this week’s update because it fell after the cutoff time. That would especially be the case in far eastern and southern Iowa.

Tuesday’s storms brought a big helping of rain to some places

A line of storms brought widespread rain to eastern Iowa, although far northern and far southern Iowa had less compared to others. Here are observations from around the area: Keystone: 3.72” Iowa Falls: 3.68” Clutier: 3.45” Williamsburg: 3.10” Hills: 3.04” Belle Plaine: 3.00” Oxford: 2.39” Traer: 2.32” Dike: 2.25” Cascade: 2.19" Dysart: 1.97” Iowa Falls (airport): 1.90” Tiffin (Clear Creek Amana HS): 1.89” Iowa City (airport): 1.87” Waterloo (airport): 1.80” Cedar Rapids (airport): 1.77” Marengo: 1.76” Iowa City (Regina HS): 1.70” Hartford: 1.66” Cedar Rapids (Kennedy HS): 1.65” Cedar Falls (Cedar Falls HS): 1.64” Cedar Rapids (west side): 1.52” North Liberty: 1.41” Solon (Solon MS): 1.41” Cedar Rapids (north side): 1.34” Marshalltown (airport): 1.30” Coralville: 1.20” Cedar Rapids (Washington HS): 1.17” Cedar Rapids (Xavier HS): 1.17” Dubuque (west side): 1.05” Marion (Marion HS): 1.04” Tipton: 1.03” West Branch: 0.95” Solon (Lake Macbride): 0.94” Cedar Rapids (Kennedy HS): 0.89” Clinton (airport): 0.84” Marion (Linn-Mar HS): 0.83” Ottumwa (airport): 0.80” Reinbeck: 0.79” Vinton (Vinton-Shellburg HS): 0.77” Columbus Junction: 0.74” Conesville: 0.68” Dubuque (Hempstead HS): 0.67” Sigourney (Sigourney Jr-Sr HS): 0.65” Dubuque (airport): 0.59” Waterloo (Expo HS): 0.59” Waterloo (East HS): 0.58” Fairfield (airport): 0.55” Central City (Scout Reservation): 0.53” Dubuque (Senior HS): 0.47” Washington: 0.46” Olin: 0.45” Urbana: 0.45” Anamosa: 0.44” Sigourney: 0.44” Dyersville (Beckman HS): 0.42” Wyoming (Midland HS): 0.42” Mount Pleasant (airport): 0.39” Manchester (West Delaware HS): 0.35” Independence: 0.32” Vinton (airport): 0.30” Hazleton: 0.27” Waverly: 0.27” Garber: 0.23” Tripoli: 0.22” Littleport: 0.20” Elkader: 0.12” Oskaloosa (airport): 0.12” Charles City (airport): 0.11”

Iowa recorded its 38th tornado of the year on Sunday

A brief tornado spun up in Clinton County near Grand Mound early Sunday morning. A National Weather Service crew rated it an EF-0, the lowest ranking on the tornado damage scale. This was the 38th tornado of the year in Iowa, which is a little under the average through mid-August. The average for a whole year is 46, although the actual number is quite changeable. Recently, 2018 had 69, 2017 had 55, and 2016 had 43. The fewest since 1980 was 16 in 2012 and the most was 120 in 2004. The map shows the location of each recorded tornado this in 2019. Blue tornadoes were ones rated EF-0, green are EF-1, yellow are EF-2, and orange is EF-3. The two gray ones in Scott County are EF-U, for “unknown,” because meteorologists could not find any damage to give them a rating. So far this year, 25 of the tornadoes have been EF-0. Seven were rated EF-1, three were EF-2, and one was EF-3. Two were rated EF-U. The second Iowa tornado of the year, a nighttime EF-2 near Adair in western Iowa on May 22, killed one person and injured another. The other tornado death was on May 29 near Montezuma from an EF-1 tornado. None of the other 36 tornadoes caused any injuries or deaths. While most of Iowa’s tornadoes happen in April through July, an average of about 10% of them occur between mid-August and the end of the year. Fall can still offer up severe weather.