Weather Forecast
KCRG TV9 First Alert Forecast For Dubuque and the Tri-States
KCRG TV9 FIRST ALERT FORECAST FOR SUNDAY OCTOBER 21, 2018
TODAY: SUNNY AND BREEZY AT TIMES. HIGH 51. WIND SW 10-20.
TONIGHT: PARTLY CLOUDY. LOW 34. WIND SW 5-10.
TOMORROW: MOSTLY SUNNY. HIGH 60. WIND SW 5-10.
EXTENDED OUTLOOK TUESDAY THROUGH THURSDAY:
MOSTLY SUNNY TUESDAY AND WEDNESDAY, WITH A CHANCE OF SHOWERS THURSDAY. HIGHS IN THE 50’S. LOWS IN THE 30’S.
MISSISSIPPI RIVER STAGE AT DUBUQUE: 17.4 -FEET & STEADY
FLOOD WARNING IN EFFECT UNTIL MONDAY EVENING WHEN THE RIVER AT DUBUQUE IS EXPECTED TO FALL BELOW THE 17 FOOT FLOOD STAGE
KCRG Weather Blog
Wind may gust up to 50 mph in spots on Saturday
The setup for strong wind is pretty textbook in our area on Saturday. Between an intensifying low pressure system to our northeast and a strengthening high pressure system to the west, we are put in the crosshairs of strong wind gusts. Plan on winds to quickly increase Saturday morning with peak wind gusts likely occurring between 9 a.m. and 2 p.m. In spots, the wind may gust as high as 50 mph! Take a note on this if you’ll be attending a tailgate tomorrow. Gameday traffic will want to use caution with the strong crosswind, especially those driving buses or campers. On open highways, leave room for tall vehicles because they’ll be getting pushed around by the wind.
Beyond the Weather: Orionid meteor shower
A mainly clear night sky this weekend will give us the opportunity to see the Orionid meteor shower. This is an annual meteor shower which peaks Saturday night and Sunday night. The best time to watch is after midnight, with the greatest number of meteors in the predawn hours. One factor that will take away a view of some of the meteors is our bright moon. The moon will be full on the 24th, so it is shining this weekend. It does set after 3 a.m. on both mornings, giving us the best opportunity to see the Orionids. Expect to see about 15 meteors per hour at peak. The place to look is in the southern to eastern sky. Locate the constellation Orion. The meteors will radiate from the upper hand of the hunter. Happy stargazing!
This winter may end up being milder than average
The Climate Prediction Center issued its outlook for this winter, which covers December through February. It calls for higher odds that the average temperature will be warmer than normal in Iowa. Regarding precipitation, there are equal odds of precipitation being above normal, near normal, or below normal. The Climate Prediction Center expects a weak El Niño to develop within the next couple of months. El Niño happens when the sea surface temperatures off the coast of South America near the equator are warmer than usual. This situation tends to give the Midwest milder winter temperatures overall. However, there are other large-scale patterns and connections that influence our weather and can be hard to accurately forecast months in advance. It’s important to note that higher odds of a mild winter is not a guarantee it’ll happen. In addition, it does not mean that there won’t be cold days. It is winter, after all, and arctic outbreaks are to be expected. This winter could go down as notably wet or dry, but there simply aren’t strong enough indications that lead the Climate Prediction Center meteorologists to lean one direction over the other. You can read the detailed outlook here. The Climate Prediction Center will update the winter outlook on November 15.
Gusty winds this week are typical for October
With no measurable precipitation in the coming days, the main forecast focus has been on the wind. In October, the average wind speed increases notably as the month goes on. Typically, the passage of fronts and incoming or departing high pressure systems will produce the pressure difference necessary to create notable wind gusts. The past few days, we have gusted over 20 mph with ease. Start looking for the wind to increase again toward the end of this week and into this weekend. It’ll probably be quite breezy for the Hawkeyes on Saturday!
Fall colors are about at their peak
Wet weather in the fall can cause the changing leaf colors to be less vivid. The foliage this year has still been pretty respectable, despite the sopping wet start to October. According to this week’s report from the Iowa Department of Natural Resources, northern Iowa is turning the corner past peak. In northeastern Iowa, the maple, hickory, oaks, and some of the aspen trees are still showing color but are expected to stop soon. In east-central Iowa, peak is expected this week although the ash and walnut trees have been losing their leaves. In southeastern Iowa, many of the trees are reported as yellow while the sumac and maples showcase their red. Peak there is expected sometime around this weekend. Gusty winds later this week into the weekend will probably cause many leaves to fall. That, along with peak color expected to come over the next several days, your time to enjoy this part of the season is quickly drawing to an end.