Pleasant start to the week, storm chances increase tonight

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (KCRG) - An extension of this weekend’s excellent weather is likely for the first day of the work and school week, though more active weather is still ahead.

A few areas of patchy fog are possible this morning, in the typical favored spots like low-lying areas and river valleys. This should generally diminish after sunrise, leading into a mostly sunny day. Highs reach the mid 70s to low 80s, with the coolest temperatures in the northeast. Winds will be out of the south, which is a shift compared to Sunday’s northerly breezes.

Clouds increase later today, and thicken up by the evening. Scattered showers and storms could develop as early as 9:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m. across parts of the area, likely expanding a bit more after Midnight. The area most likely to see this appears to fall between Interstate 80 and U.S. Highway 20, though just about anywhere could see some activity. Storms could linger into the morning commute on Tuesday, though they appear likely to diminish by mid to late morning across most of the area. Severe weather is unlikely during this time period.

Rainfall totals in this round could be measured between 0.25″ and 0.50″, with locally higher amounts for those lucky enough to see repeated thunderstorms.

Wednesday and Thursday look relatively quiet, with mostly dry conditions and temperatures in the upper 70s to low 80s. A little bit more humidity will be present, though it shouldn’t be overwhelmingly muggy.

More rain chances return by Friday into early next week, with Saturday carrying the highest risk for showers and storms at this time. There will be dry times during this stretch, but with a storm system moving slowly across the area, the chance hangs around for quite a while. When things are all said and done, much of the state could get some beneficial rainfall of an inch or more.

Temperatures will be in the mid 70s by the weekend, falling slightly into the low 70s for many by early next week. With more moisture around, overnight lows will likely fall into the upper 50s or lower 60s by the middle of this week through the end of the 9-day forecast.

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