After an absolutely beautiful afternoon and highs in the upper 70s to near 80, conditions became conducive for severe hail along a southward advancing cold front Tuesday evening. Storms rapidly developed and it just so happens that I was in the right place for some of the bigger stones. Here in Marion, Iowa and parts of NE Cedar Rapids, golf ball sized hail (with some stones as big as tennis balls) broke some car windows and damaged the body of m...

We enjoyed a a mild winter here in the Midwest but now (when we least want it) it's about time to pay the piper. Following a springlike day Tuesday a significant pattern change arrives in the form of a late afternoon cold front.that should mean at least 2 weeks of below normal temperatures.

The Weather Prediction Center has a moderate to high risk of hazardous temperatures in the April 14 to 16th time frame.

 There's a greater than 70 percent chanc...

It's going to be a mild start to the week, but the end will be quite different. April is usually an active month. It can be filled with a lot of rain, sometimes snow, warmth and even cold. As we head toward the middle of the month (really starting in the next few days) cooler weather will likely take over. Here's the outlook from the Climate Prediction Center for April 11-15:

Let's talk about how we get to those dark blues.. First off, average hig...

After a chilly Saturday temperatures will be rebounding back toward normal for the end of the weekend. Temperatures will continue to warm up through the start of next week. Here's a look at the temperature change from Saturday afternoon to Sunday:
 

That translates to temperatures that look like this, under plenty of sunshine:

 The warmth continues to build Monday ahead of our next storm system:

 Showers and thunderstorms will be possible as a warm...

A dramatic cold front brought a wall of cold air across my region Friday. At 1:00 pm temperatures ranged from 72 around St. Louis to 24 just west of Mason City in NC Iowa. While it was 60 in the Quad Cities a little over an hour away in Cedar Rapids it was 37. Ahhh...the fortunes of weather!

Many places behind the front were 30-40 degrees colder than just 24 hours earlier.

Light showers, and in some areas freezing rain and drizzle fell with a thin...