THE FIRST 70!

It feels like it's been forever... and it's certainly been a while! 179 days since the last 70 degree day in much of the Midwest. And the streak ended for many on Saturday.

The last 70 degree day in Cedar Rapids was on October 9th when it hit 79° and we got to 72° Saturday. We should get close again Sunday across the Upper Midwest.

 The mild day will be aided by a weak storm that will move through and produce showers and thunderstorms. 

 It won't be a washout of a day, but there will be some scattered showers through the day. Temperatures will be mild once again on Monday.

 Then... things start to go downhill. A strong storm will move through the Midwest during the middle of the week. Models are starting to converge on a solution that takes the storm further north and leaves much of Iowa and Illinois out of the snow.

 Here's the regional view of snowfall totals on the GFS:

 The European is further south, but has been trending north.

Regardless of where the snow falls, this system will do a number on our temperatures.

 Temperatures will get knocked back, especially during Wednesday to Friday of next week. If the storm ends up further south it will be cooler and if it's further north it will be warmer. This is still several days out and the track will likely still change.

The other concern here will be the amount of moisture this system brings. Here's the amount of precipitation (rain/snow combined) through Thursday:

 All of that water will drain into the river systems, as the ground is still super saturated, and likely lead to rises on our rivers. The one of biggest concern will be the Mississippi.

A lot to watch...

RK