THE USUAL SPRING SMORGASBORD...

Well, for some parts of my area the first tornado watch of the year has come and gone. While there were some reports of severe weather in SW Iowa nothing major came to pass. SPC showed this for severe weather reports as of late Thursday night.

This is the area the watch encompassed Thursday afternoon and evening. That is 2-3 weeks earlier than normal for that specific area.

You can see the wide variety in temperatures that resulted from the warm front that made it as far north as I-80 during the day.

Early Friday a strong cold front is blasting a trail southeast. Some lingering rain (and snow showers) are in the process of winding down. Some areas of northern Iowa, mainly near and north of HWY 20 into Minnesota and SW Wisconsin have picked up an inch or two of wet snow, especially on grassy and elevated surfaces.

The most noticeable aspect of today's weather will be the wind and cold temperatures that are sweeping the region. Gusts today will likely be in the 30-35 mph range and temperatures are not going up much. Readings this afternoon will be as much as 35 degrees colder than 24 hours earlier in my southern counties. These are the projected 24 hour changes in temperature.

That results in readings holding in the range of 35-40 all day. In the north readings will start in the mid to upper 20s. Toss in the wind and wind chills Friday morning will be in the teens and low 20s. You will want the big coat!