WHEN IT RAINS, IT POURS...

Wednesday's hi-resolution GOES satellite really tells the tale of the days weather. Look at that canopy of think clouds from Ontario back into Iowa trailing into Texas. If you were under that chances are good you saw some rain or at least drizzle and unseasonably cool temperatures. Not a nice day.

A few places in Iowa didn't even get out of the 40s (47 was the high Estherville). It was only 52 in Cedar Rapids. A number of places had record cool high temperatures for the second day in a row. Here's the mid-day temperature departures.

The forcing for precipitation Tuesday was limited in my immediate area so what rain fell was heaviest in the northwest 2/3rds of Iowa. These are the rainfall totals over the past 7 days.The heart of my area is within the 3-6" range. Those 4" deficits were wiped out in a hurry. As the saying goes, when it rains it pours!

Below you can see some areas have experienced 4-5 times the normal 7 day rainfall. That's how you kill a drought!

On top of what's already fallen, there's more rain to come. The next round of forcing is due in Thursday and it appears occasional rain will be in and out of the area through Saturday night. It sure looks like another 1-2" is possible, especially near and west of the Mississippi before this crazy storm gets out of here Sunday. Here's what I'm seeing on the models for rain potential over that period.

The EURO

The GFS

The Canadian GEM

The 3K NAM (out 60 hours)

The 12k NAM (only out 84 hours)

As this complex system ejects out of the SW it will gradually allow warmer air to get back into the Midwest weather pattern. Thursday still looks quite cool generally mid 50s. Friday a bump to the low 60s and then Saturday and Sunday it's back to the 70s, where we should be. If all goes well for you warm weather fans, we may even get an 80 degree high next Tuesday. By then, this whole soggy chilly mess will be nothing more than a memory, Roll weather...TS