HIGH HEAT AND HEAVY RAIN..

Saturday was very hot and very humid across the Upper Midwest. Temperatures were in the 90s and dew points weren't far behind in the upper 70s to low 80s. Even at 9 pm the dew points were still terribly high:

The closer the temperature and dew point are the worse it feels. Here's some of the top heat index values from Saturday (note: the 119 is erroneous in Vinton, the top heat index in Cedar Rapids 111°):

This heat came ahead of a cold front that will slowly move through into Sunday. With the incredibly high moisture levels in place heavy rain is likely. Precipitable water (moisture levels) values Saturday night were sitting near and above 2" which will support that heavy rain:

Rainfall Saturday night was primarily contained to northern Iowa but will gradually progress south through the night and into Sunday:

The Weather Prediction Center is also highlighting the region for the potential of very heavy rain. Localized flash flooding/river flooding may become an issue with this system, especially if heavy rain repeats (trains) in one spot over and over:

It's a bit hard to get into the nitty gritty with rainfall totals and exact placement and I will update you tomorrow when the event is over. Some models are putting down high totals though in spots that could be an issue for some of the rivers in the region:

Hopefully some areas that need rain can get beneficial rain and not too much at once. Once this front passes on by we'll get into some pretty dry weather next week. High pressure will move in overhead and it will be noticeably more comfortable outside:

Stay dry!

RK