MORE RAIN TO COME...

April showers brought May flowers and have been helping to improve drought conditions.

Look at the difference from January 30th (which is a similar to how the drought was at the beginning of April) to where we are now! This also doesn't include the last five days of rain either!

Monday will be dry in much of Iowa and Illinois, but the severe threat will be elevated once again in Oklahoma and Kansas:

The red area - moderate risk - is due to the potential for very large hail and strong tornadoes. The storms will push east across Iowa Monday evening and arrive in eastern Iowa and northern Illinois overnight with far less intensity. Here's 1 am Tuesday:

And 3 am:

Storms may still be vigorous at this time with gusty winds (around 50-60 mph) and heavy rain. However, with decreasing instability, storms well drastically decrease in intensity and severe weather potential as they enter the remainder of the area after 3am. Storms will be moving quickly and the risk for severe weather will then remain primarily well east of the Mississippi and my area the remainder of Tuesday:

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COOLER AND UNSETTLED.

Another system will pass to the south of Iowa on Wednesday, where strong storms will be possible in Missouri and Illinois once again.

Further north, across my area, scattered activity is possible over the course of the week, along with notably cooler temperatures toward the start of the weekend:

In fact, temperatures will be significantly below normal by the time the week comes to an end.

Meteorologist Rebecca Kopelman