TURNING MORE SPRING-LIKE...

Spring has been missing for a while in the Midwest. Temperatures have been on the cool side and it's been quite dry (in some spots!).

Here's a look at precipitation for April so far where there's been feast and famine:

The pattern will turn active as it turns warmer this coming week. We'll start with the warmth and temperatures nearing 80°.

Monday's highs:

Tuesday:

Cedar Rapids has yet to hit 80° this year... and Tuesday could potentially be the first! It'll be about a week behind "schedule" (on average we get our first 80 around April 19th). But it's not as late as last year when the first 80 didn't come until May 24th!

That warmth is ahead of a cold front that moves through Tuesday night into Wednesday. Here's a look at the rainfall projection on the NAM model:

It looks like Iowa once again misses out on the bulk of the precipitation. Here's the totals on the NAM through Wednesday night:

Despite the system moving through, temperatures will remain on the mild side (finally!). The Climate Prediction Center Outlook has above normal temperatures through the start of May:

Hopefully spring is here to stay!

RK