WARMING UP... AND NOT MUCH ELSE...

Mother Nature is doing her balancing act and the next week (or so) of weather will be very, very quiet. A big area of high pressure (a ridge) is hanging out in the upper levels of the atmosphere:

At the surface we'll also have high pressure in place across the Midwest:

As a result the next few days will be warm and sunny. Temperatures Sunday will be slightly warmer:

Temperatures will continue to warm through the week through the 80s and even into the low 90s, which we haven't seen much of lately.

Here's a look at the temperature trend for Cedar Rapids:

And for the Quad Cities:

And since temperature stay similar/rise there's not really going to be any systems coming by. Here's a look at the precipitation through Thursday:

This pattern may continue for a little while, too. Here's a look at the outlook from the Climate Prediction Center from July 23-27:

Above average temperatures expected to continue, meaning upper 80s to low 90s. Plus...

Slightly below normal precipitation... and some areas got a lot of rain Wednesday night, but drought still exists in much of the Midwest, including Iowa.

Enjoy the quiet time while it lasts, though!

RK