Another Rainy Day

It's raining, again. What's one more rainy day after the last eight months? Basically the rain started falling in August, changed to snow during the winter, and has now changed back to rain. This pattern of frequent precipitation doesn't seem to be ending any time soon.

Still raining

Thank goodness we are getting some rain today. It was really starting to get dry. Hadn't rained for three whole days. (It is difficult to convey sarcasm in writing) At least an inch has fallen today. Not heavy, but keeps the ground saturated. Anyway, it definitely feels like autumn now, and that will continue through the weekend, with high temperatures in the 60s and lows in the 40s. Maybe some scattered frost this weekend too...

Too much of a good thing?

The two to four inches of rain that fell on Saturday and Sunday made a sizable dent in the rainfall deficits that had led the development of a moderate drought across the region, but it may end up doing more harm than good in some places. Thunderstorms are expected to develop later tonight and track across some of the same areas that got the most rain over the weekend. A Flash Flood Watch is in effect generally south of the Wisconsin River. There is so much moisture in the air (dewpoints are in the upper 70s across much of Iowa and Illinois) that heavy rain is likely with these storms. This rain is expected to linger through Tuesday, with another round of heavy rain/potentially severe storms on Wednesday. After that, temperatures are forecast to remain above normal through the weekend.

More Rain

Another half-inch of rain fell Wednesday night, following 2.79 inches on Tuesday. There is a small chance for more thunderstorms today, before the heat builds for the weekend. Temperatures on Saturday and Sunday are expected to reach the 90s, with heat index values approaching 100. A cold front will approach the area by late Sunday, so more thunderstorms will be possible by then.

Storms tomorrow

After rain this morning, the rest of the day has been just cool and cloudy. More rain is coming though, especially tomorrow. There could be periods of heavy rain, mainly later tomorrow, and possibly a few severe storms. The severe weather threat is highly conditional. The location of the dry slot with this system will be the key. (A "dry slot" is a large area of dry air being wrapped into a storm system; these meteorologists can be quite clever when they name these features). Skies could become partly to mostly sunny under the dry slot, which would increase the instability and therefore enhance the severe weather threat. If skies remain cloudy, the chance of severe weather will be greatly diminished, and any severe storms would be more isolated. There will also be a warm front in the area, and those can be quite unpredictable. It will be an interesting day.

More rain will be likely early next week as another strong storm moves through. Some much colder air will move in behind this particular system, bringing a chance of snow as well. Temperatures are expected to be below normal for at least the first half of April, unfortunately.