KCRG TV9 FIRST ALERT FORECAST
KCRG TV9 FIRST ALERT FORECAST FOR WEDNESDAY, APRIL 8, 2020
TODAY: MOSTLY CLOUDY AND WINDY WITH A CHANCE OF SHOWERS AND STORMS.
HIGH 63, THEN FALLING TEMPERATURES THIS AFTERNOON. WEST WIND
15-25 MPH & GUSTY THIS AFTERNOON.
TONIGHT: MOSTLY TO PARTLY CLOUDY. LOW 33.
TOMORROW: MOSTLY CLOUDY, WINDY AND COLDER ISOLATED SPRINKLES OR FLURRIES
POSSIBLE. HIGH 43. NORTHWEST WIND 20-30 MPH & GUSTY.
EXTENDED OUTLOOK FRIDAY THROUGH SUNDAY:
DRY FRIDAY, A CHANCE OF SHOWERS SATURDAY AND SUNDAY. HIGH’S IN THE 40’S. LOW’S IN THE 20’S & 30’S.
MISSISSIPPI RIVER STAGE AT DUBUQUE: 19.4-FEET & RISING-FLOOD WARNING FOR THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER AT DUBUQUE TFN!
KCRG Weather Blog
Gusty winds the next couple days
A southwest breeze can give a big boost to temperatures in April – and a stiff northwest wind can make them drop just as much. Plan on a stronger wind to arrive Wednesday afternoon as a cold front moves across our area. Some rain is possible right behind this front, not unlike what happened this past Friday. Even if you don’t get much rain, you’ll probably get the wind. It may gust as high as 35 or 40 mph after that front blows through. The wind will stay up Wednesday night and Thursday too. That gusty northwest wind will certainly make it feel colder! Thursday morning’s wind chills will be in the 20s. Look for lighter wind by Friday.
Mississippi River flood crest happens this week
The crest of the spring snowmelt flooding is moving down the Mississippi River and is wending its way through northeastern Iowa this week. At Lansing, the river is forecast to remain below flood stage, and about six inches above flood stage near Harpers Ferry. At McGregor, it peaks about two-and-a-half feet above flood stage Tuesday, affecting parks in Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin. In Guttenberg, it crests about a foot-and-a-half above flood stage Tuesday with only minor lowland flooding. Dubuque’s crest two-and-a-half feet above flood stage Tuesday into Wednesday comes up short of reaching the Ice Harbor flood wall, but homes on the East Dubuque side of the river are affected. Bellevue will crest about six inches above flood stage, which does affect some low-lying businesses there and in Sabula. Check for the most updated river level information here. The Mississippi will remain high in spots for a while even after the crest happens. Because of this, the potential for heavy rain in parts of the basin will have to be watched in case it causes the river to rise again. No flooding is happening now on any of the other rivers in our area. They have already had their spring snowmelt rises and have since fallen.
Easter weather history
Easter is just one week away, here’s a look at how the last 5 years played out in Cedar Rapids. Over the past 66 years, the average temperature on Easter, no matter what day it falls on, is 57 degrees. Last year, in 2019, we had the warmest Easter over the past recorded 66 years at 84 degrees. 80s have only happened 3 other times on the holiday, in 2014, 1987, and 1977. In 2018, it was a pretty chilly Easter with highs only at 33 degrees. Above average weather again in 2017 with a high of 69 degrees. The earliest Easter over the past 5 years happened in 2016, on March 27th with a high of 46. The high on Easter in 2015 was 71 degrees. This year, right now, we are predicting highs in the 50s.
April is usually reliable for rain
April is known as a wetter month, especially when compared to March. Average rainfall for the month is a little over three inches in Cedar Rapids, up about 50% compared to what March offers. Over the past 50 years, the wettest April on record occurred in 2013 when 8.55” of rain fell. In contrast, the driest April occurred in 2018 when only 0.43” of rain fell. Recent trends point toward April routinely bringing at least three inches of rain. Of the past 15 years, 13 of them have exceeded three inches.
Climate review for March 2020: mild and not snowy
Unlike last year, winter passed into spring when it was supposed to. This past month had temperatures that were actually warmer than average. Precipitation was above normal, but that wasn’t because of snow. In fact, monthly snowfall totals were once again below average. March 2020 climate summary Cedar Rapids Warmest high: 70 on the 8th Coldest low: 22 on the 15th Average high temperature: 49.8 degrees, 3.3 degrees above normal Average low temperature: 31.5 degrees, 4.8 degrees above normal Average temperature: 40.6 degrees, 4.0 degrees above normal Precipitation: 2.50”, 0.20” above normal Snowfall: 2.4”, 1.6” below normal Dubuque Warmest high: 65 on the 8th Coldest low: 24 on the 15th and 21st Average high temperature: 46.3 degrees, 2.1 degrees above normal Average low temperature: 31.5 degrees, 4.9 degrees above normal Average temperature: 38.9 degrees, 3.5 degrees above normal Precipitation: 3.23”, 0.82” above normal Snowfall: 1.5”, 4.8” below normal Iowa City Warmest high: 73 on the 8th Coldest low: 28 on the 2nd and 7th Average high temperature: 52.9 degrees, 4.7 degrees above normal Average low temperature: 34.8 degrees, 5.7 degrees above normal Average temperature: 43.9 degrees, 5.3 degrees above normal Precipitation: 4.00”, 1.78” above normal Snowfall: 1.0”, 2.4” below normal Waterloo Warmest high: 71 on the 8th Coldest low: 19 on the 15th Average high temperature: 50.0 degrees, 4.4 degrees above normal Average low temperature: 32.4 degrees, 6.4 degrees above normal Average temperature: 41.2 degrees, 5.4 degrees above normal Precipitation: 3.00”, 0.94” above normal Snowfall: 2.2”, 2.4” below normal