Storm Follow-Up

Now that the storms are finally pushing off to the East we can finally take a quick look back and assess some of the damage from Friday's severe weather. So far Monmouth and Alexis, IL seem to be among the hardest hit areas. Here are a few of the storm reports sent in to the National Weather Service:

0505 PM TSTM WND DMG 4 W ALEXIS 41.06N 90.64W
04/30/2010 WARREN IL EMERGENCY MNGR

SIGNIFICANT TREE DAMAGE. SEVERAL HEALTHY TREES
UPROOTED...INCLUDING ONE 40 INCHES IN DIAMETER. PIECE OF
WOOD DRIVEN INTO FRONT YARD.

0505 PM TSTM WND DMG ALEXIS 41.06N 90.57W
04/30/2010 WARREN IL PUBLIC

A BARN WAS DESTROYED AT 2452 1ST AVE IN ALEXIS. IN
ADDITION...SOME APPLE TREES WERE DAMAGED AS WELL AS THE
PORCH OF THE RESIDENCE. RELAYED BY STORM SPOTTER ME23.
CORRECTED SPOTTER ID. BARN WAS 60 FEET BY 60 FEET...AND
ABOUT 35 FEET TALL. WELL BUILT STRUCTURE...WITH CEMENT
BLOCKS PULLED OFF OF FOUNDATION. UPDATED INFORMATION.

0508 PM TSTM WND DMG MONMOUTH 40.91N 90.64W
04/30/2010 WARREN IL EMERGENCY MNGR

SEVERAL POWER POLES DOWN. ROOF TORN OFF OF A ONE STORY
BUILDING ON THE NORTH SIDE OF MONMOUTH.

Dubuque's airport also sustained heavy damage, here's a storm report from that area earlier on Friday:

0225 PM TSTM WND DMG DUBUQUE REGIONAL AIRPOR 42.40N 90.72W
04/30/2010 DUBUQUE IA EMERGENCY MNGR

HANGER DESTROYED AT DBQ AIRPORT. BLOWING DEBRIS FROM THIS
DAMAGE HEAVILY DAMAGED TWO OTHER HANGER BUILDINGS.
SEVERAL AIRPLANES INSIDE THE HANGER DAMAGED. REPORTED BY
AIRPORT OFFICIAL AND CONFIMED BY EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT.

Thanks to George and Sondra Braden in Sherrard, IL for sending in the pics of the damaged tree in their yard...

Friday Storm Update

Check out the latest image from ESP:Live Radar...the first batch of storms from this afternoon continues to push off to the Northeast at about 70 mph! Those storms prompted warnings for about the NW half of the viewing area...while the Northern part of Scott county and Muscatine, Clinton and Jackson counties saw the worst of the weather. Also notice the next round of t-storms that's forming West of the QC. So far there's one severe t-storm warning for strong winds down around Burlington, IA. We are under a Tornado Watch until 8pm.

Update on Storm Chances Friday

It's Thursday afternoon and while the big weather story today is strong winds out of the South (which are boosting temperatures into the middle and upper 70s so far) we're still tracking the chance for severe weather on Friday. The SPC has updated their Convective Outlooks and the risk area for Friday hasn't changes much. In the QC we're still looking at a slight chance for severe thunderstorms. One of the things that could lessen our chance for severe weather is what happens Friday morning with respect to the storms that form Thursday night. They'll die down as they approach the QC Friday morning but some of the cloud cover from those storms could hinder storm development around here on Friday afternoon...if this happens the better chance for severe weather will slide just off to our East where they're likely to see more heating on Friday. Regardless, we'll be on the lookout come Friday!

Strong Storms Friday?

After all the wet weather last weekend I'm sure a lot of people are hoping for some nice weather this weekend...and while that may be the case by Sunday it looks like the weekend could get off to a stormy start. There's a strong cold front barrelling this way and it should arrive sometime Friday. If the front goes through around mid-afternoon to early in the evening we're looking at a good chance for strong to severe thunderstorms across parts of the area. If it holds off until later Friday night and misses the prime heating of the day (it will be much warmer by Thursday and Friday!) then the chance for strong storms will be more limited. Right now the biggest threats look to be from strong winds and large hail...and we'll be watching that front over the next 48 hours as it moves across the Plains and closes in on the QCA.

3 images are attached, the including our Stormcast's depiction of Friday evening. Also you can check out the Convective Outlooks from the Storm Prediction Center in Oklahoma. Day 2 is for Thursday 7am until Friday 7am and Day 3 starts Friday at 7am, notice on that map the QC is right in the middle of the slight risk for severe weather...while the Day 2 risk is centered off to our West!

Gardeners Beware!

With clear skies and light winds the stage will be set for a chilly Tuesday night across the QCA. Most of the area will see lows in the 30s and we could have some patchy frost after midnight. I know I've seen lots of people out gardening or planting flowers over the last week or 2, if you've done some planting you'll want to take extra precautions if your plants are weather sensitive. It'd be a good idea to bring in any vegetation you can and throw a sheet or blanket on top of things you can't bring in!

Click on the title of this entry for more info on how to play it safe during a spring frost from the University of Illinois Extension!

Wet Weekend in the QCA

I heard a few people at work last week talking about their kids' proms over the weekend...and how they were hoping the rain would hold off Saturday night. Well, as you know, that didn't work out too well! After a few scattered showers Friday night and early Saturday things really opened up Saturday night and early Sunday. We had steady, heavy rain for several hours and the totals were very impressive. Burlington soaked up almost 4 inches of rain through the course of the weekend, while the QC was closer to 2 inches of rain. Sorry kids! Hopefully the weather cooperates more for your future wedding dates!

A Scary Severe Weather Outbreak

Severe weather season got off to a slow start but ramped up big-time this weekend! We lucked out here in the QCA but for folks in Mississippi it was a different story. Ten people have been reported dead because of tornado leveled homes. A preliminary storm survey by the NWS says the twister was an EF-3 tornado with wind speeds of 160 miles per hour. 55 tornadoes were reported on Saturday and 3 on Sunday. More than 140wind damage reports also contributed to a wild weather day. The reason for the late start: Dew Points need to be in the 60's or higher to produce a wide spread outbreak of tornadoes. This year the Gulf of Mexico has been rather cool and the Gulf moisture you hear Andy and I talk about during our weathercasts hasn't really produced dew points in the 50 to 60 range until this weekend. A classic dynamic spring storm event pushed through the Midwest and south that sparked the tragic weekend weather. Lets hope it stays quiet here in the upper Midwest. The QC metro area did take on 1.74" of rain over the weekend! Time to dry out now!

CBS4 Meteorologist Ted McInerney

Heavy Rain Heading for the QC

After 2 weeks of mainly dry weather things are about to change in a hurry over the next 12 hours. The image posted above is courtesy of the NWS Hydrometeorological Prediction Center and shows predicted rainfall over the next 5 days...it's valid from 7am on Thursday through 7am Tuesday. There's a bullseye of more than 3 inches of rain just East of the Quad Cities. While these totals are certain to shift some as showers/thunderstorms develop over the next few days, the general thinking is that a lot of us will see heavy rain starting Friday and lasting off and on through the weekend.

So far this month we've picked up 1.26" of rain, with ALL of that falling during the first 7 days of April!

Sunny and Nice Weather About to End!

Our beautiful stretch of mid-April weather is about to come to a screeching halt! A few scattered showers/t-showers are popping up this afternoon and the rain will be much more widespread by Friday. With a slow-moving system arriving late Thursday night into Friday it looks like the end of April will be similar to the beginning of the month, check out these rain stats from April:

Rainfall
April 1-7 1.26"
April 8-21 (through midday on the 20th) - Trace

Not Your Typical Record High...

9:00 pm Update - It looks like we made it! The official total should end up around 2,694 people eating ice cream at Ericson Field this evening...which will indeed break the old record of 2,500. Official word from Guinness should arrive in about a month...
Original Post -
Today's CBS4 News at 5 should be a lot of fun! I'll be live from Ericson Field at Augustana with your weather forecast and perhaps a new world record! Augustana and Whitey's Ice Cream are teaming up to celebrate Augustana's 150th anniversary by taking a run at the Guinness Book of World Records mark of 2,500 people eating ice cream at the exact same time (all in the same place.)

The flavor you ask? Well of course it's Whitey's brand new flavor "Augustana Viking Pride!" It's peanut butter ice cream with fudge swirls and Oreo chunks so I don't think they'll have any problem getting people there, all we have to do is spread the word!

It all goes down today (Tuesday) at 5:30pm at Ericson Field...and if you can't make it be sure to check out CBS4 News at 5 as we show you preparations for what could be a brand new world record set right here in the Quad Cities!

FIREBALL 2010!

People from Missouri to Wisconsin (including a lot of people in the Quad Cities!) witnessed a "fireball" streaking across the sky Wednesday night around 10pm. We're following the story at CBS4 News and will bring you the latest today on CBS4 News at 5 and Ten at 10!

If you were one of the lucky ones who saw it feel free to give our newsroom a call at 309-786-5315 ext 1, or send an email to newsroom@cbs4qc.com

Flooding Fears Recede!

Oakville, Iowa has been through a lot since June 2008. I got a chance to get down to Oakville a couple of weeks ago. The first thing I noticed on the drive in was that half the homes were gone! They have knocked down more than 80 flood damaged buildings since the Iowa River climbed to historic levels and breached Oakville's levee. The town of nearly 500 was down to 75 in December 2008 and today it's back above 150 residents! This weekend the community joined together for a "Walk the Levee Day" The flood wall has been rebuilt and people were invited to inspect the levee with their own eyes. So the towns defenses have been rebuilt and the worst of spring flooding is over. Let's hope we don't have record rainfall for the next few months. Also some goof news: Oakville's first resturant will open in a couple of months! Congrats Oakville on a long and hard comeback!

CBS4 Meteorologist Ted McInerney

Home Opener for the River Bandits!

Another sign that spring has arrived in the QC - The Quad Cities River Bandits' first home game is Sunday! First pitch is scheduled for 1 pm and while there is a slight chance for a light shower or 2 we'll be keeping our fingers crossed that the rain stays away! The Bandits play host to Cedar Rapids in what we hope will be the beginning of a long and successful season at Modern Woodmen Park!

Don't miss CBS4 News this weekend as Ted McInerney keeps you updated on that slight chance for showers Sunday!

Storm Damage in Milledgeville, IL

Thanks to Kierstin Dimmick for sending in a few pictures of the church damage in Milledgeville, IL we first told you about on CBS4 News Tuesday. Around 8:45 Monday night a severe thunderstorm with winds of about 90 mph raced through portions of Carroll county. Damage was fairly widespread around Milledgeville. These pictures are of Trinity Lutheran Church and show severe damage done to the structure.

Needless to say severe weather season has arrived and we'll do our best to keep you safe ALL SEASON LONG!

Feel free to send any pictures to weather@cbs4qc.com

It's hard to believe a little more than 2 weeks ago we had a few inches of snow, and a month ago we still had most of our low temperatures in the 20s! We've definitely turned the corner and we're seeing more and more spring colors across the QCA. If you've got some spring pics you want to share feel free to send them to:

weather@cbs4qc.com

We'll even use some of them on our blog and on CBS4 News!

I never thought I'd look forward to mowing the lawn but it won't be such a bad thing to get out this weekend and do just that. Speaking of mowing the lawn, remember to vote in the poll posted on the Weather page at cbs4qc.com, "Have you mowed the lawn yet?"

More Strong T-Storms, Flash Flooding Possible

After some down time Monday morning the chance for showers/storms is increasing again. Also, tonight there will be the chance for some flash flooding as heavy rain falls from the QC up toward Galena. For the latest make sure you stay tuned to cbs4qc.com and CBS4 News!

Severe Weather on Easter Sunday

After a quiet start to Easter Sunday things really got loud late in the afternoon/early in the evening! A few different clusters of severe thunderstorms rolled through the QCA, dropping golf ball sized hail in some spots! Shortly before 8pm the first batch of storms was pushing off to the East, with another severe storm lurking just to the West of the QC...and there's a tornado warning in effect south of Peoria!

A Breezy Easter

Hang on to your Easter hats! A nice warm breeze from the south will gust up to 30 mph. High temperatures will remain well above average! A normal high on April 4th is usually 57 degrees. Why so warm? It all depends on the air mass that is dominating the weather pattern. Here in the Mid-West we are no strangers to experiencing the extremes of all different air masses. In the winter and especially this past winter you hear Andy and I talking about some very cold dry air moving in from the Arctic Circle. Well that same a air mass isn't so cold in the spring but it battles with a moist gulf air mass. This week we will be affected by both. Sunday through Wednesday morning we will be much warmer but when a cold front pushes the warm air mass out it will bring in cooler drier air for Wed through Saturday. By the way check back here tomorrow! Andy will explain the possibility for our first severe outbreak break.

CBS4 Meteorologist Ted McInerney