Warm Finish to April...

What a day!  It felt a little more like summer than spring today in the Quad Cities!  The record high for the last day in Arpil is 89° and we were fairly close to the record!  Don't get too used to it though - there's colder weather and RAIN o nthe way for late this week and the weekend!  Thursday and Friday look especially wet, with up to 2 inches of rain possible...

3pm Tuesday


 

Weather Update - More Rain in the Quad Cities

After a blockbuster Monday with temps hitting 80° for the 1st time in more than 6 months Tuesday looks even warmer!  We'll see highs in the mid 80s with another slight chance for storms NW of the Quad Cities.  Here's a graphic from the Storm Prediction Center showing a slight risk of svr t-storms Tuesday...

Slight Risk in Yellow
 

Another concern this week is a slow-moving storm that will spread showers across the area from Thursday through the weekend at times!  The worst couple of days look like Thursday and Friday, when we could see an inch of rain with highs barely making it into the 50s!  It could be worse though, parts of Iowa might see May snow!  Needless to say, it's an interesting spring storm heading for the Quad Cities this week!



Rain Potential
 

Rain Chances Return to the QCA

We saw a spectacular weekend in the Quad Cities, with a high temperature Saturday at 66° and Sunday at 72°.  Temperatures will continue there upward trend, reaching the mid to upper 70s for Monday, and even lower 80s by Tuesday.  As they say, all good things must come to an end.

Several chances for rain exist this week.  The first chance comes Monday evening.  Most of the day should be partly cloudy and quiet.  By the evening, there may be enough instability to spark a few showers and thunderstorms, some of which may be severe.  The Quad Cities is currently under a slight risk for severe thunderstorms, mainly for the threat of hail.

Aside from the severe weather, one thing on the minds of many are the river levels.  While we likely won't get 4 inches of rain like we did a week and a half ago, we still could see upwards of an inch.  Posted below is the Hydrological Predication Center's outlook for rainfall accumulation ending on Friday.  As you can see, we can expect anywhere from three quarters of an inch to one inch of rainfall.

 

The CBS4 weather team will keep you up to date on any changes in the forecast.

River Flooding In North Dakota & How It May Affect Us

It's finally starting to feel like spring across eastern Iowa and northern Illinois.  With the exception of some light rain (around one-tenth of an inch) in our far southern hometowns Saturday, this will be a dry and warmer weekend.  Highs in the 60s and 70s Sunday will be warming to close to 80° by Tuesday.

The dry weather this weekend will also give area rivers a chance to drop more from the major flooding of last weekend.  While the Rock River in Moline and Joslin, Illinois, will remain in flood until further notice, many locations along the Mississippi River will drop below flood stage by the end of next week.

However, we have two things that we'll have to watch very closely over the next week.  More rain will begin falling in scattered fashion Monday and Tuesday with better chances of showers and thunderstorms Wednesday and Thursday.

We've been talking a lot about the two to four feet of snow that is still on the ground across the Dakotas and Minnesota.  Saturday temperatures were in the 60s and 70s and that heavy snow pack is starting to melt and flood the Red River.

 

As you can see from this Red River forecast in East Grand Forks, North Dakota, river levels will be rising another 13 feet over the next week and that water will eventually be making its way southward.

So, while the Mississippi is dropping locally now, it may be temporary.

We'll be monitoring this very closely for you in the weeks to come.

CBS4 Meteorologist Anthony Peoples

Allergies on the Rise!

Friday's weather sure was nice!  Under partly sunny skies highs reached the middle 60s!  And there's warmer weather coming up by the end of the weekend - but the news isn't all good for allergy sufferers!  There's a lot of tree pollen in the air right now, and it looks like it'll stay high through early next week (and perhaps beyond!) 

Quad Cities Deals

Everybody loves a good deal, right?  We've got plenty of them coming up at CBS4 over the next few months!  Each Wednesday morning we'll start a new deal of the week in our new feature "Quad Cities Deals!" 

Anthony will announce the great offers on CBS4 News this Morning each Wednesday...then go to our website to take advantage of some awesome offers!  To start things off this week - Azteca $20 gift cards for just ten bucks!  That's half off of some great food! 

These are deals too good to be true...Almost!
You can go directly to the site by clicking here!

Snow Melt Across the Upper Midwest

A little bit more rain will fall across eastern Iowa and northwestern Illinois Wednesday night.  The good news is that only about one-tenth of an inch of rain is expected.  This is already the fourth wettest April on record in the Quad Cities with 7.20".

While many area rivers are still in flood, many of them are dropping upwards to around a foot each day.

Dry weather through this weekend will help the rivers continue to drop.  However, with much warmer weather on the way not only here, but across the upper Midwest and the Plains, the snow will begin melting across the Dakotas, Minnesota, and Wisconsin.

As you can see on this snow depth map from yesterday, there's still more than two to three feet of snow on the ground to our north that will start melting and making its way down the Mississippi.

That's something that we'll be watching very closely over the next couple of weeks.

Thanks for checking out the blog and have a great day!

CBS4 meteorologist Anthony Peoples

April Rain Update

With a little more rain coming up this afternoon we're quickly climbing the charts!  This (as of 1pm Tuesday) is now the 4th wettest April on record in the Quad Cities!  We've picked up about a third of an inch of rain over the last 12 hours or so, pushing our total over 7 inches for the month!  It looks like, thankfully, #1 is out of reach as we shouldn't see much more HEAVY rain through the end of the month, let's hope the forecast stays that way!



6 Wettest Aprils in the Quad Cities

 

More Rain Monday Night and Tuesday

After a gorgeous Monday things are looking wet again tonight and Tuesday!  That's the bad news - the good news is it won't be anything like the rain we had last week!  We'll see showers at times Monday night (late) and Tuesday, with totals ranging from 0.50" to 0.75" in most spots! 

This will certainly push our April totals further up the list of rainiest Aprils on record in the Quad Cities, for more on that check out Anthony's blog post from earlier today!




Forecasted rain totals
 

Model data
 

One For The April Record Books

This April is going down in the record book with rainfall.

In just the first three weeks of the month, the Quad Cities have already picked up 6.78" of rain with much of that falling last week.

This places us at #5 on the wettest Aprils on record.  More rain is expected tonight and tomorrow, which means we'll be inching higher up on that list.

The wettest April on record was back in 1973 when 11.30" of rain accumulated.

Check out this amazing photo of the Mississippi River flooding from the Centennial Bridge looking into Davenport from David Hays.  Thanks, David.

CBS4 Meteorologist Anthony Peoples

As Rivers Crest, More Rain in the Forecast

After 4.11 inches of rain fell at the Quad City International Airport on Wednesday and Thursday, it was great to finally see a break from the rain and get some sunshine on Saturday!

Unfortunately, the news is not so great on area rivers as they continue to rise.  The Mississippi River at Rock Island was at 18.94 feet at 6:00 Saturday evening.  The river is expected to crest about a foot higher than that at 19.80 feet, and that is expected to occur around 7:00 Monday morning.  If this crest holds true, it will be the 7th highest level ever!  Below is the National Weather Service's hydrograph depicting the river's activity through next week.  You can see that the Mississippi River is expected to be in the major flood criteria (in the magenta color) through Wednesday night and Thursday Morning.

At 6:30 Saturday evening, the Rock River at Moline was at 16.10 feet and is expected to crest near an all time record level.  The highest crest ever for the Rock River at Moline is 16.38 feet, which was set back on March 6th, 2008.  For this event, the river is expected to crest at 16.30 feet around 1:00 Sunday afternoon. Here is the Rock River hydrograph from the National Weather Service.  Like the Mississippi River, major flooding is expected through Wednesday night or Thursday morning.

More rain is headed to the QCA, but fortunately it does not look like it will have an affect on the crests of either river.  If anything, the rain could slow down the flood waters from receding.  Right now, it appears we have a chance for some light rain showers throughout the morning and early afternoon hours on Sunday, followed by better chances for rain as a cold front passes through Monday night and into Tuesday.  Right now, it looks like we could get at least a quarter of an inch of rainfall out of the next system.  Again, this event should not have a dramatic affect on area rivers.

Mississippi River Flood Forecast

As it keeps raining and raining the forecast for the Mississippi keeps going up and up!  Here are the latest facts:

-The river is now over flood stage and rising. 
-Major flooding is likely by this weekend
-Cresting around 19.6' is possible, which would rank in the top ten crests ever!
-Historical info and forecast info can be found by clicking here.

Doppler Radar Rain Estimates

There are a couple different ways to get rain totals...the most accurate method is from trained spotters sending in totals form their own personal rain gauges.  Unfortunately everyone doesn't have a reliable measuring device so we also turn to estimates from doppler radar.  While sometimes flawed depending on precip type, temperature etc this is often a useful way to estimate who has picked up heavy rain and it comes in handy when issuing products like Flash Flood Warnings! 

Here's an estimate from 3pm today showing the heaviest rains have been just west of the Quad Cities. 













And now the Flash Flood Warnings and Svr T-Storm Warnings currently in effect...

Lots of April Showers

You know the saying, "April showers bring May flowers."  This year we should have a lot of May flowers!  We've seen at least a trace of rain on 9 of the first 16 days of the month and we're already at 2.67" of rain for the month.  With a few inches of rain looking likely this week most of the area will see some flooding! 

And if we see another 3 inches of rain it would put us up to 5.67" for the month, which would rank as the 9th wettest April on record, with plenty more days left in the month!  There's an outside chance we could see 4 inches of rain this week and that would put us up to 6.67" and in the 5th slot for wettest Aprils ever in the Quad Cities!  For our friends along the river and lets hope that doesn't happen!

For more April climate stats check out this page from the National Weather Service!

Flash Flood Watch

More Flooding this Week

With a lot of the ground around the Quad Cities already saturated this is just what we don't need...more heavy rain this week!  A slow moving and complex weather system will roll through the area mid-week and we could see up to 3 add'l inches of rain in the Quad Cities!  If things go terribly wrong, some isolated spots could see more like 4 or 5 inches of rain this week!

Check out Ten at 10 on CBS4 for More Details!

 

Here's a 5 day rain total forecast from the NWS WPC...notice the bulls eye right around the Quad Cities! 


National Weather Service Weather Prediction Center

 

And a meteogram showing some of the American forecast model plots for how much rain could fall in the Quad Cities this week...

Model data

Any way you slice it, it looks like another very wet week in the Quad Cities!

It could be worse...

Temperatures were once again below average for April standards in the Quad Cities on Saturday.  We reached a high a 51°, which is ten degrees below the average of 61°.  Temperatures will warm up to 70° on Sunday, but that will be short lived as we have a cold front that will move through the area Sunday evening with showers and thunderstorms and will cool down our temperatures.  However, it could be much worse!

The low pressure system that will bring us the showers and thunderstorms Sunday is bringing wintry precipitation to our friends in northern Minesota and North Dakota.  The map above is the National Weather Service's watches and warning map.  The purple color indicates a Winter Weather Advisory and the lighter pink (in the north) indicates a Winter Storm Warning.  The areas shaded in the purple can expect 1 to 3 inches of snow, with the possibility of freezing rain.  Freezing rain totals are expected to be on the order of 0.15 to 0.25 inches.  The areas shaded in lighter pink are expected near blizzard conditions with snow accumluations anywhere between 7 and 14 inches!  How about that for a late spring snowstorm?

Back here at home we could see a half an inch to three quarters of an inch of rainfall out of this system, and even more rain is expected through Thursday!

Northern Lights Tonight - April 13th

After a solar eruption earlier this week there's a good chance of seeing the Northern Lights tonight at high latitudes!  In the Quad Cities unfortunately we'll see an increase in clouds and a chance for rain after midnight, so while there would be a slight chance of seeing the aurora on a clear night here, tonight's chances look basically non-existent. 

For people in northern Minnesota and northern Wisconsin, and especially up in Alaska, there could be a beautiful display of the Northern Lights! 

Here's a forecast on which places are most likely to see the aurora:

And you can read more about the CME that is travelling toward Earth by clicking here! (From spaceweather.com)

Rain Totals

Here are some rain totals through 9pm today...and even though it's still raining the end of the heavy rain is finally in sight!  Expect the moderate rain to keep up for a couple more hours before finally pushing off to the East later tonight.  Thursday and Friday promise drizzle, and light rain, and maybe even some very light snow as temps stay cool and blustery! 




A Rainy Day
 

More Rain

There's more rain coming up this evening and tonight in the Quad Cities and the Flash Flood Watch is still in effect as of 3pm.  However, the chance for heavy rain and flooding rain is starting to go down!  On this HD Radar shot (always available by clicking here) you can see the rain is a lot lighter than what fell overnight. 

3:11pm Wednesday

The heavy rain/strong t-storms have shifted away from the Quad Cities and it's possible the Flash Flood Watch cold be cancelled early by the NWS. 

Heavy Rain and Flooding Likely

After some heavy rain early Monday we're primed for flooding issues this week as there is more rain in the forecast!  Monday night/early Tuesday is the next good chance for a soaking, with more rain chances lining up for Tuesday night and Wednesday! 

The reason for the wet weather?  A strong area of low pressure will track out of the West and move slowly across the Plains.  While some folks in the Dakotas are looking at blizzard conditions, we're looking at a perfect setup for multiple rounds of heavy rain in the Quad Cities!


Forecasted Low track

Here's a forecast from the NWS WPC (formerly the HPC) that shows rain totals from Monday night through Wednesday evening.  Rain will be heavy from Nebraska through Michigan, including right here in the Quad Cities. 

Mon night through Wednesday

 And for a local perspective, here's an in-house model which shows projected rain for the local area through Wednesday night.  Notice many spots settling between 2 and 3 inches of rain, on top of the near inch that fell early Monday! 

Big Rains Are On The Way

A nice, warm weekend is on tap for the Mississippi and Illinois Valleys. 

As it looks right now, Saturday will be the warmest day, so far, in 2013 with highs well into the 60s to around 70°.  The only drawback will be gusty winds of 20-30 miles-per-hour with higher gusts and a few scattered showers.

That rain will end early Saturday night and Sunday is looking great, as well, with some sunshine and highs in the low-60s.

Things will change by Sunday night into much of next week.  The combination of the Gulf of Mexico opening up sending moisture northward, a stalled front, and a few disturbances passing along that front spells plenty of rain for Iowa and Illinois.

 

Here is a forecast projection from NOAA's Weather Prediction Center, which pretty much verifies my forecast of the heavy rain potential.

 

This forecast runs from this Friday morning, April 5th, through next Friday morning, April 12th.

Have yourself a great weekend and enjoy the warm weather.

CBS4 Meteorologist Anthony Peoples

Golf Courses Opening Up

By this time last year a lot of us already had a round of golf or 2 in the books.  This year it's quite a different sotry...but courses are finally opening up around the Quad Cities!  Last week we had video of Duck Creek in Davenport on their first day.  I've heard reports that Glynn's Creek opens Thursday and TODAY was opening day for Palmer Hills in Bettendorf.  Here's some video from Palmer Hills today, it sure looks like early season golf (the course, not the swings!)

Warmer & Wet Weather On The Way

March 2013 temperatures in the Quad Cities ended up 7.7° below average.  29 of the month's 31 days were below average.  And, things haven't changed for April.  After just the first two days of the month, we're running 12.2° below average.

You've probably already noticed a slow warming trend that's underway.  We've warmed from 41° Monday to 47° Tuesday and it should be in the low-to-mid-50s today and close to 60° Thursday and Friday.

And, this temperature forecast from NOAA for April 8-12, 2013, should make you happy if you've been wondering where spring is.

Hopefully, this warming will continue to thaw the ground and allow the spring rains to soak in instead of running off into area streams and rivers.

Unsettled weather is likely from Sunday night through the early part of next week with showers and thunderstorms. This is something that the CBS4 weather team will be watching closely.

Have a great day and enjoy the rest of your week and thank you for checking out our blog.

Meteorologist Anthony Peoples

Baseball Forecast

That's right, it won't be long before baseball season begins in the Quad Cities!  And while it's been a little chilly for baseball over the last couple days things should be warmer when the River Bandits open their home schedule next Thursday!  We'll have to work on that chance for rain next week though...

Check out everything River Bandits by clicking here!

Cold Spell Continues

After a decent weekend things have cooled down again in the Quad Cities!  Monday's high was a blustery 41° even with some sunshine.  The sunny skies stick around for the next few days nut the temps will be slow to warm.  In fact, we'll be close to a record low early Wednesday morning!



Record Low for April 3rd