THE LAST DAY OF APRIL...FINALLY!

April, don't let the door hit you in the butt! Finally, this month is coming to a close. Overall, it was damp. cool, and windy. Most areas even saw some snow, up to 5 inches of it fell near Dubuque. Overall, it was just a month that saw little in the way of spring weather. So be it.

Here's the April temperature departures going into the last day.

Here's the precipitation totals for the same period.

The anomalies look like this. Most of the northern half of my are was 1 to 1.5 inches above average.

In Cedar Rapids so far, only 7 out of 29 days had highs above normal. 24 out of 29 days had lows in the 20s and 30s. Two of those lows were records, the coldest being 19 on the 19th.

The average temperature is running 6 degrees below normal per day. Cedar Rapids was of the few areas with below normal rainfall (-0.61 inches).

Alright, you get my drift. Nothing much to write home about that's for sure.

THE WEEKEND...

The month will go out on a mild note thanks to a storm that cuts through NW Iowa Saturday afternoon. It's generated showers and thunderstorms overnight and what's left of those will scoot northeast Saturday. The forcing causing the rain is on the nose of a dry slot. As it advances through the region, rains will end over the south early Saturday and in the northeast later in the afternoon. That will allow temperatures to soar into the 70s until the cold front arrives ending the warmth party towards evening. Here's what the EURO depicts for highs Saturday afternoon.

I will also mention there is a slight chance a few strong storms could develop over parts of my area Saturday afternoon out ahead of the cold front. At this time, it still appears the threat will be greatest just to the east of my area in central Illinois. The situation is highly conditional based on the speed of the front which does seem a bit slower. SPC in its latest outlook has moved the slight risk area further to the west to now include parts of EC Iowa.

As for rain, the Weather Prediction Center indicates much of my area is in line for storm totals of 1/2 to 1 inch before the storm concludes Saturday. However, the latest trends indicate much lighter totals due to the less than optimal timing of the best forcing early Saturday. Here's what WPC shows compared to the EURO and GFS. I like the lighter amounts.

The EURO

The GFS

Whatever happens, Saturday night colder air again surges through the region bringing an end to precipitation Sunday and Monday. Brisk westerly winds also mean another cool-down, especially Sunday when highs may struggle to get out of the 50s.

The next system is already spinning up to the west by then and it promises to be a well organized storm with heavy rain potential. It also tracks towards southeast Iowa Monday night meaning the NW half of my area will solidly be in the cold sector of the circulation. Highs may not get out of the 40s under clouds, rain, and drizzle there. Things could be a bit warmer in the southeast but in all honesty, it looks like another crummy dreary day. Here's what the EURO indicates for highs this Tuesday.

It has this for additional precipitation Monday night/Tuesday.

If that's not enough, another system appears to be hot on the heels of this one Thursday night and Friday. The track and intensity is similar and just reinforces the damp chilly conditions after a break Wednesday. Here's the 10 day temperature departures for the period ending April 10th. So sad.

These are the 15 day precipitation totals as projected by the EURO.

And these are the projected soil temperatures May 15th. Tough to get seeds to germinate in conditions like that. Farmers, I do feel your pain!

Well, enough bad news for another day. Hopefully the tide turns towards the middle of May. I don't have much hope of it happening before then. Enjoy today's warmth, it could easily be another week or more before we see readings this warm again. Roll weather...TS