Iowa weather: Tracking potential for more severe weather Sunday

MENTIONED ALL MORNING LONG. JUST SO IMPORTANT THIS TIME OF YEAR TO BE READY. THAT’S RIGHT. AND WE HAVE MULTIPLE STORM CHANCES OVER THE NEXT SEVERAL DAYS, INCLUDING TODAY. A FEW SCATTERED SHOWERS THIS MORNING. MOST OF THOSE OVER THE SOUTHEASTERN PORTIONS OF THE STATE WILL LIKELY SEE A BREAK CLOSER TO MIDDAY, BUT THEN THOSE NUMEROUS TO SCATTERED STORMS DEVELOP THIS AFTERNOON, ESPECIALLY AFTER THE 12 P.M. HOUR, AND WILL LIKELY SEE THOSE CHANCES FOR SHOWERS AND STORMS CONTINUE INTO THIS EVENING. TEMPERATURE UP TO 70 DEGREES BY 4 P.M. MOST OF THE RAIN THAT WE’VE BEEN WATCHING THIS MORNING IS OVER SOUTHERN AND EASTERN PORTIONS OF THE STATE. WE HAD A COUPLE STROKES OF LIGHTNING EMBEDDED WITHIN THIS EARLIER, BUT NOW THE BACK EDGE OF THAT COMING THROUGH SHERATON STILL RAINING MODERATELY RIGHT NOW IN CENTERVILLE UP TOWARD OTTUMWA AND OSKALOOSA. THERE THIS MORNING. THIS IS ALL ASSOCIATED WITH A BIG COMPLEX OF STORMS LAST NIGHT THAT BROUGHT SEVERAL REPORTS OF SEVERE WEATHER TO EASTERN KANSAS AND MISSOURI THAT AREA OF LOW PRESSURE IS STILL OUT THERE, THOUGH, AND THAT’S MOVING NORTHEAST TOWARD PARTS OF WESTERN IOWA. AND AS IT DOES SO, WE’RE GOING TO SEE THAT MOISTURE REMAIN IN PLACE AND THAT INSTABILITY AS WELL, SETTING US UP FOR A CHANCE FOR A FEW STRONG TO SEVERE STORMS. THE RISK IS LOWER. TODAY. THE STORM PREDICTION CENTER HAS A MARGINAL TO SLIGHT RISK OVER THE CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN PORTIONS OF THE STATE, MAINLY FOR THE AFTERNOON AND LATE EVENING HOURS. SOME OF THESE STORMS COULD CONTAIN SOME SMALL HAIL, GUSTY WINDS, AND THERE IS A LOW END TORNADO THREAT. THE BIG DIFFERENCE, THOUGH, WITH TODAY’S SETUP IS THAT WE’RE ON THE LOWER END OF THE SCALE FOR POTENTIAL ENERGY. SO THAT MEANS THAT WHILE WE DO HAVE SOME ENERGY FOR STORMS, IT’S NOT ENOUGH FOR A WIDESPREAD SEVERE WEATHER OUTBREAK. STILL DO BE VIGILANT THOUGH. WE COULD SEE AN ISOLATED, STRONG TO SEVERE STORM TO DEVELOP LATER ON THIS AFTERNOON. YOU CAN SEE BY THAT 12 P.M. HOUR STARTING TO SEE THAT DEVELOPMENT OUT IN THE WESTERN PARTS OF THE STATE. AND THEN WE’LL SEE THAT SLOWLY BUT SURELY PROGRESS OFF TO THE EAST BETWEEN NOON AND 6 P.M. BY 6:00, THOUGH, A LOT OF THE ACTIVITY NOW OVER THE EASTERN PORTIONS OF THE STATE, WITH SOME MORE DRIER AND STABLE AIR WRAPPING IN AROUND THAT AREA OF LOW PRESSURE. OVERNIGHT, THOSE SHOWERS PUSH OFF TO THE NORTHEAST AND WE START OUT TOMORROW MORNING MOSTLY CLOUDY AND COOLER WITH TEMPERATURES IN THE UPPER 40S TO LOWER 50S AND THEN THE SUN SHOULD COME OUT BRIEFLY. MONDAY AFTERNOON AND MONDAY EVENING. WE START OUT COOL AND DRY. TUESDAY MORNING, BUT WATCH WHAT HAPPENS TUESDAY AFTERNOON. OUR WINDS SWITCH BACK TO THE SOUTH, BRINGING IN A SURGE OF VERY WARM, MOIST. AND UNSTABLE AIR. THERE WILL BE ENOUGH INSTABILITY AND WIND SHEAR TO SUPPORT A RISK FOR SOME SEVERE STORMS, AND THE STORM PREDICTION CENTER ALREADY HAS A MARGINAL TO SLIGHT RISK IN PLACE FOR THE POTENTIAL OF LARGE HAIL, DAMAGING WINDS AND TORNADOES. THAT IS TUESDAY AFTERNOON AND TUESDAY EVENING. WATCH THE STORMS DEVELOP AND WESTERN PARTS OF THE STATE ALONG THAT COLD FRONT. BY 4 TO 5 P.M. AND THEN THOSE STORMS ROCKET OFF TO THE EAST BY TUESDAY EVENING INTO TUESDAY NIGHT. SO TUESDAY IS A WEATHER AWARE DAY AGAIN FOR THAT RISK OF SEVERE WEATHER COMING UP, THEN ANOTHER SYSTEM WILL BE ON ITS HEELS WEDNESDAY NIGHT INTO THURSDAY, BRINGING MORE SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS. WE SEE SOME DRIER AND COOLER AIR AS TEMPERATURES DROP BACK INTO THE 60S. BY T

An active weather weekend continues on Sunday when numerous showers and storms are expected early to mid-afternoon with a lower-end potential for severe weather. The big caveat for Sunday will be the amount of unstable air or instability.Both Friday and Saturday managed to develop higher amounts of instability, but due to the widespread cloudcover we are expecting Sunday morning, this will limit how much low-level heating we get for a more organized severe risk. However, it does not take much unstable air to get a risk of severe weather today, so even with limited instability, isolated severe storms could form anywhere across the state into the afternoon. The Storm Prediction Center has a marginal to slight risk in place for this threat for hail, wind, and a low-end weak tornado risk. Total additional rainfall amounts on Sunday will range from a 0.25" to locally over 1" depending on the path of storms.Watches and Warnings | RadarSee the full forecast here.Here's what to know:Rainfall totals since FridayThe latest round of storms brought plenty of rain to parts of Iowa.Check here to see how much your community saw.Maps and more information about Friday's tornadoesNWS provides timeline of Friday night's tornado outbreakPhotos and videos from Friday's tornadoesStorms brought multiple tornados, rain and hail to portions of southwestern and central Iowa on Friday, April 26, 2024.KCCI was on the ground following these storms, and many KCCI viewers sent in their own photos and videos of what they saw.Here’s how to make sure your phone provides severe weather alertsWhen storms are in the forecast, you want to make sure your mobile phone settings allow for alerts that warn you of severe weather.The U.S. Homeland Security Department says to check your phone's settings and ensure you have "Government Alerts" or "Emergency Alert Messages" enabled.You can keep track of the weather wherever you are with the KCCI app: Apple | Google PlayWe'll send you weather alerts and you can track live radar right on your phone.Get the latest KCCI forecast hereKCCI ON SOCIAL MEDIA:Facebook | YouTube | Instagram | TwitterShare videos, photos of storm with KCCIIf you've captured videos or photos from Friday's storms, please consider sharing them with us through this link. More severe weather coverage:Iowa weather: Recapping the tornadoes and other severe storms FridayNearly half of Minden, Iowa, sees mass destruction caused by tornado tearing through townVideo: Large tornado rips through southwest IowaKCCI meteorologist Zane Satre captures video of Union County tornadoWeather Aware: What’s the difference between a watch and a warning?» Best places to be in your home during a tornadoMore severe weather coverageWeather Aware: Tornado safety tipsWeather Aware: How to make sure your phone provides severe weather alertsWeather Aware: Why is a clear sky bad on severe weather days?Weather Aware: What's the difference between rain and thunderstorms

An active weather weekend continues on Sunday when numerous showers and storms are expected early to mid-afternoon with a lower-end potential for severe weather.

The big caveat for Sunday will be the amount of unstable air or instability.

Both Friday and Saturday managed to develop higher amounts of instability, but due to the widespread cloudcover we are expecting Sunday morning, this will limit how much low-level heating we get for a more organized severe risk. However, it does not take much unstable air to get a risk of severe weather today, so even with limited instability, isolated severe storms could form anywhere across the state into the afternoon.

The Storm Prediction Center has a marginal to slight risk in place for this threat for hail, wind, and a low-end weak tornado risk. Total additional rainfall amounts on Sunday will range from a 0.25" to locally over 1" depending on the path of storms.

Watches and Warnings | Radar

See the full forecast here.

Here's what to know:

Rainfall totals since Friday

The latest round of storms brought plenty of rain to parts of Iowa.

Check here to see how much your community saw.

Maps and more information about Friday's tornadoes

NWS provides timeline of Friday night's tornado outbreak

Photos and videos from Friday's tornadoes

Storms brought multiple tornados, rain and hail to portions of southwestern and central Iowa on Friday, April 26, 2024.

KCCI was on the ground following these storms, and many KCCI viewers sent in their own photos and videos of what they saw.

Here’s how to make sure your phone provides severe weather alerts

When storms are in the forecast, you want to make sure your mobile phone settings allow for alerts that warn you of severe weather.

The U.S. Homeland Security Department says to check your phone's settings and ensure you have "Government Alerts" or "Emergency Alert Messages" enabled.

You can keep track of the weather wherever you are with the KCCI app: Apple | Google Play

We'll send you weather alerts and you can track live radar right on your phone.

Get the latest KCCI forecast here