textproduct: Des Moines

KEY MESSAGES

- Cold front moving across Iowa today. Thunderstorms exiting southeast Iowa this evening. Light showers overnight into Tuesday morning.

- Cooler the next few days with highs in the 60s. Overnight lows in the 30s to 40s may result in frost concerns, mainly Tuesday night/Wednesday morning and Wednesday night/Thursday morning.

SHORT TERM /THROUGH TUESDAY/

Issued at 133 PM CDT Mon May 4 2026

A cold front is pushing across Iowa today and will be the focus for weather impacts over the next 24 hours. So far today the front has made it approximately halfway across the state, moving northwest to southeast. Temperatures in central and southern Iowa ahead of the front are in the upper 70s to low 80s while area behind the front have been in the mid to upper 60s. Meanwhile a plume of gulf moisture is pushing north. This will intersect with the cold front as it continues to sink south. Based on the speed of the front today and current placement, expect that initiation along the front will occur in far southeast Iowa and quickly pushing outside the area late this afternoon. Gusty winds are the primary hazard with storms that do develop, given very dry low levels with inverst-v soundings. Deep mixing ahead of initiation has allowed for gusts of 25-35 mph this afternoon. Should the front slow down and a more robust cell develop in the area as better moisture is allowed a bit further north, that cell could also develop hail. Again, based on the timing of the front, expect that most severe activity will be southeast of the area this evening.

The secondary front with cooler air pushes into the area this evening and overnight. This will bring a period of post-frontal showers to the area. These are already seen on satellite and radar across South Dakota into Minnesota. Scattered light showers will pass across northern Iowa this evening, becoming more widespread in central to southern Iowa overnight, lingering south through Tuesday morning. Much cooler air settles across the area Tuesday with highs in the 50s.

LONG TERM /TUESDAY NIGHT THROUGH MONDAY/

Issued at 133 PM CDT Mon May 4 2026

With much colder air in place the threat for frost/freeze is back through the middle of this week. Tuesday night-Wednesday morning (low 30s north) and Wednesday night-Thursday morning (widespread mid 30s) are the coldest, though both nights still have complications from cloud cover. As the main trough axis starts to shift east late week warmer air will shift into the area with mid 60s returning Thursday and Friday. A quick moving and rather weak embedded shortwave may try to sneak across the area Thursday or Friday bringing light rain to the area, however there are timing differences at this time amongst EC/GEFS guidance that make refining the timeframe a challenge. A more robust trough looks to move across the midwest Sunday into Monday and will provide the next window for showers and thunderstorms.

AVIATION /00Z TAFS THROUGH 00Z WEDNESDAY/

Issued at 625 PM CDT Mon May 4 2026

VFR conditions are forecast through the TAF period with CIGS above 5000 ft and elevated showers will affect TAF sites overnight. Otherwise, strong and gusty surface winds from the northwest will abate overnight.

DMX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES

None.