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Iowa weather: Central Iowa school districts closing early Monday ahead of storms

Iowa weather: Central Iowa school districts closing early Monday ahead of storms
ALL RIGHT, IT IS 1217 ON THIS MONDAY AFTERNOON. ZANE. AND WE’RE TAKING A LIVE LOOK FROM PELLA BEHIND YOU. AND IT LOOKS LIKE THAT WINDMILL MIGHT BE GETTING A BIT OF A WORKOUT. IT’S BEEN A LITTLE BIT DOWN THERE. YEAH, THERE IS A BREEZE FOR SURE HERE DOWN IN PELLA AND ELSEWHERE. WE’RE LOOKING OFF TO THE NORTH OF THE CLOUDY SKY, PAST THE VERMEER WINDMILL. THERE IN TOWN AT THIS HOUR. STILL SOME GRAYNESS OVERHEAD, BUT WARMING UP NONETHELESS. AND GETTING A LITTLE BIT MORE HUMID TOO. IF YOU’VE STEPPED OUTSIDE ANYWHERE AROUND CENTRAL IOWA, WE’RE ADDING FUEL TO THE ATMOSPHERE IN ANTICIPATION FOR SOME POSSIBLY SEVERE STORMS HERE LATER TODAY. WE SHOWED YOU THIS RISK AREA EARLIER ON. THE BIG FOCUS FOR THE TIME BEING IS GOING TO BE UP IN NORTHERN IOWA. THIS LEVEL FOUR RISK, THE RED ZONE GOES DOWN TO HIGHWAY 20. SO FROM FORT DODGE TO WEBSTER CITY TO IOWA FALLS, AND THEN NORTHWARD FROM THERE. THAT WILL BE THE INITIAL TARGET ZONE LATER THIS AFTERNOON. AND THEN AS WE HEAD LATER ON INTO TONIGHT, POSSIBLY THERE COULD BE DEVELOPMENT FARTHER SOUTH INTO THAT BROADER LEVEL THREE RISK AREA FROM AMES TO DES MOINES, METRO AND SOUTHWARD WIND, HAIL, TORNADOES ALL STILL ON THE TABLE. IT WILL DEPEND EXACTLY HOW THE SITUATION EVOLVES FOR THE TIME BEING. THERE’S A LITTLE BIT OF HAS BEEN SOME SCATTERED NON-SEVERE ACTIVITY DOWN HERE IN SOUTHWEST IOWA. AS YOU WATCH THIS HOURLONG LOOP HERE, YOU WATCH A COUPLE LITTLE LIGHTNING STRIKES THERE TO THE NORTH AND WEST OF CORNING, AND THEN EVERYTHING KIND OF FIZZLES. I’M GUESSING THIS IS RUNNING INTO WHAT WE CALL THE CAPPED ATMOSPHERE THAT’S OVER OUR HEADS RIGHT NOW. THERE’S A LITTLE BIT OF SOME WARM AIR ALOFT, AND THAT’S PREVENTING AIR FROM REALLY ROCKETING UPWARD AND FORMING ACTUAL STRONGER, MORE ROBUST STORMS. THE CLOUDS ARE WIDESPREAD. YOU LOOK TO THE WEST, THOUGH. SEE THAT LITTLE RIBBON OF GREEN AND YELLOW THERE IN SOUTHEASTERN SOUTH DAKOTA? THAT IS THE BOUNDARY THAT WE’LL BE WATCHING. THE DRY LINE, THIS YELLOW THING THAT’S GOING TO POSSIBLY IGNITE STORMS IN NORTHWEST IOWA LATER ON. BUT AS WE’VE TALKED ABOUT FOR A FEW DAYS NOW, WE DON’T HAVE ANY OTHER OBVIOUS TRIGGERS. THE WARM FRONT IS LEAVING US TO THE NORTH. THE COLD FRONT’S NOT GOING TO BE HERE UNTIL LATER ON TONIGHT. THE LOW PRESSURE CENTER IS WELL OFF TO OUR NORTH AS WELL, SO WE’RE GOING TO BE WAITING ON THE AFTERNOON TO SEE WHAT THAT DRY LINE TO OUR WEST REALLY CAN DO. SO WATCH HERE AS WE HEAD THROUGH MIDDAY, MAYBE A FEW NON-SEVERE SHOWERS IN A STORM OR TWO. TRAVERSE THE MIDDLE PART OF THE STATE HERE THROUGH ABOUT ONE 2:00 IN THE AFTERNOON BY THREE. NOW WE’RE STARTING TO GET RID OF THE CLOUDS IN WESTERN IOWA INTO THE I-35 CORRIDOR. AROUND THAT TIME AS WELL. TEMPERATURES CONTINUE TO GO UP. YOU CAN SEE WHERE THERE’S A LITTLE BIT LESS HEAT UNDER THAT CLOUD COVER 70. AND THEN WE’RE PUSHING TOWARDS THE 80 DEGREE MARK AS WE GET OUT INTO SUNSHINE LATER THIS AFTERNOON. AND THAT’S WHEN OUR FOCUS WILL TURN TOWARDS THAT APPROACHING BOUNDARY COMING INTO FAR NORTHWEST IOWA TOWARDS 3 TO 4:00 AND OUR ZONE OF INTEREST INITIALLY IS GOING TO BE THERE TO THE NORTH AND WEST FOR STORM DEVELOPMENT. THIS IS UP TOWARDS STORM LAKE AND CHEROKEE AND EAST OF SPENCER, KIND OF THE EMMETSBURG AREA FOR INITIALLY SOME STORMS TO FORM, THESE WOULD BE THE MOST LIKELY TO HAVE REAL POWERFUL ENVIRONMENT TO WORK WITH TO FORM POTENTIALLY SUPERCELLS THAT COULD SPAWN TORNADOES AND HAIL AND ALL THAT STUFF. THESE WILL MOVE ALONG TOWARDS HIGHWAY THREE, HIGHWAY 18, AND THEN UP INTO MINNESOTA TOWARDS EARLY IN THE EVENING. THERE ARE SIGNS THAT LATER THIS EVENING, SOME DEVELOPMENT TOWARDS THE SOUTHERN END OF THIS BOUNDARY COULD TAKE PLACE IN SOUTHERN IOWA. I’M NOT AS SOLD ON THAT IN PARTICULAR, THOUGH IT’S A LITTLE MORE QUESTIONABLE THE FARTHER SOUTH YOU GO TOWARDS THE EVENING HOURS. BUT IF YOU’RE AROUND THE DES MOINES METRO, AROUND THAT, LET’S SAY SIX TO 7 TO 8 TIME FRAME, EVEN AS WE HEAD TOWARDS SUNSET, JUST BE PAYING ATTENTION. IF A STORM CAN FORM DOWN HERE, IT’S GOING TO HAVE ALL THE INGREDIENTS IT NEEDS TO BE SEVERE. SO WE’RE JUST KIND OF IN WAIT AND SEE MODE. THEN AS WE HEAD THROUGH THE REST OF THE AFTERNOON, ONCE WE GET TOWARDS MIDNIGHT, THOSE BOUNDARIES WE’VE BEEN TALKING ABOUT, THEY ALL SHIFT OFF TO THE EAST, THEY PUSH THE STORMS WITH THEM. SO I THINK BY, YOU KNOW, 11:00 MIDNIGHT, 1 A.M. THERE, THE THREAT, WHATEVER IT IS, WILL BE DONE. SO THE WINDOW IS BASICALLY FROM 3 TO 4 THIS AFTERNOON IN NORTHWEST IOWA TO ABOUT MIDNIGHT IN SOUTHEAST IOWA. TONIGHT, THAT’S THE MAIN WINDOW WE’LL BE WATCHING. AFTER THAT, THE EIGHT DAY FORECAST TAKES US BACK TO SOME LESS HUMID 60S AND SUNSHINE TOMORROW. ON TUESDAY, A LITTLE MORE OF A FRESH BREEZE, NOT AS STRONG OUT OF THE NORTH AND WEST TOMORROW. AND THEN WEDNESDAY BRINGS THE RETURN OF SOME SHOWERS, MAYBE SOME NON SEVERE STORMS. THOSE WILL LINGER FROM WEDNESDAY INTO THURSDAY MORNIN
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Updated: 12:38 PM CDT Apr 28, 2025
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Iowa weather: Central Iowa school districts closing early Monday ahead of storms
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Updated: 12:38 PM CDT Apr 28, 2025
Editorial Standards
Some Iowa school districts are announcing early dismissals Monday as strong storms could pop up across the state.Closings | Interactive Radar | Weather AlertsAlgona has announced it will dismiss elementary schools at 1:45 p.m. and other schools at 2 p.m.Belmond-Klemme Schools in Wright County announced classes will dismiss two hours early on Monday and all evening activities are canceled. Eagle Grove, also in Wright County, will close two hours early as well.Click here for the latest information on early dismissals. Iowa weather: What to know about Monday's severe weatherKeep an eye on weather across Iowa with vlog's skycamsWeather watchers can keep an eye on conditions by checking our skycam page, which shows aerial views from a dozen sites across the state.

Some Iowa school districts are announcing early dismissals Monday as strong storms could pop up across the state.

Closings | Interactive Radar | Weather Alerts

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Algona has announced it will dismiss elementary schools at 1:45 p.m. and other schools at 2 p.m.

Belmond-Klemme Schools in Wright County announced classes will dismiss two hours early on Monday and all evening activities are canceled. Eagle Grove, also in Wright County, will close two hours early as well.

Click here for the latest information on early dismissals.

Iowa weather: What to know about Monday's severe weather

Keep an eye on weather across Iowa with vlog's skycams

Weather watchers can keep an eye on conditions by checking our skycam page, which shows aerial views from a dozen sites across the state.