


Area Forecast Discussion
Issued by NWS Des Moines, IA
Issued by NWS Des Moines, IA
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796 FXUS63 KDMX 061908 AFDDMX Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Des Moines IA 208 PM CDT Fri Jun 6 2025 .KEY MESSAGES... - A 20% chance of a few showers, a storm this afternoon over northern Iowa ending this evening. - 50% to 70% chance of showers and thunderstorms Saturday over southern into central Iowa. Another round of showers and storms Sunday, but highest chances over 40% are over northeast Iowa. Any appreciable severe weather is unlikely. - Gusty winds of 20 to 30 mph after a front passes Sunday and again during the day Monday. - Seasonal to a bit below normal temperatures through Tuesday, then warmer. && .DISCUSSION... Issued at 208 PM CDT Fri Jun 6 2025 Low amplitude and largely zonal flow is over the central part of the United States with a jet streak passing to the north and one over the southern Rockies. While jet streak dynamics are favorable for lift over Iowa, low level thermodynamics and focused convergence are rather weak and nebulous. This has resulted in clouds with a bit of sunshine with a few attempts at sprinkles. A few showers or a storm is possible this afternoon, likely over northern Iowa, with an expectation that this activity will diminish overnight. A stronger shortwave trough that is currently over Wyoming will move into Iowa by Saturday morning. This along with a weak surface low just south of Iowa will increase QG convergence with a higher chance of showers and isolated thunderstorms through the day. The highest chances over 50% will be over southern into central Iowa due to the proximity of the shortwave and low tracks with all chances lowering in the evening as the shortwave moves east of the state. Severe weather is not forecast with weak lapse rates and instability. Right on the heels of this shortwave will be a larger trough that will be moving out of Canada Sunday into the western Great Lakes. At the surface, low pressure will be over Canada ahead of the trough, but a cold front will extend southwestward and move through Iowa Sunday morning. While low level theta-e advection looks to be at least modest ahead of the front, the best phasing of this forcing with mid-level thermodynamics will be over northeastern Iowa into Wisconsin and northern Illinois. Thus, the highest chances for showers and storms will be over these areas with lower chances, generally less than 30%, over central into southern Iowa. While at first glance deep layer kinematics look impressive, there is a lack of effective shear, lapse rates are weak, and instability is at most around 250 J/kg meaning that severe weather continues to look unlikely. After the front passes, winds from the northwest will increase. The pressure couplet is weak and while there is a surge in advection right behind the boundary, sustained winds of 10 to 20 mph with gusts between 20 and 30 mph will be common. These winds will draw drier air into the state with dewpoints falling from the middle 50s to low 60s Sunday morning to the middle 40s to low 50s by Monday morning. The fitful and gusty winds look to return on Monday as the trough moves east over the Great Lakes and the southeastern Ontario province. Another lobe of vorticity will spin cyclonically around the trough and drop over northeastern Iowa. This will bring another shot of showers from north central into northeastern Iowa on Monday. As this trough`s influence departs the region, mid-level ridging and increasing heights look to replace it. This will bring rising temperatures with conditions above normal from mid-week to the end of the week. It will also result in a mainly dry forecast from Tuesday until at least late Thursday. && .AVIATION /18Z TAFS THROUGH 18Z SATURDAY/... Issued at 1210 PM CDT Fri Jun 6 2025 While VFR conditions are forecast at the terminals, there will be varying amounts of clouds around this afternoon with most bases at or above FL030. Spotty showers or storms will form this afternoon as well, particularly over northern Iowa, but impacts at any given terminal are too low to include. This activity will end this evening. The next round of showers and isolated storms will arrive toward the end of the period. Confidence is highest at OTM so have included PROB30 mention, but more widespread and/or prevailing conditions will be needed in future updates at other terminals. && .DMX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... None. && $$ DISCUSSION...Ansorge AVIATION...Ansorge