Iowa Weather 3/8 Midday - 20° Above Normal

Good afternoon. Iowa. I'm Matt Mullins. Step outside right now and you'll feel spring arriving early. We're sitting at 53 degrees. And we're just getting started. Sunshine takes over this afternoon with highs climbing into the upper 60s to low 70s. Sioux City hits 72 — the warmest spot in the state. Des Moines tops out near 68. Down in the Quad Cities. Here comes 64. Eastern Iowa settles around 65. But here's the catch. Southwest winds gust to 25 or 30 miles an hour this afternoon. Humidity drops to 30 or 40 percent. That combination creates elevated fire danger across snow-free areas. If you're planning any outdoor burning, hold off today. Tonight stays mild with mostly clear skies. Lows drop to the low to mid 40s statewide. Winds ease a bit but remain breezy. Monday brings even more warmth. Highs push into the low 70s across most of Iowa under sunny skies. We're talking near-record territory for early March. Des Moines could hit 72. That's 25 degrees to 20 degrees above normal for this time of year. Here's your heads-up for the week ahead. Tuesday starts warm with highs near 70, but a storm system approaches from the southwest. Showers and thunderstorms develop Tuesday afternoon into evening, especially across southern and eastern Iowa. Some storms could be strong. Behind that system, temperatures crash. Wednesday sees rain mixing with snow as colder air rushes in. Highs only reach the mid 40s with blustery northwest winds. Snow accumulations look light — less than an inch for most areas. Thursday rebounds into the upper 50s with partly sunny skies. Friday stays in the low to mid 50s with another chance for light rain or snow. Don't forget — clocks spring forward tonight. You'll lose an hour of sleep, but we're gaining nearly three minutes of daylight each day now. See you this evening.