Iowa Weather 3/8 Morning - 20° Above Normal

Good morning. Iowa. I'm Michael Nally. Step outside and you'll feel spring flexing. Currently 38 degrees, but — we're about to launch into the 60s and 70s. Sunshine dominates today with southwest winds gusting to 30 miles an hour. Western Iowa leads the charge, topping out at 71 degrees. Central areas hit 68. Eastern spots and the Quad Cities reach 65. That's 25 degrees to 20 degrees above normal for early March — the kind of warmth that tricks you into thinking winter's over. But those gusty winds bring a catch. Humidity drops to 30 percent this afternoon. Fuels are bone dry. Fire danger climbs to very high across snow-free areas. If you're burning brush, be extremely careful. This isn't the day to test your luck. Tonight stays mild. Mostly clear with lows in the low to mid 40s statewide. Winds remain breezy, gusting to 25 miles an hour. Monday pushes even warmer. Sunshine continues with highs climbing to 72 degrees in central Iowa, 70 in the east, 69 out west. We're flirting with record territory — some spots could challenge daily highs set decades ago. Tuesday brings the week's warmth peak. The Quad Cities could hit 76 degrees. But that warmth comes with a price. A storm system arrives Tuesday afternoon. Rain develops, with thunderstorms likely by evening across southern Iowa. Heavy rain is possible — some areas could see one to three inches. Wednesday turns messy. Rain transitions to snow as cold air rushes back. Highs only reach the mid to upper 40s. The rest of the week stays cooler but dry. Thursday rebounds to the upper 50s to mid 60s. Friday brings partly sunny skies with highs in the low to mid 50s. Enjoy the warmth while it lasts — Tuesday's storm will remind us it's still March. See you this afternoon.