Iowa Weather 3/9 Morning - Flood Watch

Good morning. Iowa. I'm Michael Mosby. Step outside right now and you'll feel something rare for early March. Actual warmth. We're already at 51 degrees. And this is just the appetizer. The Quad Cities are about to flirt with record territory today, climbing to 76 degrees. That's 20 degrees warmer than normal — the kind of day where you forget winter even happened. Central Iowa hits 72, eastern parts reach 71. And even western Iowa, running slightly cooler, still climbs to 68. Southwest winds around 10 miles an hour help push that warmth statewide. Tonight gets interesting. A weak front stalls right across Iowa, splitting the state in two. South of that boundary, lows hold in the mid to upper 40s — unseasonably mild. North of it? Mid 30s. That's a 16 degrees to 15 degrees difference over just a few miles. Tuesday starts quiet but turns active fast. Highs reach the low to mid 60s before storms develop. The Quad Cities face the greatest severe weather threat Tuesday evening — large hail and a few tornadoes possible. Heavy rain could bring localized flooding south of Interstate 80. If you're in southeastern Iowa. Wednesday turns breezy and cooler behind the front, highs in the upper 40s to low 50s. Thursday warms back into the upper 50s to mid 60s, but strong winds and low humidity create fire weather concerns. Friday stays mostly cloudy with highs in the low 50s. The weekend brings active weather again — Saturday sees highs in the low to mid 50s with a chance of rain and snow, then Sunday turns much colder with highs in the 40s. Enjoy today's warmth while it lasts — Tuesday's storm will remind us it's still March. See you this afternoon.