Severe weather possible Tuesday throughout Eastern Iowa

Much of Iowa — particularly the eastern portion of the state — is preparing for the possibility of severe weather Tuesday afternoon into Wednesday.

The National Weather Services’s Quad Cities bureau is projecting an enhanced risk of severe weather, the third-highest warning level on the severe weather threat scale. The threat of severe thunderstorms includes the possibility of all hazards, including large hail, tornadoes and damaging winds.

‼️Latest on severe weather threat today into tonight

⚠️There continues to be a Level 3 (Enhanced) risk of severe thunderstorms across most of the area today. All severe hazards including large hail, tornadoes, and damaging winds are possible.#IAwx #ILwx #MOwx pic.twitter.com/pDGNmRpfGB

— NWS Quad Cities (@NWSQuadCities) April 16, 2024

Several rounds of storms are expected. At 10 a.m. Tuesday, the National Weather Service reported strong to severe thunderstorms were moving north-northeast through central Iowa.

A second round of storms is expected between noon and 11 p.m. Tuesday. Storms are expected to develop south across central Missouri and move into Eastern Iowa around 1 p.m. According to the National Weather Service, the storms will be moving northeast at 45 to 55 mph.

⌚Several rounds of storms are expected. Here is a timeline of when we are expecting those rounds to impact the area. The main round of severe weather is expected this afternoon and evening, which could come in two separate lines of thunderstorms, not just one line. pic.twitter.com/X7lvn8GVt5

— NWS Quad Cities (@NWSQuadCities) April 16, 2024

The area of enhanced risk of severe weather includes much of the state, from north of Waterloo, into Western Illinois, northern Missouri and much of central and Eastern Iowa. This includes the cities of Cedar Rapids, Iowa City, Waterloo, Dubuque, Des Moines and the Quad Cities.

Cedar Rapids weather radio off the air

The NOAA Weather Radio station that serves the Cedar Rapids area — WXL61 — has been off the air since Monday due to transmitter issues.

The National Weather Service reported that technicians were working on the problem, but as of Tuesday morning it still was off the air. The date and time of a return to service was not known.

Linn County Emergency Management advises Linn County residents who usually rely on weather radios go online and create an account on Alert Iowa, an online system that sends out text, email or call alerts for severe weather and other emergencies.

“With the weather radio being down, I would really urge people to put that on their device,” said Tom Ulrich, the Linn County Emergency Management Operations officer. “If you have a person that can’t figure it out, or maybe you have an elderly neighbor that would like to have it, help them. Help your elderly relatives get Alert Iowa so they can stay informed.”

Besides sending out regular weather alerts like severe weather warnings, Alert Iowa also can be used by Linn County Emergency Management during a large-scale emergency — like the 2020 derecho — to send out information about where resources are available throughout the county.

Information also is available through the National Weather Service at mobile.weather.gov.

Residents of Cedar Rapids may visit cedar-rapids.org/emergency-preparedness/ for an overview on emergency preparedness, tips on common emergencies such as high winds and tornadoes and information on supply kits and safety plans, as well as emergency contacts.

The Cedar Rapids page also lists locations of neighborhood resource centers the city may activate after a disaster. The centers serve as distribution points for information and resources when critical infrastructure such as electrical power, cellular phone service and internet is disrupted after disaster strikes.

Linn County offers similar information at linncountyiowa.gov/588/9530/Public-Health-Preparedness-and-Response.

Residents also may visit CRNewsNow.com or use the city's MobileCR app to sign up for email and text alerts.