Heavy rain, severe storms possible Friday through Sunday

Thunderstorms — some of which could bring hail and strong winds — are projected to sweep across Eastern Iowa from Friday through the weekend, and meteorologists are warning total rainfall in some areas could top 2 inches.

After a sunny day Thursday, the weather pattern will become “unsettled” Friday through Sunday, according to a Thursday morning briefing from the National Weather Service Quad Cities bureau.

Slight risk for severe storms Friday

Rain is expected to spread east across Iowa Friday morning through early afternoon, the weather service reports. Scattered thunderstorms are possible mid- to late-afternoon Friday as a warm front pushes moist air across the state.

Friday evening brings the potential for severe thunderstorms, especially in Eastern Iowa and northern Missouri. Large hail and strong wind are the main threats, but there is low risk a tornado could develop in the west.

“Severe storms are more probable in western and southern Iowa, and if these can hold together as they move east during the evening, the risk may inch upward,” according to the NWS Quad Cities bureau.

Severe weather risk for Friday has actually decreased a bit, with non-severe storms more likely through the evening hours, but a few strong to severe storms possible Friday night. Large hail and strong winds continue to be the main threats. pic.twitter.com/zEH4aNxgBQ

— NWS Quad Cities (@NWSQuadCities) April 25, 2024

Heavy rainfall expected Saturday into Sunday

Thunderstorms are expected through the weekend, with multiple rounds developing Saturday. In particular, heavy rainfall is expected later Saturday and into Sunday, the weather service reports.

While meteorologists have said total rainfall amounts are “uncertain,” they warn that some places along and west of the Mississippi River could see more than 3 inches of rain.

“There’s an increased risk of flooding for some locations, and rises will occur on area rivers,” according to the weather service.

There is a 60 percent probability that eastern Iowa will see more than 2 inches of rain, the weather service said. Cities in that area include Cedar Rapids, Iowa City, Dubuque, Washington, the Quad Cities and Burlington.

Weather radio transmitter repairs ongoing

Repairs to a faulty NOAA weather radio transmitter were ongoing Thursday, and the National Weather Service Quad Cities bureau was hopeful the fix would be completed Thursday, ahead of thunderstorms and possibly severe weather Friday through the weekend.

The transmitter, which sends alerts to weather radios in Linn County, stopped working April 13, but it had been experiencing intermittent problems since March.

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Replacement parts were on back order, and initially were not expected to arrive before May, meteorologist Ed Holicky told The Gazette last week.

Those parts — including cables and a new antenna — arrived this week, and repairs began Wednesday.

The outage is being used to remind Iowans to get their weather information from multiple sources, so communication disruptions don’t interrupt the flow of information.

TV and radio stations, as well as Alert Iowa — an online system that sends text, email and call alerts — are additional ways to get weather information.