Hail and Damaging Winds in Iowa, May 7, 2004

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE QUAD CITIES IA IL
331 PM CDT THU MAY 6 2004

.SYNOPSIS...1024 MB SURFACE HIGH OVER ND WAS SLOWLY PUSHING A
SURFACE COLD FRONT SOUTH ACROSS THE FORECAST AREA THIS AFTERNOON. AT
19Z...THIS FRONT STRETCHED FROM ABOUT RFD THROUGH CID AND DSM TO A
WEAK LOW OVER FAR SE NEB. 2-4 MB  3 HOUR PRESSURE RISES BEHIND THE
FRONT IN MN INDICATE SOUTHWARD MOVEMENT CONFIRMED BY SURFACE OBS
TODAY. 12Z DVN SOUNDING AND RECENT GOES SOUNDINGS INDICATE STRONG
CAP IN PLACE AS RESULT OF UNSEASONABLY WARM TEMPS IN H7 TO H85
LAYER. SCATTERED ELEVATED SHOWERS AND ISOLATED
THUNDERSTORMS...MOSTLY VIRGA PRODUCERS...CONTINUE ALONG AND NORTH OF
THE SURFACE FRONTAL BOUNDARY. THE STRONG CAP RESULTING IN CONVECTIVE
TEMPS NEAR OR ABOVE 100 DEG F THIS AFTERNOON WILL PREVENT SURFACE
BASED CONVECTION...BUT WILL STILL HAVE THREAT OF ELEVATED CONVECTION
THIS EVENING.
&&

.SHORT TERM...(TONIGHT THROUGH SATURDAY)...THUNDERSTORM CHANCES MAIN
CHALLENGE THROUGHOUT FORECAST AS SURFACE BOUNDARY LINGERS IN AREA
THROUGH MIDDLE PART OF NEXT WEEK. TONIGHT...WEAK MID LEVEL SHORTWAVE
SEEN ON WV IMAGERY IN SW MN INTO NEB WILL TRACK ACROSS AREA TO
ENHANCE THE SCATTERED ELEVATED SHOWERS INTO MORE SERIOUS
THUNDERSTORMS NORTH OF THE FRONT. SHORT TERM MODELS IN GOOD AGREEMENT
THE FRONT WILL REACH IA/MO BORDER AROUND MIDNIGHT WHICH LOOKS
REASONABLE BASED ON CURRENT TRENDS. 88DS SHOW WIDESPREAD VIRGA
MAINLY NORTH OF I-80 WHICH SHOULD BE ENHANCED INTO MORE WIDESPREAD
SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS AFTER SUNSET WITH INCREASING H85 MOISTURE
POOLING ALONG THIS ELEVATED CONVERGENCE ZONE. HAVE LIKELY POPS
ACROSS CENTRAL CWA WITH BUFFER OF SCATTERED POPS TO NORTH AND SOUTH.
MAIN SEVERE THREAT WILL BE LARGE HAIL WITH THESE ELEVATED STORMS.
FRIDAY...THE FRONT LIFTS BACK NORTH LATE IN DAY WITH SCATTERED
ELEVATED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUING OVER THE CWA. HAVE
ADJUSTED TEMPS DOWN CONSIDERABLY...ESPECIALLY IN FAR NORTHEAST WHERE
EASTERLY FLOW WILL LIMIT HIGHS TO AROUND 60...WHILE FAR SOUTH MAY
SEE 80 BY LATE AFTERNOON. THE FRONT LIFTS NORTH INTO HIGHWAY 20
CORRIDOR IN THE EVENING WITH MUCH MORE FAVORABLE LOW LEVEL JET
FEEDING INTO AREA FOR SEVERE POTENTIAL ALONG AND NORTH OF FRONT AND
AGAIN HAVE LIKELY POPS IN NORTH. ON SATURDAY...FRONT CONTINUES TO
WAVER ACROSS THE AREA WITH FORECAST SOUNDINGS LOOKING MORE FAVORABLE
FOR SURFACE BASED CONVECTION...ESPECIALLY IN AFTERNOON WITH WEAKER
MID LEVEL CAPPING. SEVERE POTENTIAL CONTINUES WITH ABUNDANT MOISTURE
POOLING IN AREA...MODERATE INSTABILITY IN AFTERNOON AND LOW LEVEL
SHEAR ALONG FRONT.

.LONG TERM...(SATURDAY NIGHT THROUGH THROUGH THURSDAY)...ZONAL MID
LEVEL FLOW AND LINGERING FRONT WILL KEEP PERIODIC CHANCES FOR
THUNDERSTORMS GOING THROUGH THURSDAY. MEDIUM RANGE GUIDANCE
PUSHES UPPER TROUGH INTO CENTRAL CONUS TOWARD THURSDAY TO ALLOW
CANADIAN AIRMASS TO WIN OUT AND PUSH FRONT WELL SE OF AREA THURSDAY
NIGHT FOR BREAK FROM PROLONGED WET PATTERN.
&&

.DVN WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
IA...NONE.
IL...NONE.
MO...NONE.

&&

SHEETS

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE QUAD CITIES IA IL
512 AM CDT THU MAY 6 2004

IAZ040>042-051>054-063>068-076>078-087>089-098-099-ILZ001-002-007-009-
015>018-024>026-034-035-MOZ009-010-070812-
BENTON IA-BUCHANAN IA-BUREAU IL-CARROLL IL-CEDAR IA-CLARK MO-CLINTON IA-
DELAWARE IA-DES MOINES IA-DUBUQUE IA-HANCOCK IL-HENDERSON IL-HENRY IA-
HENRY IL-IOWA IA-JACKSON IA-JEFFERSON IA-JO DAVIESS IL-JOHNSON IA-
JONES IA-KEOKUK IA-LEE IA-LINN IA-LOUISA IA-MCDONOUGH IL-MERCER IL-
MUSCATINE IA-PUTNAM IL-ROCK ISLAND IL-SCOTLAND MO-SCOTT IA-
STEPHENSON IL-VAN BUREN IA-WARREN IL-WASHINGTON IA-WHITESIDE IL-
512 AM CDT THU MAY 6 2004

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF NORTHEAST IOWA...
EAST CENTRAL IOWA...SOUTHEAST IOWA...NORTHWEST ILLINOIS...NORTH
CENTRAL ILLINOIS...WEST CENTRAL ILLINOIS AND NORTHEAST MISSOURI.

.DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT

AN ADVANCING COLD FRONT WILL PROVIDE THE FOCUS FOR CONVECTION TODAY AND
TONIGHT ACROSS THE FORECAST AREA.  THERE WILL BE SLIGHT RISK OF SEVERE
THUNDERSTORMS THIS AFTERNOON...MAINLY NEAR AND NORTH OF THE INTERSTATE
80 CORRIDOR...FROM THE QUAD CITIES TO DUBUQUE...AND TONIGHT ACROSS THE
ENTIRE FORECAST AREA.  THE CONVECTION...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT...
WILL BE FOCUSED ALONG AND NORTH OF THE COLD FRONT.  THE PRIMARY THREAT
WILL BE HAIL...ALTHOUGH WINDS MAY ALSO BE AN ISOLATED THREAT.  IN
ADDITION...ISOLATED TORNADOES CAN NOT BE RULED OUT ALONG AND JUST NORTH
OF THE COLD FRONT AS IT PROGRESSES SOUTH ACROSS THE FORECAST AREA THIS
AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...FRIDAY THROUGH THURSDAY

A VERY ACTIVE PERIOD OF WEATHER IS EXPECTED THROUGH THE WEEKEND AND
EARLY NEXT WEEK. THERE IS A POTENTIAL FOR AT LEAST TWO ROUNDS OF
SEVERE WEATHER DURING THIS TIME PERIOD...ALONG WITH MODERATE TO
POSSIBLY HEAVY RAINFALL.

A WARM FRONT WILL MOVE ACROSS THE AREA ON FRIDAY AFTERNOON AND STALL
OUT AROUND HIGHWAY 20 SATURDAY MORNING. A LARGE TEMPERATURE GRADIENT
IS EXPECTED ACROSS THIS FRONT WITH PLENTIFUL MOISTURE TO THE SOUTH.
THIS SHOULD ALLOW THUNDERSTORMS TO DEVELOP ON FRIDAY...ESPECIALLY
DURING THE LATE AFTERNOON AND EVENING HOURS.

THE COMBINATION OF MOISTURE AND SHEAR PROVIDED BY THE FRONT SHOULD
BE ENOUGH TO ALLOW SEVERE STORMS TO DEVELOP. IF SEVERE STORMS
DEVELOP...HAIL AND DAMAGING WINDS WOULD BE THE PRIMARY THREAT.
HOWEVER...ANY STORM THAT INTERACTS WITH OR CROSSES THE FRONT WOULD
HAVE THE POTENTIAL TO PRODUCE A TORNADO.

THE MOST LIKELY AREA FOR THIS ROUND OF SEVERE WEATHER WOULD BE ALONG
AND SOUTH OF INTERSTATE 80.

ADDITIONAL ROUNDS OF THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE SATURDAY AFTERNOON
INTO MONDAY NIGHT AS THE FRONT MOVES BACK AND FORTH ACROSS THE AREA.
ONCE AGAIN...MOISTURE AND SHEAR WILL BE AVAILABLE FOR STORM
DEVELOPMENT. ALTHOUGH THERE IS CONSIDERABLE UNCERTAINTY DURING THIS
TIME PERIOD...SEVERE STORMS MAY BE POSSIBLE.

ONE FINAL THREAT WILL BE THE AMOUNT OF RAINFALL FROM FRIDAY THROUGH
MONDAY. LIGHT TO MODERATE RAINFALL IS LIKELY. HEAVY RAINFALL IS
POSSIBLE IF THUNDERSTORMS CAN ORGANIZE INTO LARGE COMPLEXES AND MOVE
ALONG THE FRONT. IF MODERATE TO HEAVY RAINFALL WOULD OCCUR...AREA
RIVERS WOULD EXPERIENCE GENERAL RISES.

EMERGENCY MANAGERS SHOULD LISTEN TO LATER FORECASTS REGARDING THE
POTENTIAL FOR SEVERE WEATHER THROUGH THE WEEKEND.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE NEEDED ONE OR MORE TIMES BETWEEN TODAY AND
SUNDAY.

REA/08