Iowa weather: Polk County’s Extreme Temperature Plan in effect later this week

LIST. MAYBE SOMEWHERE WE DON’T KNOW QUITE WHERE YET. WE’RE HEADING OVER TO YOU, ZANE FOR A CHECK OF THE FORECAST AS THE POTENTIAL FOR SOME STORMS TODAY. YEAH, THERE ARE STILL SOME STORMS POSSIBLE. THE GOOD NEWS IS THE CHANCE OF SEVERE WEATHER LOOKS LESS LIKELY. LOOKS LOWER THAN IT DID YESTERDAY. CASE IN POINT A LITTLE GRAYER SKIES HERE RIGHT NOW. IN FACT, A LITTLE DARKER SKIES AS YOU LOOK TO THE SOUTHWEST OF OUR DOWNTOWN DES MOINES CAMERA. THERE IS A LITTLE BIT OF SOME SHOWER ACTIVITY, ABOUT PROBABLY 15 MILES FROM THAT CAMERA, LOOKING THAT DIRECTION ACROSS PARTS OF DALLAS, MADISON, BACK TOWARDS ADAIR COUNTIES HERE THAT’S DRIFTING NORTHEAST. OTHERWISE, A LOT OF HIGH LEVEL CLOUDS SPREAD ACROSS THE STATE, SORT OF A LITTLE BIT OF A MESSY SITUATION TO LOOK AT IN TERMS OF IF YOU’RE A METEOROLOGIST TRYING TO DRAW WHERE THERE ARE BOUNDARIES OR THINGS LIKE THAT. LITTLE BIT OF A SHIFT IN THE WINDS. THIS KIND OF SUBTLE BOUNDARY STRETCHES FROM SOUTHERN IOWA AND INTO NORTHERN MISSOURI, BACK TO THE NORTH AND EAST. AND THEN THERE’S GOING TO BE ACTUALLY QUITE A FEW STORMS THAT DEVELOP DOWN INTO PARTS OF KANSAS LATER TODAY. SEE THAT LOW PRESSURE CENTER THAT’S GOING TO EVENTUALLY WORK ITS WAY UP THIS BOUNDARY AND TOWARDS IOWA LATE TONIGHT. THAT WILL BRING US MORE WIDESPREAD STORMS, BUT IN THE MEANTIME, DON’T HAVE A TON OF ENERGY IN THE ATMOSPHERE. WE DO HAVE ENOUGH, THOUGH, TO POP UP AT LEAST A FEW MORE STORMS, BUT THE REAL POWERFUL VARIETY NOT SO MUCH WHERE YOU SEE THOSE REAL HOTTER, BRIGHT YELLOW COLORS. WELL, TO OUR SOUTH INTO MISSOURI AND EVENTUALLY INTO KANSAS. THAT’S WHERE THERE’S THE BETTER THREAT OF SEVERE WEATHER TODAY. THERE’S A LOW A LEVEL TWO RISK STILL KIND OF SKIMMING SOUTHERN TWO TIERS OF COUNTIES IN IOWA GOES FROM, LET’S SAY, ABOUT HIGHWAY 92, KNOXVILLE SOUTHWARD. AND THAT’S WHERE THERE MIGHT STILL BE ENOUGH HEAT THAT BUILDS UP. OTHERWISE, PRETTY LOW LEVEL, SEVERE RISK. MAYBE A FEW STORMS POP UP HERE AS WE GO TOWARDS THE AFTERNOON. THAT COULD SUSTAIN THEMSELVES LONG ENOUGH TO PRODUCE A MAYBE A LARGER HAILSTONE. AND THEN AS THEY SORT OF CRASH AND DIE OFF, A COUPLE OF STRONGER WIND GUSTS. SO JUST KEEP YOUR EYE ON THE RADAR THIS AFTERNOON, BECAUSE WE’RE PROBABLY GOING TO SEE AT LEAST SOME SCATTERED ACTIVITY BLOSSOM UP HERE. I THINK MAYBE A LITTLE BIT MORE WIDESPREAD THAN THAT. WHAT THAT MODELING SHOWED AROUND TWO, THREE, 4:00 AND SO ON. AS WE HEAD TOWARDS THIS EVENING, SHOWERS AND STORMS WILL GET A LITTLE MORE WIDESPREAD. THEY WILL DRIFT ACROSS THE STATE. YOU NOTICE THERE’S A LITTLE BIT OF SWIRLING ACTION, THEN OVERNIGHT AND THEN INTO TOMORROW MORNING. ON WEDNESDAY. THAT IS FROM THAT LOW PRESSURE CENTER I JUST SHOWED YOU. WELL TO OUR SOUTHWEST, BASICALLY RIDING THAT BOUNDARY UP THROUGH IOWA. SO WE START OFF TOMORROW STILL WITH SOME SHOWERS AND STORMS. AND THEN AS THE AIR COOLS ALOFT BEHIND THIS SYSTEM, WE MIGHT POP UP JUST A FEW MORE AS WE HEAD TOWARDS WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON. SO I DON’T THINK WE’LL BE COMPLETELY DRY BY THE AFTERNOON HOURS OF WEDNESDAY, BUT BY THE TIME WE GET PAST WEDNESDAY AND INTO THURSDAY, WE WILL BE NOW. RAINFALL AMOUNTS WIDESPREAD, HEAVY, HEAVY RAIN CAN’T GUARANTEE THAT. BUT I WANT YOU TO JUST LOOK AT KIND OF THE NATURE OF THE THIS VERSION OF MODELING, SHOWING WHERE THERE’S GOING TO BE HEAVY RAIN. NOT EXACTLY LOCATIONS, BUT JUST HOW IT’S KIND OF SPOTTY, SCATTERED SORT OF STUFF. SO WE’RE GOING TO CALL THIS LOOKS LIKE A SCATTERED 1 TO 3IN OF RAIN ACROSS THE STATE. AS WE HEAD THROUGH TONIGHT AND INTO TOMORROW, NOT EVERYBODY’S GOING TO GET 1 TO 3IN OF RAIN. SOME PEOPLE ARE, THOUGH, HERE AS WE GO THROUGH THE NEXT ABOUT 24 TO 36 HOURS. ONCE WE GO PAST THAT TIME, ONCE WE GO PAST WEDNESDAY, TOMORROW, THEN WE GO BACK TO SEEING DRY WEATHER CONSISTENTLY THROUGH THE SECOND HALF OF THIS WEEK. AND WELL, IT GETS HOT. AS YOU’VE HEARD BY NOW, WE’RE GOING ABOVE THE 90 DEGREE MARK HERE, HEADED TOWARDS FRIDAY AND UP INTO THE MID 90S. THIS WEEKEND OUR HEAT INDEX VALUES MIGHT TOP 100 BY FRIDAY AND DEFINITELY SATURDAY AND SUNDAY. KIND OF A HOT B

Iowa weather: Polk County’s Extreme Temperature Plan in effect later this week

Updated: 8:47 AM CDT Jun 18, 2025

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Polk County’s Extreme Temperature Plan will be in effect Friday morning through at least Sunday evening. Highs will be in the 90s all weekend and heat indices expected to hit triple-digits.Due to the heat, many Polk County libraries and community centers are identified as cooling centers. Click here to find the cooling center nearest to you. The Des Moines Area Regional Transit Authority will provide free rides to cooling centers. Riders should tell bus drivers that they want to go to a cooling center when they board.Emergency shelters will also provide weather amnesty. Those includeCatholic Charities — Emergency shelter for families. Central Iowa Shelter & Services — Low-barrier emergency shelter for individuals over 18 in Polk County.Children and Families of Iowa — Safe shelter for individuals and families fleeing domestic violence.Ellipsis — Shelter and programs for youth under 18 who are involved with the child welfare or juvenile justice system.Hawthorn Hill — Operates New Directions shelter for families with children.Hope Ministries — Provides a men’s shelter called Bethel Mission and the Hope Center shelter for women and children.Iowa Homeless Youth Center — Emergency shelter beds for young people between the ages of 18 to 24.Summer safety: Never leave unattended people, pets in hot vehiclesKCCI forecastWednesday: Scattered showers and thunderstorms. High 79F. Winds shifting from NE to N at 10 to 15 mph.Thursday: Mainly sunny. Isolated rain possible Thursday night. High 88F. Winds WNW at 5 to 10 mph. Friday: Sunny, windy, and hot. High 92F. Winds SSW around 20 mph. Gusts up to 30 mph. Saturday: Sunny, windy, and hot. High 95F. Winds SSW at 15 to 25 mph. Sunday: Windy, sunny, and hot. High 94F. Winds SSW at 20 to 30 mph.

Polk County’s Extreme Temperature Plan will be in effect Friday morning through at least Sunday evening. Highs will be in the 90s all weekend and heat indices expected to hit triple-digits.

Due to the heat, many Polk County libraries and community centers are identified as cooling centers. Click here to find the cooling center nearest to you.

The Des Moines Area Regional Transit Authority will provide free rides to cooling centers. Riders should tell bus drivers that they want to go to a cooling center when they board.

Emergency shelters will also provide weather amnesty. Those include

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Summer safety: Never leave unattended people, pets in hot vehicles

KCCI forecast

• Wednesday: Scattered showers and thunderstorms. High 79F. Winds shifting from NE to N at 10 to 15 mph.
• Thursday: Mainly sunny. Isolated rain possible Thursday night. High 88F. Winds WNW at 5 to 10 mph.
• Friday: Sunny, windy, and hot. High 92F. Winds SSW around 20 mph. Gusts up to 30 mph.
• Saturday: Sunny, windy, and hot. High 95F. Winds SSW at 15 to 25 mph.
• Sunday: Windy, sunny, and hot. High 94F. Winds SSW at 20 to 30 mph.