CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (KCRG) – Temperatures continue to rise slightly as we approach the middle of the week.

Temperatures to remain above normal for the first half of the week

The clear skies we have enjoyed all day will be replaced by only a few scattered clouds tonight and the wind will remain light but southerly. With the slightly warmer day and slightly higher humidity in the air, we will keep our low temperatures slightly warmer than last night. These will be in the low to mid 50s for most.

More sunshine is possible on Tuesday, although there will be some cloud patches at times. While we can’t completely rule out a light shower early in the day in our northwest zone, it looks like we’ll miss out on most of them due to the drier air that’s out there. We expect our afternoon highs to reach the low to mid 80s, although humidity will remain reasonable for now.

Those numbers will increase throughout the week, but still not be headed to a range on our Muggy Meter that would feel too uncomfortable. The closest we will get is early weekend, when dew points could climb into the 60s for some. This is dependent on the track of Tropical Storm Francine, with some Gulf moisture being carried into the Midwest. Stay tuned.

Otherwise, we are likely to see a lot of dry, warm weather through Thursday. No major storm systems will move through the region during this period, so our chances of precipitation are limited to little to none for the time being.

Your first warning: smoky skies, but no direct impact on air quality

Wildfires in the western United States and a few in Canada are producing large amounts of smoke rising into the atmosphere. This smoke is being carried along by weather patterns across the continent, affecting the clarity of the blue skies we’ll see over the next few days. Instead, expect a milky appearance in the sky as the smoke moves through the region, sometimes a little denser than at other times.

The good news for eastern Iowa is that current forecasts are keeping the smoke from this wildfire high. Air quality concerns will remain low over the next few days, with only a slight increase in particulate matter pollution. At this time, it appears that no precautions will be needed through Wednesday. We will keep you updated if this situation changes.

Your first warning: Francine brings clouds, watch for a chance of rain

For the second half of the week, our weather focus will be on the tropics. Instead, we will be monitoring the track of what remains of what will likely become Hurricane Francine. This system is expected to make landfall on the Gulf Coast by midweek, likely impacting the Louisiana coastline with at least Category 2 strength.

What the storm does after it moves inland is what will have the biggest impact on our forecast for Friday through Sunday. We know for sure that it will weaken quite quickly, with the wind concerns becoming much less over the next 24 hours. Instead, the potential impact of heavier rainfall is the one we need to watch, but that would depend on the remaining low pressure area that is close to the TV9 viewing area.

At this point, that’s where the biggest uncertainty lies. Most of the computer models that we use to make our predictions would show a path that would keep it far enough away from the area before it dissipates substantially. In this scenario, we would see a lot of increased cloud cover and possibly some precipitation, but less impact. In the event that the storm follows a more stable track and moves a bit further west, we could see wetter conditions for the weekend.

For now, our outlook remains dry for this 9-day forecast window. Stay tuned over the next few days in case there are any changes that could impact your weekend plans.

A bit cooler, but no return to autumnal weather

With the increased cloud cover, we expect temperatures to drop a bit over the weekend. Lows tonight will only drop to the low to mid 60s, with highs during the day in the high 70s to low 80s.

As the remaining tropical system moves on or dissipates completely, we should see sunnier weather early next week. There could be a few showers and storms next Tuesday, but the chances of that happening seem slim. Instead, we should see temperatures remain above normal for the next 9 days, with no return of the colder weather we felt over the weekend.

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