OTTUMWA —
Forecasts for Saturday show the severe weather threat has stretched south from earlier models, but southern Iowa is still very much at risk.
The highest risk areas stretch from central and southeastern Iowa down through western Missouri, eastern Kansas and northeastern Oklahoma. The Storm Prediction Center says the forecasts show a "nearly continuous" line of storms forming along that line and moving east in the afternoon and evening hours.
That's both good and bad news. It limits the tornado and large hail threat to earlier in the day, when the cells are more widely separated. More thunderstorms in a line means they all are using the same heat and humidity to sustain themselves. In essence, they're competing with each other for limited resources.
Supercells generally do best when they don't have other thunderstorms adjacent to them. That way they monopolize the local energy. Forecasters expect the line of storms to transform the threat from large hail and tornadoes to strong, straight-line winds.
Of course, it doesn't take a tornado to do serious damage. A storm that moved through Ottumwa in June knocked the Chief Wapello statue from the courthouse. It didn't involve a tornado, but the damage was more widespread.
The threat from storm winds is expected to last through Saturday night.
CNHI/Southeast Iowa
Related Photos
Share your thoughts!
Models firm up severe weather threat
- CNHI/Southeast Iowa
-
-
VIDEO: NSA director says 50 plots foiled
General Keith Alexander says two recently disclosed surveillance programs on international communications are critical in the terrorism fight.
-
Called 'Next Stephen Hawking,' teen is perfect on math exam
There's a wall on the third floor of Lewiston-Porter High School dedicated to celebrating perfect scores on state mathematics exams. A new name joined the growing list Tuesday, which brought a smile to the face of everyone involved.
-
Bakery mix-up goes viral after cat drawn on girl's head
A photo of one graduate's cake has gone viral on Reddit due to a bakery mix-up that left a cat, instead of a cap, drawn on her head.
-
T-15 may close for three months
The construction of the hydroelectric plant near the Red Rock Dam is expected to include road closures, including the possibility of T-15 being closed for 12 weeks.
-
VIDEO: Rapper steps on American flag
Lil Wayne sparked a controversy when he stepped on an American flag during the filming of his new music video, but the rapper later said it was a mistake and unintentional.
-
Facebook's organ donor status sends registrations soaring
Facebook's addition of a way for its users to tell people their organ-donor status helped boost the number of people who registered as donors 21-fold in one day.
-
VIDEO: Britney Spears' sons to make acting debut
Britney Spears recorded a new song for the "The Smurfs 2," and her sons Sean Preston and Jayden will make a cameo in the music video.
-
NWS: Rainfall tops 2013 totals in many areas
The 2012 drought was so severe, and 2013 so wet, that many parts of Iowa have received more precipitation in the first six months of this year than in all of 2012.
-
White House, NASA want help hunting asteroids
The White House and NASA on Tuesday will ask the public for help finding asteroids that potentially could slam into the Earth with catastrophic consequences.
-
Man faces theft charges for grave markers
An Oskaloosa man has a preliminary hearing today in Mahaska County District Court for allegedly stealing veterans’ grave markers at two rural cemeteries.
-
Caught on tape: Fla. teacher accused of beating autistic child
A surveillance video shows David Baier, a former special needs teacher in Davie, Fla., picking up a 12-year-old autistic student by his hair and then pushing him to the floor.
-
Not guilty plea entered in death of Oskaloosa infant
OSKALOOSA — An Oskaloosa man charged with murdering the infant he was babysitting has pleaded not guilty. On Monday, Bryan Draper Vilcone, 24, pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder, a Class A felony. On April 18, Oskaloosa Police officers respond
-
Is it really possible to not know you're pregnant until the birth?
Trish Staine had just finished running 10 miles while training for a half-marathon when she started going into labor. The mother of three said she hadn't gained any weight or felt any fetal movement in the months before and had no idea she was pregnant. Is it possible for a woman not to know she's pregnant before she starts giving birth?
-
VIDEO: Amphibious bus filled with tourists sinks
In Liverpool, England, a "duck bus" -- which is supposed to be amphibious -- sank while full of tourists.
-
State photo-ID databases become troves for police
The faces of more than 120 million people are in searchable photo databases that state officials assembled to prevent driver's-license fraud but that increasingly are used by police to identify suspects, accomplices and even innocent bystanders in a wide range of criminal investigations.
- More CNHI/Southeast Iowa Headlines
-
