349  
FXUS63 KDMX 020653  
AFDDMX  
 
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION  
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DES MOINES IA  
153 AM CDT SUN AUG 2 2026  
   
KEY MESSAGES
 
 
- DRY CONDITIONS PREVAIL THROUGH MONDAY NIGHT WITH HIGHS IN THE LOW  
AND MIDDLE 80S. HIGH LEVEL SMOKE ALOFT CONTINUES.  
 
- UP TO 40% CHANCE OF PATCHY FOG MONDAY MORNING.  
 
- WIDESPREAD THUNDERSTORM CHANCES RETURN TUESDAY THROUGH  
WEDNESDAY BRINGING WELCOME RAINFALL FOR MANY. WILL NEED TO  
MONITOR IF RAINFALL REPEATS OVER THE SAME AREA. A FEW STORMS  
MAY BE STRONG TO PERHAPS SEVERE.  
 

 
   
SHORT TERM /THROUGH MONDAY NIGHT/
 
 
ISSUED AT 153 AM CDT SUN AUG 2 2026  
 
IT IS A TRANQUIL WEATHER NIGHT OVER THE STATE WITH A JUST A FEW  
CLOUDS OVER EASTERN IOWA FLYING SOUTHWESTWARD AROUND THE CONTINUING  
TO DEPART LOW PRESSURE, WHICH IS OVER THE LOWER OHIO VALLEY. UPPER  
LEVEL WATER VAPOR IMAGERY FROM GOES-EAST SHOWS A WOUND UP,  
POSITIVELY TILTED TROUGH IN THE VICINITY OF THE LOW WHILE UPSTREAM  
RIDGING BEGINS TO TILT TOWARDS THE REGION. FLOW THROUGHOUT THE  
ATMOSPHERE OVER IOWA IS FROM THE NORTH OR NORTHEAST WITH A ZONE OF  
HIGH PRESSURE PUSHING INTO THE STATE. THIS AIRMASS IS DRY AND WILL  
FOSTER A DAY WITH ABUNDANT SUNSHINE, THOUGH SCATTERED DIURNALLY  
DRIVEN CUMULUS MAY POP OVER EASTERN IOWA DUE TO THE CLOSER PROXIMITY  
TO THE LOW'S WRAPAROUND MOISTURE. ONE CHALLENGE TO THE FORECAST ARE  
THE DEWPOINTS WITH THE INITIAL NATIONAL BLEND OF MODELS SUFFERING  
FROM A SEASONAL HIGH BIAS IN THIS DRIER REGIME. HOWEVER, THIS IS  
ALSO PEAK EVAPOTRANSPIRATION SEASON, WHICH MAY OFFSET SOME OF THE  
LOWER GUIDANCE. FORECAST SOUNDINGS FROM A VARIETY OF MODELS (E.G.  
NAM, GFS, HRRR, RAP, NAMNEST) SHOW THE BOUNDARY LAYER BECOMING WELL  
MIXED ENTRAINING DRIER AIR TO THE SURFACE LATE IN THE MORNING TO  
EARLY EVENING. WHILE THE MIDDLE AND UPPER 50 DEWPOINTS SOME MODELS  
PRODUCE SEEMS OUT OF REACH, HAVE BACKED OFF DEWPOINTS A FEW DEGREES  
TO THE LOW AND MIDDLE 60S TODAY. TEMPERATURE WISE, CONDITIONS WILL  
BE SEASONAL IN THE LOW 80S.  
 
AS HIGH PRESSURE MOVES OFF TO THE EAST TONIGHT, LIGHT WINDS AND A  
CLEAR SKY OFFER A SETUP FOR FOG POTENTIAL. LAMP PROBABILITIES ARE  
AROUND 20 TO 30% AREAWIDE WHILE HREF IS BETWEEN 20 AND 40%. ANY  
PATCHY FOG EARLY MONDAY WILL DISSIPATE AFTER SUNRISE WITH ANOTHER  
MOSTLY SUNNY DAY FORECAST. WHILE DEWPOINTS MONDAY WERE ONCE AGAIN  
ADJUSTED DOWNWARD WITH SIMILAR THINKING AS ABOVE, THEY WILL BE  
HIGHER THAN SUNDAY IN THE MIDDLE AND UPPER 60S DUE TO SOUTHERLY FLOW  
AHEAD OF THE ADVANCING TROUGH AND COLD FRONT THAT WILL BE MOVING  
OVER THE NORTHERN STATES TOWARDS IOWA.  
 
FOR BOTH TODAY AND MONDAY, HIGH LEVEL SMOKE WILL CONTINUE TO BE  
ALOFT WITH THE HRRR AND RAP SHOWING THIS THROUGH THEIR ENTIRE RUNS  
ENDING MONDAY WITH THE RRFS SHOWING IT THROUGH TUESDAY AHEAD OF THE  
NEARING COLD FRONT.  
 

 
   
LONG TERM /TUESDAY THROUGH SATURDAY/
 
 
ISSUED AT 244 PM CDT SAT AUG 1 2026  
 
A SEGMENT OF THE UPPER LOW IN CANADA WILL INTENSIFY ALONG THE  
NATIONAL BORDER AND TILT NEGATIVELY ACROSS NORTH DAKOTA AND  
MINNESOTA. WE'LL SEE THE EFFECTS OF ITS COLD FRONT AS EARLY AS  
TUESDAY AFTERNOON, LASTING THROUGH WEDNESDAY. INSTABILITY OVER 1000  
J/KG SETS UP IN THE WARM SECTOR, BUT WITH FAVORABLE DEEP-LAYER  
SHEAR LAGGING BEHIND THE BOUNDARY. FLOW WILL BE PARALLEL TO THE  
BOUNDARY AND PWATS WILL RISE ABOVE 1.5", SO THERE WILL BE HEAVY  
RAIN POTENTIAL IN NORTHERN IOWA DUE TO MOISTURE CONTENT AND  
TRAINING STORMS. THIS RISK IS CURRENTLY REPRESENTED WITH A  
MARGINAL EXCESSIVE RAINFALL OUTLOOK.  
 
IOWA WILL STAY IN CYCLONIC FLOW THROUGH THE REMAINDER OF THE WEEK  
WHICH WILL KEEP PRECIPITATION CHANCES AND COOLER TEMPERATURES IN  
PLAY.  
 

 
   
AVIATION /06Z TAFS THROUGH 06Z MONDAY/
 
 
ISSUED AT 1043 PM CDT SAT AUG 1 2026  
 
VFR CONDITIONS OVERNIGHT WITH A FEW PASSING CLOUDS OVER THE  
EAST. THE WIND WILL BE LIGHT FROM THE NORTH TO NORTHWEST.  
THERE IS A LOW CHANCE OF FOG TONIGHT BUT DID NOT INCLUDE IN THIS  
FORECAST DUE TO THE LOW PROBABILITIES. SCATTERED CUMULUS IS  
POSSIBLE ON SUNDAY WITH BASES IN THE 3-4KFT RANGE. THE WIND WILL  
BECOME MORE NORTHEASTERLY THROUGH THE DAY BUT SUSTAINED  
WIND SPEEDS WILL REMAIN MAINLY BELOW 12 KTS.  
 

 
   
DMX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES
 
 
NONE.  
 

 
 

 
 
SHORT TERM...ANSORGE  
LONG TERM...JIMENEZ  
AVIATION...DONAVON  
 
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