Cold Temps, Wind, Rain, Hail and Snow Is Heading to Eastern Iowa

Get ready to hop on the eastern Iowa weather rollercoaster later today.

Getting dressed in the Midwest has its challenges. The calendar says it's spring, but you know better than to put your winter coat away. It's way too early for that. You also know to keep your shorts and t-shirts handy too because our weather can go to extremes in a matter of hours.

According to our weather partners at KCRG we're in for a variety (OK, I'm trying to be positive here) of weather conditions in our area starting today. Plan for highs only in the 40s along with windy conditions. I had to take my windchimes down this morning so the neighbors won't hate me with the noise they create when the wind blows.

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Don't look for the sun today either, meteorologists say there will be extensive cloudiness along with an isolated shower around town. With the cooler temps, wind chills will be down in the 30s by this afternoon.

According to the US National Weather Service Des Moines, tonight a weather system moves in and brings with it thunderstorms with some possible hail. Conditions could be right for tornados. Make sure your car is in the garage tonight or has some protection. Rain totals should stay under an inch.

Wednesday brings more rain, and the temps should reach the lower 60s. The forecast sounds better now, right? Not so fast.

By Wednesday evening temperatures take a dive again, the winds move back to our area and bring with it more rain which could turn to snow. You read that correctly. I said the 's' word. We shouldn't get any accumulation, but still; it's cold enough to snow.

According to the National Weather Service for Cedar Rapids, temps will dip down to the upper 20s by Thursday night. Keep your parkas, gloves, light jackets, and shorts handy...we should see temperatures back in the 50s by Sunday and Monday. It's fun living in the Midwest, isn't it?

LOOK: Here are the 25 best places to live in Iowa

Stacker compiled a list of the best places to live in Iowa using data from Niche. Niche ranks places to live based on a variety of factors including cost of living, schools, health care, recreation, and weather. Cities, suburbs, and towns were included. Listings and images are from realtor.com.

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