OttumwaSnomow

.55 overnight.   Just a absurd wet pattern.  Not complaining 

Looking over the over 300 cocorahs  locations  across Iowa mby has 3rd most precip in 2024! And even more shocking given how far SE I am, I recorded  the 2nd most snowfall in Iowa! Only Coralville eeked out a inch more snow. No doubt about after December  2023  this area a magnet for precip! Doesn't  really surprise  me though.  In 2017 I spent a couple  days researching  and Ottumwa  Iowa Kirksville  Mo have the wildest swings and deviations from averages  in the midwest! Bermuda triangle  here of crazy ups and downs in precip. The past  13 months totally  bear this out. Yes all location  flucuate   but the swings here historically  are mind blowing!

What a day! What a past 33 days!

Today 3.10" (ambient)

Since March 31st over 11 inches!

Since Dec 1st over 20 inches.

Pond now inches  from overflowing, first time since late 2020!

Some minor flooding today first  time in years! SW wapello  county had a report of 6.5" just today!

Todays drought  monitor  still had mby in "abnormally  dry"  which will be gone next week. Its honestly  as wet now as I have seen since maybe sept 2020. Looking at May forecast  a 2010  deluge isnt out of the question.   Snodgrass referred  to 2010 as a analog year? Seeing so many unusual  things not seen for years! Like my basement  leaking!

6 hours ago, Stormy said:

Yeah I was checking the monthly COCORAHS reports yesterday and noticed the Bloomfield area had even higher April rainfall totals, like up to 9"+! My sister in south central KS says they're drying up and I noticed they again missed the recent rains. They're not farmers, but already the other week she said the wheat may be toast er long. 

 

I'm glad to hear that the COCORAHS gauge is nearly identical to the official one because I have two of those and like them. I'm guessing the COOP gauge is more accurate beings it has a larger diameter. I actually have 5 gauges out. Two other small ones always show less unless it rains a lot, like over 1" as they tend to catch up. I like my digital Davis gauge, but it's not consistent and I never fully trust digital gauges. I have a spare older Davis station/gauge and both rain guages had to be adjusted up a bit (calibrated) to match my other gauges. The new Vantage Pro2 has a redesigned gauge so the wind affects the rain less that's entering it. I don't know if the new design helps much. Davis finally came out with a touch screen console last year but it needs to be plugged in an outlet as battery backup won't last long. I'd get one if they'd make it totally wireless like what I have.

I had a davis pro for years. Gave it to my son when I sold  him that property.  The solar charger quit and I was constantly  putting batteries  in. I love the ambient console and easy  access of the data. Its been out since nov 2012 with zero issues. And its quite far from the house

2 hours ago, Stormy said:

My April total rainfall is 5.50". Not sure if I'll add anything to that amount before midnight tomorrow night or not, but probably not as it appears less likely.

Im at 7.93" here for April.  I have 3 gages:  coop observer  large metal gage, a cocorahs gage and my Ambient electronic one.  The coop observer  and cocorahs  are usually  identical.. The coop observer  maybe a tic higher  less, maybe  0.5% than the  cocorahs  at times. The ambient is steadily 4 to 6% higher, so i dont document it. But its midnight to midnight and  saves me a trip out in the rain! The ambient is very reliable, except  for dead of winter ice or snow.  But perhaps most confusing  is OTM  7 miles  nw of me is  measured  at midnight  and i measure 7 am. On March 31st just before midnight we had  a torrential  downpour, which went into my April data. Had that went on March data  March would've  been closer  to normal precip. But I continue  to see this oddity that My 2 locations in Wapello  county steadily see much more precip than OTM, and 2 other  friends not far from OTM.   I've  come to strongly believe  that info isn't  accurate!  When I have 3 rain gages over years? Why is OTM  constantly  10 to 20% less?  Possibly  even more in winter  when precip needs melted.?????? Oh and fyi my ambient says 6.98" since April 1st at midnight. 

Well what a event! The 4 day, 2 system  total is 2.62" nothing extreme. But I had my wettest 24 hr period in 3 yrs. And most amazing I have 7.93" in April and still another chance Tuesday  evening. My wettest  month in Iowa since Sept 2020.. Kiss goodbye  to darn drought monitor!

Another wet day! Love it!   .80"  this pm and still raining.  Weekend total  now 1.7"  and incredibly  now at 7 inches in April!  And there hasnt been a extreme  amount of run off or gully washers.  Soaking  in and saturated!

Is east edge of Desmoines  getting raked? Hope not.

.91" wow and just the first round!

4 minutes ago, Hawkeye said:

Unfortunately, it appears the dry models are going to be correct for us this morning.  An area of rain is trying to lift up into my area, but it is really drying out.  You just can't expect any heavy rain when the freakin dewpoint is in the 30s.  I'm tired of this crap.  To get heavy rain, we need the dewpoint to be in the 60s and 70s.

My dewpoint  is 43 and nice moderate rain. And  Im up to .43 rain this am. Unreal  how Ive been the bullseye  for months now.

We drove to the Royals Orioles game on Sunday (go O's!).  And there was quite few dry areas  between here and kc.. much wetter here thankfully.  But looks like we all get in on it soon!

6 hours ago, Clinton said:

Cool temperatures this weekend hopefully I can avoid any frost Sunday morning as temps may dip into the mid 30s.  Later next week one of the stronger storms in this year's LRC will likely ignite a major sever weather outbreak across the middle of the country.  Models are already showing significant amounts of rain in my area but it's gonna have to show me it can actually happen here in the show me state before I get to excited. 

Most of my 30 fruit trees in full bloom. Currently  its 41F at 1 pm. Dewpoint  is 27F and both will plummet  down tonight  i think my fruit is gone!

3 hours ago, Stormy said:

I wanted to comment about the weather on Tuesday, but I always get sidetracked in doing and looking at other things. Plus I was helping with storm cleanup for people from my church that evening. The first batch of showers Tuesday afternoon was heavier then it appeared on radar as PWATS were quite high, but I was in a gap between heavier cells of course. Still ended the first round with exactly 0.40". Then a short period of sunshine preceded an ominous shelf cloud from the last brief intense line of storms. The sky looked greenish, and I was out shooting video (with iPhone 15 Pro Max) and photos till the last second! But only 0.24" rain from that line with wind gust only around 43 mph and not as windy at my location as early in the afternoon. But had some decent hail with a few of the largest stones at 1" diameter. But 2 farms approximately 3-4 miles se. of me had buildings destroyed from a possible little spin up tornado or microburst? One building was totally flattened and the other farm had half of the roof gone among other damage. Total rainfall on Tuesday was only 0.64". 

 

The drought maps may be off for my location since we've had very good rains in March, and especially this month. Field tile lines are running since the heavy rains of early April and water is standing in roadside ditches after each rainfall. With today's rainfall I'm approaching 4" for the month. And it looks active again by late April.

Just checked my weather station and I'm just over 4" for the month now, with over a third of an inch so far today.

It will be so nice to see my area off the dreaded  drought monitor  soon! I have a incredible  7 plus inches since March 1st. My ponds are almost  full!  Going  back to Dec 1st 2023 I am steadily running surpluses.  Except  for the pultry .14 in Feb.

Well this system  over preformed here for sure!! 3 rounds of thunder. Still  thunder tonight.  I have about .88 so far. 2 bouts of light hail.  The 2nd round was squall line in my pics below   did finally  get some spin on it in eastern Wapello  county. There was a eery  sound that Ive only hear twice iny life... freight train. 

Just now, Hawkeye said:

I am becoming increasingly concerned about my rain total.  A couple days ago, the GFS and Euro were suggesting up to four rounds of storms and a rain total possibly 2+".  Tonight's storms are gone and the Tuesday night rain is mostly gone.  Models are down to only one main round Tuesday afternoon, with maybe a thin second line.  There may be spots around here that get missed by the stronger cells and end up with only a half inch of rain.

Just not a good setup  for my area for good rain in more than a couple spots. Maybe a strip or stripe under a super cell.  Today i tilled the garden.  Craziest  hard  crust i ever saw from the days of sun and wind. But still mud underneath!! Deep soil  wetter here than further  west. Bone dry over along hwy 35.

Looks like i will finish with 44.2"  38 of which fell in 11 days.  A Crazy winter.

3.16"  day total precip since Sunday  afternoon. And a snow rain mix is still falling so will add to this. What a over performer!  Very thankful!

I'm probably  thought of  as a complainer on these forums. And my company  has lost millions  from years of drought.  But I must say this since Nov 1st mby is near the top of a Iowa locations.

#2 snowfall 44.2"

#6 precip 12.39"

We should be falling off the drought monitor  soon.

1.56"

My heaviest rain only day since September  2022.  Was pea sized hail twice. My pond jumped up 2 feet!

On 3/30/2024 at 9:06 AM, Tom said:

This setup looks to be golden for your area and most of the MW/OHV.... @OttumwaSnomow should do real good...this is the epitome of the IA/MO warm front scenario at play which he discusses on here.  Good luck bud!

Great call @Tom! Nothing like a wobbling warm front here!!! I just got raked best gully  washer since June or longer! 1.32" and still not over! 2 rounds of pea size hail! FINALLY  SOME RUN OFF FOR PONDS!

2 hours ago, Timmy Supercell said:

55, moderate rain and t'storm! There's gonna be a lot of them over the next couple days. 

Whats a thunderstorm?  Im seeing just 2 to 4 per year in recent  years!!!! That said today is the 1 year anniversary  of one of strongest supercells of my life!  It actually  passed right over my 24 acres!  Touched ground  not  even 2 miles away. The Hedrick  Keota Iowa tornado  and hail.

8 hours ago, PhiEaglesfan712 said:

The rain wrecking havoc on MLB opening day in the East Coast. The Atlanta Braves vs. Philadelphia Phillies and Milwaukee Brewers vs. New York Mets opening games have been pushed back to tomorrow. The Los Angeles Angels vs. Baltimore Orioles game looks like it will go on as scheduled at 3:05 pm ET.

 

Go Os! Man is this team good!

3 hours ago, Beltrami Island said:

In this case that is the dry slot of this storm, no? Iowa still has the nw to se gradient on average.  Minnesota's gradient is particularly contrasting between gulf moisture feeding into storms of upper Mississippi vs the arid plains of ND/MT, etc.

Yes.. just this massive  weird dry slot. But as soon as the cold front approaches  the Mississippi  river BOOM!  line of solid precip. I have witnessed this so many times in recent  years its uncanny. Thus  much of Illinois  has not been in the severe  drought as SE iowa just 60 to 80 miles away!  And looking  at historical  averages Illinois  east of Mississippi  river doesnt not receive  more precip than SE Iowa. But in recent years they have!!!!

3 hours ago, bud2380 said:

Both Cedar Rapids and Iowa City airports have reported 0.00" of rain so far.  A far cry from the 2-3" modeled for days here.  Latest HRRR shows about a .25-.35".  And that will pretty much be all that we get from this system.  A huge disappointment around here.  Although with models trending this way in the couple of days leading up to the storm, it was no longer a surprise.  

 

I have exactly  a trace and a trace the past 3 days!!! ZERO.. after days of model data with a very good rain Friday  thru tues.  Pathetic.  Never seen a dry slot like this in march that last 4 days!!!   While  rain repeatedly  formed west and north and now east this pm.

34 minutes ago, Hawkeye said:

0.01" of rain here so far.  Maybe we can squeeze out a few tenths later..

I just reported a trace 2 days. What a bummer. I had watched this setup  for 15 days.  Seems like it takes  some kinda freak event to get a big rain here. A wobbling front along the mo/ia border usually  works.  Oddest place, front after front system  after  system.  Maybe 1 of 20 gives a precip even over .50!  So many months pass here with 1 or none significant  precip events. Its shocking to me that even being on the east side of a trough doesn't  create  lift and precip here.