Blustery weather is coming to A.L.
Published 9:17 am Monday, October 25, 2010
By Albert Lea Tribune and Associated Press
Forecasters say strong winds are blowing toward Iowa and Minnesota as a strong area of low pressure tracks across the region.
The National Weather Service has issued a high wind watch for northern Iowa and southern Minnesota for Tuesday and for eastern Iowa on Tuesday and Wednesday. The watch extends from South Dakota to Michigan and Ohio.
The weather service says a cold front is bringing winds of 35 to 45 mph, with gusts approaching 60 mph.
Forecasters say the winds will blow loose objects around, and driving will be difficult, especially for high-profile vehicles heading north and south.
Winds are expected to diminish by early Thursday. Cooler temperatures and rain are also in the forecast. Highs will drop into the 40s and 50s by Wednesday.
Rain
Storms brought an end to an unusual run of dry weather in the Twin Cities and central and southern Minnesota.
The Twin Cities’ first measurable rain of the month, .01 inch, fell at midafternoon Saturday, ending chances of the driest October on record. Then nearly half an inch fell between 2 a.m. and 3 a.m. Sunday, knocking it out of the top 10 driest altogether.
There had been no measurable rain in the Twin Cities since Sept. 25. The newspaper says the 28-day stretch was the longest rain-free run in 31 years and the eighth longest on record. It followed a September that was the 10th wettest in the Twin Cities and the wettest statewide.
An observer in the southern Minnesota town of Comfrey reported 1.5 inches of rain.