Is this one of the weirdest winters ever in central Iowa?
In a dramatic contrast to last month, when Des Moines registered lows of -17 on Jan. 14 and 15, records for the date, it’s expected to see a high of 62 degrees on Thursday, breaking a record of 60 for the date set in 1999, the National Weather Service says in forecast guidance. Record keeping for Feb. 8 dates back to 1878.
Record highs also are forecast in Mason City, where a high of 56 would exceed a 1999 record by 5 degrees; Ottumwa, where the forecast of 64 would break a record of 62 set in 1938; and Waterloo, where the expected 60-degree high would beat the record of 55 set in 1999. Waterloo also is expected to set a daily record Wednesday with a high of 56, 4 degrees above the mark set in 1987.
Lamoni is expected to match its 1938 record of 64 degrees on Thursday.
Record high lows also forecast
The weather service also is forecasting record high minimum temperatures on Wednesday in Mason City (34 degrees, 2 degrees above the 1925 mark), and Waterloo, with 36 degrees, up from 33 in 1996. On Thursday, Des Moines and Ottumwa are expected to join them in setting records for the day, ranging from 1 to 6 degrees above the previous high minimums,