Forecast Details for Des Moines, IA

Recent Locations: Salinas, CA Mount Tremper, NY Des Moines, IA

Current Alerts for Des Moines, IA: Blizzard Warning High Wind Warning

Tonight: A slight chance of rain between 2am and 4am, then a chance of rain and thunderstorms after 4am. Mostly cloudy, with a temperature rising to around 51 by 5am. East southeast wind 11 to 14 mph, with gusts as high as 24 mph. Chance of precipitation is 40%. New rainfall amounts of less than a tenth of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.

Sunday: Rain, snow, and sleet before 2pm, then snow likely, possibly mixed with rain between 2pm and 3pm, then snow after 3pm. Some thunder is also possible. Patchy blowing snow after 2pm. Temperature falling to around 31 by 5pm. Windy, with a south wind 13 to 18 mph becoming north northwest 27 to 32 mph in the morning. Winds could gust as high as 50 mph. Chance of precipitation is 100%. New snow and sleet accumulation of around an inch possible.

Sunday Night: Snow before 1am. Widespread blowing snow, mainly between 10pm and 1am. Low around 8. Wind chill values as low as -10. Windy, with a northwest wind 29 to 32 mph, with gusts as high as 55 mph. Chance of precipitation is 80%. New snow accumulation of 1 to 2 inches possible.

Monday: Patchy blowing snow. Mostly cloudy, then gradually becoming sunny, with a high near 20. Wind chill values as low as -10. Windy, with a northwest wind 20 to 23 mph, with gusts as high as 38 mph.

Monday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 6. Northwest wind 10 to 15 mph becoming light after midnight. Winds could gust as high as 24 mph.

Tuesday: A 20 percent chance of snow after 1pm. Partly sunny, with a high near 36.

Tuesday Night: A chance of rain and snow before 1am. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 29. Chance of precipitation is 40%.

Wednesday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 57.

Wednesday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 37.

Thursday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 71.

Thursday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 41.

Friday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 70.

Friday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 47.

Saturday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 74.

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Current U.S. National Radar--Current

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National Weather Forecast--Current

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National Weather Forecast for Tomorrow

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North America Water Vapor (Moisture)

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Weather Topic: What is Rain?

Home - Education - Precipitation - Rain

Rain Next Topic: Shelf Clouds

Precipitation in the form of water droplets is called rain. Rain generally has a tendency to fall with less intensity over a greater period of time, and when rainfall is more severe it is usually less sustained.

Rain is the most common form of precipitation and happens with greater frequency depending on the season and regional influences. Cities have been shown to have an observable effect on rainfall, due to an effect called the urban heat island. Compared to upwind, monthly rainfall between twenty and forty miles downwind of cities is 30% greater.

Next Topic: Shelf Clouds

Weather Topic: What is Sleet?

Home - Education - Precipitation - Sleet

Sleet Next Topic: Snow

Sleet is a form of precipitation in which small ice pellets are the primary components. These ice pellets are smaller and more translucent than hailstones, and harder than graupel. Sleet is caused by specific atmospheric conditions and therefore typically doesn't last for extended periods of time.

The condition which leads to sleet formation requires a warmer body of air to be wedged in between two sub-freezing bodies of air. When snow falls through a warmer layer of air it melts, and as it falls through the next sub-freezing body of air it freezes again, forming ice pellets known as sleet. In some cases, water droplets don't have time to freeze before reaching the surface and the result is freezing rain.

Next Topic: Snow