Cooler weather coming -- and more rain

The hot weather should only last 3 more days, then a pattern shift is poised to bring a cooler airmass. The 6-10 Day Outlook is forecasting a high probability of below-average temperatures for next week.

Longer range forecasts -- for what they are worth -- are also leaning toward below-average temperatures for the rest of the summer.

The bad news, however, is that the wet weather isn't over. The rainfall projections for the next 5 days show decent rain here (1+ inch) with higher amounts upstream, especially in southeastern Iowa (3+ inches). This will make it harder for the Mississippi River to fall after it crests this week.

As a result, the U.S. Hazards Outlook for the next week warns of a heavy rain threat to our north on Thursday and in our area on Friday.

The wet pattern is likely to continue next week as well. The 6-10 Day Outlook paints a wide swath of the country as being more likely to see above-average precipitation.

Although the river at Cape isn't forecast to reach quite as high as previously thought, it is expected to take its sweet time cresting this week. The extra rain isn't going to help.