DES MOINES, Iowa – As warmer air arrives, chances for severe thunderstorms increase by Friday night.

Temperatures warm to the 70s today and tomorrow. Skies will be sunny Thursday and for the first part of the day Friday.

A strong weather system will approach the state by late Friday afternoon. Clouds will start to increase, followed by thunderstorms firing along a front around 4 PM Friday. Storms that develop will race off to the northeast, clearing most of central Iowa by 9 PM Friday. A few showers could linger into early Saturday.

A Level 3 out of 5 risk for severe thunderstorms is in place for most of central Iowa. A Level 4 risk is in place farther to the southeast, indicating a higher potential for severe weather and also where storms could be the strongest.

Strong, potentially damaging winds are the biggest threat with these storms along with large hail. Storms may be a bit too high and moisture too low for a widespread risk for tornadoes, but a few are possible.

In addition to the thunderstorms, Friday and Saturday will both be breezy. Winds will gust in the 30-40 mph range and could be even higher as the front nears and passes along with thunderstorm activity. It will stay breezy into Saturday with northwest winds gusting over 40 mph.

Cooler weather arrives for the weekend, but we’ll warm back up early next week. As far as what’s beyond that… winter weather may not be quite done with us just yet. Stay tuned!