The National Weather Service cautions that Iowans with outdoor plans this weekend will be vulnerable to hazardous weather.
Officials say large hail, damaging winds, tornadoes, and pockets of heavy rain are possible for Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.
Current Friday projections show the probability of tornadoes in southeast Iowa is low (2-4%). However, wind gusts up to 70 mph and baseball-sized hail carry a higher probability (15-29%).
Ottumwa’s current forecast shows precipitation starting around 4:00 AM and turning into thunderstorms and high winds for most of Friday. After a brief respite Saturday morning, more thunderstorms are expected to arrive in the area mid to late afternoon.
