A band of rain with embedded thunderstorms continues moving east this morning, bringing a period of noticeably gusty winds across a wide region. As the precipitation shifts through, winds will ramp up along its western edge, with gusts reaching 40 to 50 mph, generally out of the east to southeast.
These stronger winds will impact a large area including the following counties: Buchanan, Delaware, Dubuque, Benton, Linn, Jones, Jackson, Iowa, Johnson, Cedar, Clinton, Muscatine, Scott, Keokuk, Washington, Louisa, Jefferson, Henry (IA), Des Moines, Van Buren, and Lee in Iowa, along with Jo Daviess, Stephenson, Carroll, Whiteside, Rock Island, Henry (IL), Bureau, Putnam, Mercer, Henderson, Warren, Hancock, McDonough, Scotland, and Clark in Illinois and Missouri.
Cities within the affected region include Independence, Manchester, Dubuque, Vinton, Cedar Rapids, Anamosa, Maquoketa, Marengo, Iowa City, Tipton, Clinton, Muscatine, Davenport, Bettendorf, Sigourney, Washington, Wapello, Fairfield, Mount Pleasant, Burlington, Keosauqua, Fort Madison, Galena, Freeport, Mount Carroll, Sterling, Moline, Rock Island, Geneseo, Princeton, Hennepin, Aledo, Oquawka, Monmouth, Carthage, Macomb, Memphis, and Kahoka.
Travelers should use caution, especially those in high-profile vehicles. The gusty winds may make driving difficult at times and could also blow around loose outdoor objects and bring down small tree branches. Conditions are expected to improve later this afternoon as the system moves out of the area.
