Iowa’s weather finally turned quieter late this morning as bright sunshine spread across Des Moines after several days of active spring storms. Light winds and dry pavement offered a welcome break across central Iowa, while temperatures steadily climbed through the 70s toward an afternoon high near 82 degrees.
According to the National Weather Service, calm and warm conditions hold through Memorial Day with only a slight chance for a brief shower early Monday. Most of central Iowa, including Ames, Ankeny, West Des Moines, and Newton, stays dry with increasing sunshine and highs pushing into the middle 80s.
The calmer stretch will likely encourage packed parks, crowded patios, and busy highways across Polk County through Tuesday. Drivers along Interstate 35 and Interstate 80 should still watch for heavier traffic during holiday travel periods, especially later in the day when visibility drops with lowering sun angles.
Summer-like warmth becomes the bigger story by Tuesday afternoon. Des Moines could reach 87 degrees with increasing humidity and light southeast winds. The warmer air mass building across Iowa may also fuel scattered thunderstorms by Wednesday and Thursday as another disturbance moves into the Plains.
Forecasters continue monitoring the midweek storm setup carefully. Widespread severe weather is not expected right now, but a few storms could produce gusty winds, brief hail, and heavy rain pockets. Residents should stay weather-aware as conditions become more unstable later in the week.
For now, central Iowa enjoys one of its driest and warmest stretches in weeks. Long-range outlooks continue signaling above-normal temperatures heading into early June, keeping summer vibes firmly in place across the state.
Five Day Forecast for Des Moines, Iowa
- Memorial Day: Slight chance of early showers, then sunny, high near 85.
- Tuesday: Sunny and warmer, high near 87.
- Wednesday: Chance of thunderstorms after 1 p.m., high near 84.
- Thursday: Partly sunny with chance of thunderstorms, high near 83.
- Friday: Slight chance of showers, high near 79.
