Much of the country will see severe thunderstorms today and parts could even see a storm called a derecho (Dur-ray-shoh). But National Weather Service meteorologist, Frank Boksa, says don’t expect to see it here. “It would not be in Iowa, or if it was, it would probably initiate in very far eastern Iowa, but it would be more in the Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana area,” Boksa says. Iowa saw a derecho back in July of 2011 that did a lot of damage to homes, trees and power lines.

A derecho is basically a very widespread, long-lived line of thunderstorms. And they are very fast moving and they produce extreme damaging wind. By they I mean 65-70-75-miles-an-hour or more,” according to Boksa. Iowa won’t see anything like that, but will see some heavy thunderstorms. “Thunderstorms will develop kind of over northeastern and far eastern Iowa and then push off into Illinois and Indiana this afternoon,” Boksa says. “We should see some strong storms out of this, but it should be fairly short lived. We should pretty much be done with it in central Iowa by seven p-m and in eastern Iowa certainly by 10.” The weather is expected to continue a pattern of a few dry days followed by thunderstorms and rain through the next week. Boksa says that’s pretty much the norm.

“This is the time of year for thunderstorms. We do get a fair amount of rain and thunderstorms in May and June, so it’s not atypical by any stretch,” he says, “in fact I think the peak of severe weather in June is about the 15th.” The rains are not quite as welcome this June after a record wet spring that’s kept farmers out of the fields and led to flooding in many parts of the state.

(Radio Iowa)