(Radio Iowa) – Forecasters say it may be one of “those” weeks in Iowa where we have to run the air conditioner one day and the furnace on the next to stay comfy. Meteorologist Marvin Percha, at the National Weather Service, says it’s been unseasonably hot and very un-October-like, with record highs that have stood for decades broken over the weekend. “Temperature records, many of them in the low 90s, were either tied or broken, 92 at Des Moines, 91 at Waterloo,” Percha says. “It’s been impressive, especially the number of days in a row since we’re at day three or four in all of this now.” Percha says he expects more near-records today (Monday) with the forecast calling for highs in the upper 80s and low 90s across much of Iowa.

“And then tomorrow will be slightly cooler with temperatures falling in the mid to upper 80s, but relief is on the way,” Percha says. “We’re going to have a front that’s going to be moving in Tuesday into Wednesday, certainly it will drop temperatures much closer to normal and give us at least a chance for some rainfall.” Within a few days, Iowans may be wishing for the warmer weather we now have as the chill of fall will settle in soon enough.

National Weather Service graphic

“We’re going to have a series of cold fronts moving in, in the latter part of the week and into the weekend,” Percha says. “As a matter of fact, we looking at our first chance for frost and freezing temperatures by the end of the week, especially into Saturday morning. Many areas, certainly looking at lows likely falling into the 30s and there’s a chance that they might be approaching freezing levels as well.” Keep up with the changing forecast at weather-dot-gov.