Weather Story

Cooldown on the Horizon

Elevated Fire Risk Today Through Wednesday

Record Highs for February 16th

2026 Spotter Training Schedule

Enjoy the warm weather while it lasts! A couple of low pressure systems will finally bring the region some rain showers Tuesday night into Wednesday morning and again Thursday, possibly mixing with snow on Friday as colder air moves in. Wind gusts up to 35 mph are possible Tuesday and Wednesday leaving fire risks elevated.

Unseasonably warm temperatures, worsening drought conditions and gusty winds will lead to an elevated fire risk, perhaps some critical risk, across the area today through Wednesday. Any outdoor burning should be avoided!

We hope you enjoyed the warmth nature provided today. Record highs were broken at Cedar Rapids and Dubuque, IA along with Moline, IL. The last time we were close to being this warm for February 16th was back in 1921. Although it will remain unseasonably warm through Wednesday, no more record highs are expected.

Here is the schedule for the 2026 Spotter Training sessions. There will be no in-person talks this year. To register for one of the sessions, please visit https://www.weather.gov/dvn/spotters#schedule. Select the date from the list you would like to attend and follow the GoToWebinar link to sign up.