Cedar Rapids, Iowa (KCRG) – After a nice Thursday, the weather becomes active for the end of the week.

Your first alarm: strong gusts of wind

From Friday, wind advice will be in force due to strong southern winds, which will lead to an increased risk of fire. It is expected that these conditions will remain all day long, with wind gusts reaching more than 40 km / h. The unusually warm temperatures will probably break record highs, with the temperatures on Friday until the 1970s.

Your first warning: Friday serious threat

In late Friday afternoon and especially Friday evening, the weather will take a dramatic turn because heavy thunderstorms are expected to develop. The Storm Prediction Center has an improved to moderate risk for the area, which indicates a high probability of storms. The main threats to these storms are harmful winds of up to 80 miles per hour and some tornadoes.

Your first alarm: stormy weekend

While the storm system moves through the region, strong winds are continued until Saturday and cooler air and light rain or snow takes place. The best snow opportunities are over North -Iowa, while other areas can experience gusty winds and scattered showers. The temperatures will cool on Saturday, whereby the heights decrease significantly compared to the previous days.

The weather becomes stormy and colder by Sunday, with the temperatures more than 30 degrees falling from the highs that were experienced on Friday. Despite the cool conditions, warming up for Monday and Tuesday is expected.

What to do when storms threaten their region?

Since this is the first risk of severe storms this season, it is a good idea to check the steps that must be taken when a warning is issued. Since the storms move quickly, their response time may be shorter than normal.

If a storm approaches in your area, you are looking for protection inside. When a warning is issued, go to the lowest floor of your house, away from windows. In the case of a tornado warning, set as many walls as possible between you and the outside as in an interior or a bathroom. A basement is best when you have one. Cover your head and neck with pillows or blankets or a bicycle helmet when you have one. If you are in a mobile home, give it up for more extensive protection. When you are caught outdoors, try to get into an interior accommodation. Finally, put flat in a ditch and protect your head and neck. Do not search for protection under bridges or transfer.

It is important that you have several ways to receive warnings. In this case, a NOAA weather radio is a great tool. Make sure that it is connected and switched on, ready to receive warnings before going to bed. We also recommend the KCRG-TV9 First Alert Weather app, with which you can receive customer-specific warnings for your location. Of course, we will also present updates on KCRG.com and KCRG-TV9 as conditions.