Forecast Details for Fort Dodge, IA

Recent Locations: Antioch, CA Fredericksburg, VA Fort Dodge, IA

Today: Areas of smoke. Mostly sunny, with a high near 73. Light west wind becoming southwest 10 to 15 mph in the morning. Winds could gust as high as 24 mph.

Tonight: A chance of showers and thunderstorms before 10pm, then a chance of showers between 10pm and 11pm. Areas of smoke before 11pm. Partly cloudy, with a low around 46. Breezy, with a south southwest wind around 16 mph becoming northwest after midnight. Winds could gust as high as 33 mph. Chance of precipitation is 50%. New precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.

Friday: Sunny, with a high near 65. West northwest wind 10 to 14 mph, with gusts as high as 22 mph.

Friday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 42. West northwest wind 3 to 7 mph.

Saturday: Sunny, with a high near 67. West northwest wind 5 to 11 mph.

Saturday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 40.

Sunday: Sunny, with a high near 68.

Sunday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 44.

Monday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 77.

Monday Night: A 30 percent chance of showers after 1am. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 57.

Tuesday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 81.

Tuesday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 59.

Wednesday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 83.

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National Weather Forecast for Tomorrow

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Weather Topic: What is Rain?

Home - Education - Precipitation - Rain

Rain Next Topic: Shelf Clouds

Precipitation in the form of water droplets is called rain. Rain generally has a tendency to fall with less intensity over a greater period of time, and when rainfall is more severe it is usually less sustained.

Rain is the most common form of precipitation and happens with greater frequency depending on the season and regional influences. Cities have been shown to have an observable effect on rainfall, due to an effect called the urban heat island. Compared to upwind, monthly rainfall between twenty and forty miles downwind of cities is 30% greater.

Next Topic: Shelf Clouds

Weather Topic: What is Sleet?

Home - Education - Precipitation - Sleet

Sleet Next Topic: Snow

Sleet is a form of precipitation in which small ice pellets are the primary components. These ice pellets are smaller and more translucent than hailstones, and harder than graupel. Sleet is caused by specific atmospheric conditions and therefore typically doesn't last for extended periods of time.

The condition which leads to sleet formation requires a warmer body of air to be wedged in between two sub-freezing bodies of air. When snow falls through a warmer layer of air it melts, and as it falls through the next sub-freezing body of air it freezes again, forming ice pellets known as sleet. In some cases, water droplets don't have time to freeze before reaching the surface and the result is freezing rain.

Next Topic: Snow