Thunderstorms Headed Toward Johnston — And It's Still Winter

Ready to kick off spring in the thundering fashion?

Spring officially starts this week, but spring thunderstorms are expected to begin this afternoon and evening. Just in the last hour the skies have clouded over and thunder is rumbling in some parts of the metro.

According to KCCI.com, thunderstorms will continue to increase over the next few hours. The storms coming from the south could produce hail and gusty winds.

The Des Moines area tied a record temperature early this afternoon, according to KCCI. The thermometer hit 8o degrees before the clouds set in, tieing the old record of 80 degrees by 1:10 p.m.

According to the National Weather Service, locally heavy rain of one to two inches is likely throughout the night, but the threat of flooding remains low.

Tuesday to Thursday afternoon rain and thunderstorms are expected to continue.

The forecast calls for highs in the lower 70s for much of the rest of the week.