AN ACR B727 FLC DEVIATED FROM THEIR ASSIGNED HDG WITHOUT AUTH BECAUSE OF WX AND TURB. THE FLC WAS TEMPORARILY UNABLE TO MAINTAIN RADIO CONTACT BECAUSE OF INTERFERENCE AND FREQ CONGESTION. THE DEV CREATED A TFC CONFLICT.

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APPROX 50 MI SE OF DUBUQUE VOR; WE WERE ATTEMPTING TO DEVIATE THROUGH A LINE OF TSTMS. WE WERE APCHING A LIGHTER AREA WE OBSERVED ON RADAR; BUT AS WE APCHED WHAT WE THOUGHT TO BE THE BEST WAY THROUGH; WE ENCOUNTERED TURB OF A NATURE TO MAKE ALT CTL QUESTIONABLE. AS IT WORSENED; WE BEGAN TO LOSE RADIO CONTACT WITH THE ATC CTLR. WE XMITTED THAT WE WERE TURNING; FIRST TO THE S; THEN TO THE E; AS IT DID NOT APPEAR SAFE TO CONTINUE. THE SOUTHERLY CHANGE IN COURSE DID NOT TAKE US CLR OF THE SEVERE WX; SO ESSENTIALLY WE TURNED THE ACFT BACK TO THE E; WITH A 180 DEG CHANGE IN COURSE. THE CTLR EVENTUALLY ESTABLISHED RADIO CONTACT AGAIN; AND HE HAD TO CHANGE OUR ALT AS WELL AS ANOTHER ACFT'S ALT AS OUR NEW COURSE CREATED A CONFLICT. WE WERE THEN VECTORED BACK TO THE N AND EVENTUALLY FOUND A HOLE ADEQUATE TO DEVIATE THROUGH; AND CONTINUED WBOUND. THE CTLR WAS DISTURBED WITH US; AS WE WERE NOT ABLE TO COMMUNICATE TO HIM OUR INTENTIONS; WHICH IS UNDERSTANDABLE. HOWEVER; WITH WX SEVERE ENOUGH TO TOTALLY DISRUPT RADIO XMISSIONS AS WELL AS TURB SEVERE ENOUGH TO IMPACT CTL OF THE ACFT; CONTINUING AHEAD DID NOT SEEM PRUDENT. ALTHOUGH WE UNDERSTOOD OUR CLRNC AT THE TIME TO DEVIATE AS NECESSARY; OUR TURN WAS UNEXPECTED. HAD WE BEEN ABLE TO COMMUNICATE; I THINK COORD OF OUR REQUIRED COURSE REVERSAL COULD HAVE BEEN ACHIEVED WITHOUT DISRUPTION.