Iowans who want to keep close tabs on weather warnings may now be able to get them on their cellular phones, beginning today (Monday). The nation’s emergency alert system is starting a new program this week. Al Kenyan, a project manager with FEMA, says people need to check with their cell phone carrier to see if it’s an option to receive these potentially-life-saving alerts. “It’s similar to a text message but it’s not a text message,” Kenyan says. “You need to have probably a newer handset or a handset that has the capability to receive these messages.” 

Kenyan says it’s part of a larger effort to modernize the emergency warning system. The wireless weather alerts will let you know about things like severe thunderstorms or tornado warnings. He says Iowans should take those warnings seriously.”When (people) get an alert, whether it’s from wireless emergency alerts or from the radio station they’re listening to or a television station, take action on it,” Kenyan says. “We’ve had cases where people have been alerted to a tornado warning and they said, ‘Well, that’s interesting,’ and they didn’t take action and they get hurt. That’s a very bad thing.” 

The new program is through a partnership between FEMA, the FCC, the National Weather Service and cellphone carriers.

(Radio Iowa)

The (Podcast) Freese-Notis forecast for Atlantic & the KJAN listening area, and weather data for Atlantic….

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356 AM CDT MON JUN 18 2012

…NEAR RECORD HIGHS TODAY…

TODAY…SUNNY. HOT AND HUMID. BREEZY. HIGH IN THE UPPER 90S. SOUTHWEST WIND 15 TO 25 MPH WITH GUSTS TO AROUND 35 MPH. HIGHEST HEAT INDEX READINGS 101 TO 106 IN THE AFTERNOON.

TONIGHT…MOSTLY CLEAR. LOW IN THE LOWER 70S. SOUTH WIND 10 TO 15 MPH. GUSTS UP TO 30 MPH THROUGH MIDNIGHT. HIGHEST HEAT INDEX READINGS 100 TO 104 THROUGH MIDNIGHT.

TUESDAY…SUNNY…HOT…BREEZY. HIGH IN THE MID 90S. SOUTH WIND 15 TO 25 MPH. GUSTS UP TO 40 MPH IN THE AFTERNOON.

TUESDAY NIGHT…PARTLY CLOUDY. BREEZY. LOW IN THE LOWER 70S. SOUTH WIND 10 TO 20 MPH. GUSTS UP TO 30 MPH THROUGH MIDNIGHT.

WEDNESDAY…THUNDERSTORMS LIKELY. NOT AS WARM. HIGH IN THE LOWER 80S. SOUTHWEST WIND 5 TO 15 MPH. CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS 60 PERCENT.

WEDNESDAY NIGHT…CLOUDY WITH A 50 PERCENT CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS. LOW IN THE LOWER 60S.

THURSDAY AND THURSDAY NIGHT…PARTLY CLOUDY. A 20 PERCENT CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS. HIGH IN THE LOWER 80S. LOW IN THE MID 60S.

319 PM CDT SUN JUN 17 2012

…NEAR RECORD HIGHS MONDAY…
 
TONIGHT…PARTLY CLOUDY. BREEZY…WARMER. LOW IN THE LOWER 70S. SOUTH WIND 15 TO 20 MPH.
MONDAY…SUNNY. HOT AND HUMID. BREEZY. HIGH IN THE UPPER 90S. SOUTHWEST WIND 15 TO 20 MPH WITH GUSTS TO AROUND 30 MPH. HIGHEST HEAT INDEX READINGS 101 TO 106 IN THE AFTERNOON. 

MONDAY NIGHT…PARTLY CLOUDY. LOW IN THE LOWER 70S. SOUTH WIND 10 TO 15 MPH. HIGHEST HEAT INDEX READINGS 100 TO 102 THROUGH  MIDNIGHT.
TUESDAY…SUNNY…BREEZY. HIGH IN THE MID 90S. SOUTH WIND 10 TO 25 MPH INCREASING TO 20 TO 25 MPH IN THE AFTERNOON. HIGHEST HEAT INDEX READINGS AROUND 100 IN THE AFTERNOON.
TUESDAY NIGHT…PARTLY CLOUDY. BREEZY. LOW IN THE LOWER 70S. SOUTH WIND 15 TO 20 MPH. GUSTS UP TO 30 MPH THROUGH MIDNIGHT.
WEDNESDAY…MOSTLY CLOUDY WITH A 50 PERCENT CHANCE OF  THUNDERSTORMS. NOT AS WARM. HIGH IN THE MID 80S.
WEDNESDAY NIGHT…THUNDERSTORMS LIKELY. LOW IN THE MID 60S. CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS 60 PERCENT. 

THURSDAY…MOSTLY SUNNY WITH A 20 PERCENT CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS. HIGH IN THE LOWER 80S.
THURSDAY NIGHT…MOSTLY CLOUDY WITH A 20 PERCENT CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS. LOW IN THE MID 60S.
FRIDAY…PARTLY SUNNY. HIGH IN THE MID 80S.

BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DES MOINES IA
140 PM CDT SAT JUN 16 2012

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN DES MOINES HAS ISSUED A

* SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR...
  EASTERN ADAMS COUNTY IN SOUTHWEST IOWA...
  NORTHWESTERN RINGGOLD COUNTY IN SOUTH CENTRAL IOWA...
  TAYLOR COUNTY IN SOUTHWEST IOWA...
  UNION COUNTY IN SOUTH CENTRAL IOWA...

* UNTIL 230 PM CDT

* AT 136 PM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
  LINE OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS CAPABLE OF PRODUCING QUARTER SIZE
  HAIL...AND DAMAGING WINDS IN EXCESS OF 60 MPH.  THESE STORMS WERE
  LOCATED ALONG A LINE EXTENDING FROM 11 MILES EAST OF BEDFORD TO 9
  MILES EAST OF CLARINDA...AND MOVING NORTHEAST AT 40 MPH.

* LOCATIONS IMPACTED INCLUDE...
  CRESTON...LENOX...BENTON...SHARPSBURG...CLEARFIELD...DIAGONAL...
  TINGLEY...KENT...SHANNON CITY...PRESCOTT...ARISPE...CROMWELL...
  CRESTON AIRPORT...AFTON AND THAYER.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

MOVE TO AN INTERIOR ROOM AND STAY AWAY FROM WINDOWS. IF YOU ARE IN A
MOBILE HOME...GET OUT NOW...AND SEEK SHELTER IN A REINFORCED
BUILDING.

TORRENTIAL RAINFALL IS ALSO OCCURRING WITH THESE STORMS...AND MAY
LEAD TO FLASH FLOODING. DO NOT DRIVE YOUR VEHICLE THROUGH FLOODED
ROADWAYS. TURN AROUND DON/T DROWN.

FREMONT IA-PAGE IA-MILLS IA-MONTGOMERY IA-
115 PM CDT SAT JUN 16 2012

...SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ADVISORY FOR FREMONT...PAGE...MILLS AND
MONTGOMERY COUNTIES UNTIL 215 PM CDT...

AT 111 PM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR WAS
TRACKING STRONG THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS EXTREME SOUTHWEST IOWA.  ONE
OF THE STRONGER THUNDERSTORMS WAS NEAR RIVERTON...OR 21 MILES
NORTHWEST OF TARKIO...MOVING EAST AT 25 MPH.

HAIL UP TO THE SIZE OF DIMES AND WIND GUSTS UP TO 45 MPH WILL BE
POSSIBLE WITH THESE STORMS.

SOME OF THE IOWA COMMUNITIES THAT MAY ENCOUNTER THUNDERSTOM
ACTIVITY ARE...
RED OAK... CLARINDA...SHENANDOAH...GLENWOOD...VILLISCA...SIDNEY...
MALVERN...HAMBURG...ESSEX...STANTON...FARRAGUT...PACIFIC JUNCTION...
EMERSON...ELLIOTT...RIVERTON...COIN...TABOR...SILVER CITY... COLLEGE
SPRINGS AND THURMAN.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

TORRENTIAL RAINFALL IS ALSO OCCURRING WITH THESE THUNDERSTORMS.
DO NOT DRIVE YOUR VEHICLE THROUGH FLOODED ROADWAYS.

SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH OUTLINE UPDATE FOR WS 400
NWS STORM PREDICTION CENTER NORMAN OK
1235 PM CDT SAT JUN 16 2012

SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH 400 IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 700 PM CDT
FOR THE FOLLOWING LOCATIONS

IOWA COUNTIES INCLUDED ARE

ADAIR                ADAMS               APPANOOSE
CASS                 CLARKE              DAVIS
DECATUR              LUCAS               MADISON
MAHASKA              MARION              MONROE
RINGGOLD             TAYLOR              UNION
WAPELLO              WARREN              WAYNE

Today: Showers and thunderstorms likely, mainly in the afternnon. Otherwise Partly sunny, with a high near 85. Southwest wind between 3 and 8 mph.

Tonight: A slight chance of showers and thunderstorms. Otherwise Partly cloudy, with a low around 61.

Sunday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 86.

Sunday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 70.

Monday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 96.

Tuesday: Mostly sunny and windy, with a high near 92.

Official rainfall amounts (fromNWS spotters)…

24-hour rainfall (7am Thu. thru 7am Friday at the KJAN Studios in Atlantic, .45″.

At Harlan: 2.41″

At Red Oak: 1.10″

At Shenandoah: .35″

Unofficial rainfall totals thru 7-a.m. Friday….

At “The Valley” (Hwy 71/I-80 in Cass County), .25″‘ South of Avoca, anywhere from 1.7-to 1.9 inches; Emerson, 1.8″; Irwin 1.42″; Malvern, 2.00″; Audubon .46″.

Here’s the Freese-Notis (podcast) weather forecast for Atlantic and the KJAN listening area, from Meteorologist Dan Hicks, and the weather stats for Atlantic, with KJAN News Director Ric Hanson…

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