Today: A slight chance for isolated showers this morning; Mostly sunny. High 98. Heat Index around 105. Winds S/SW @ 15-25. * Heat Advisory in effect from 1-until 8-p.m.*

Tonight: P/Cldy. Low 76. S @ 10-15 mph.

Tomorrow: P/Cldy to cloudy w/scattered showers & thunderstorms. High 90. S-N @10.

Thursday: P/Cldy. High 90.

Friday: P/Cldy. High around 95.

Monday’s High in Atlantic was 94. The Low was 63. Last year on this date the High in Atlantic was 80 and the Low was 52. The Record High on this date was 103 in 1930. The Record Low was 42 in 1907.

(Radio Iowa) – Students at Iowa State University will have the opportunity to study climate science in the upcoming school year. The university’s new major aims to prepare its students to bring about solutions to climate change. Owen Halverson, an I-S-U junior who plans to study climate science, says he sees the degree as a means to address increased severe weather patterns.

“This is one of the biggest, if not the biggest problem facing the world right now,” Halverson says. “This is the way I see that I can be helpful to everyone else in the future.” Kristie Franz, the I-S-U chair of Geological and Atmospheric Sciences, says it can prepare them for careers in everything from sustainable design planning to advising private industries, like insurance. But, she adds, all pathways will give students the knowledge to strategize against climate change.

“The current generation is recognizing that legitimacy of the science and observing it as well, along with the rest of us and really want to do something about it, because it’s their future,” Franz says, “so they want to be a part of the solution.” The degree will allow students to choose from six areas of focus — ranging from climate policy to agriculture. Program directors hope the area of study can help launch students into growing climate jobs in both private and public sectors.

Franz says the coursework will consist of many classes within the university’s earth science department and it will also integrate economic and communications courses.

(reporting by Kendall Crawford, Iowa Public Radio)

The National Weather Service-Des Moines has announced that hot and humid conditions will present safety hazards this week. Heat indices will likely be over 100 degrees over the next 7-14 days. Cass County Emergency Management Coordinator Mike Kennon, says with excessive heat expected to persist, facilities in Cass County have opened their doors to people who need a break from the extreme heat. In Atlantic, the Nishna Valley YMCA at 1100 Maple Street is open from 4:30am to 8:30pm Monday thru Thursday and 4:30am to 6:30pm on Friday. Libraries throughout Cass County will also be available as cooling stations during their regular operating hours.

The NWS-DM recommends that you drink plenty of fluids, stay in an air-conditioned room, stay out of the sun, and check up on relatives and neighbors. Young children and pets should never be left unattended in vehicles under any circumstances.

Take extra precautions if you work or spend time outside. When possible reschedule strenuous activities to early morning or evening. Know the signs and symptoms of heat exhaustion and heat stroke. Wear lightweight and loose fitting clothing when possible. To reduce risk during outdoor work, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration recommends scheduling frequent rest breaks in shaded or air conditioned environments. Anyone overcome by heat should be moved to a cool and shaded location. Heat stroke is an emergency! Call 9 1 1.

(Atlantic, Iowa) –  The month of July, here in Atlantic, was pretty much on-par as far as the average high is concerned. The normal average high is 86. Last month our average high was 86.5-degrees. The average low is normally 63. The actual average in July 2022, was almost on target, at 62.7-degrees.

As you probably guess, we fell far short of the rainfall norm, which is typically 4.62-inches, in July. Last month, though, we only squeezed 1.26-inches out of the clouds, which is a deficit of three-inches.

Looking ahead to the rest of this month: The average High in August is 83 and the Average Low is 61. Rainfall typically amounts to 3.88-inches. Check back with us on Sept. 1^st to see how our weather fared in August.

Today: Partly cloudy. High 91. Winds N/NW @ 10 mph.

Tonight: P/Cldy w/isolated thundershowers. Low 70. Winds light & variable.

Tomorrow: Mostly Sunny & hot. High 98. * Heat Advisory in effect from1-until 8-p.m.* SW wind @15-25

Wednesday: P/Cldy w/scattered showers & tstrms. High 92.

Thursday: P/Cldy. High 90.

Sunday’s High in Atlantic was 86. Our Low was 64. Last year on this date (Aug. 1st), the High was 81 and the Low was 52. The Record High on this date, in Atlantic, was 102 in 1897. The Record Low was 42 in 1898.

Today: Cloudy through mid morning, then gradual clearing, with a high near 90. Light south wind becoming south southwest 9 to 14 mph in the morning. Winds could gust as high as 20 mph.
Tonight: A slight chance of showers and thunderstorms between 9pm and midnight. Mostly clear, with a low around 68. Southwest wind 8 to 13 mph becoming light and variable after midnight. Winds could gust as high as 21 mph. Chance of precipitation is 20%.
Monday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 92. North northwest wind 3 to 6 mph.
Monday Night: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly clear, with a low around 69. Light and variable wind becoming south southeast around 6 mph after midnight.
Tuesday: Sunny and hot, with a high near 100. South wind 6 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 22 mph.
Wednesday: A 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly before 1pm. Mostly sunny, with a high near 95.

Saturday’s High in Atlantic was 85. The Low was 53. Last year on this date the High in Atlantic was 81 and the Low was 57. The Record High on this date was 104 in 1955. The Record Low was 39 in 1971.

Today: Mostly Sunny. High  82. Wind South at 10 mph.
Tonight: Mostly clear, with a low around 64. South wind 5 to 10 mph.
Tomorrow: Mostly sunny, with a high near 88. S/SW @ 10-15.
Monday: Mostly sunny. High 93. W @ 10-15.
Tuesday: Sunny, hot & breezy. High near 102. Winds S @ 15-20.

Friday’s High in Atlantic was 83. Our Low was 51. Last year on this date, the High was 87 and the Low was 67. The Record High in Atlantic on this date was 102 in 1931 & 1947. The Record Low was 39, in 1971.

(Radio Iowa) – After a cool morning with some overnight lows in the 50s, forecasters say Iowa is in for a “prolonged heat event” next week. Meteorologist Alex Krull, at the National Weather Service, says the switch from July to August will bring us some excessively hot days, with highs in the low 90s expected Sunday and Monday. “Tuesday, we’re looking at actual air temperatures between the mid 90s and upper 90s and that’ll send heat index values — or the feels-like temperature — above 100 degrees,” Krull says.

“Then Wednesday, we’re looking at upper 90s for the actual air temperatures, and it may be possible for us to cross over 100 degrees and we’ll likely be looking at heat index values anywhere between 105 to 107 degrees.” Iowans will need to take precautions to cope with the steamy weather. “If you have any plans to be outdoors during the middle of this upcoming week, please plan accordingly,” Krull says. “Have plenty of water to stay hydrated and have a place to cool down, whether that be in a car that has working air conditioning or a building that is air-conditioned and shaded properly.”

Krull says the pattern of above-normal temperatures will continue perhaps for another ten days. “When we have this kind of pattern in July and August, it typically results in very hot and humid conditions throughout the next couple of weeks,” Krull says. “There may be some possibilities for rain showers and thunderstorms and anytime that those occur, they can provide some relief to the excessive temperatures.” The heat wave isn’t hitting just Iowa. Above-normal temps are forecast through the first week of August from Nebraska all the way to New York.

DES MOINES, Iowa — Iowa’s warm, dry weather has worsened the drought situation, while in states to the south, too much rain is the problem. That’s according to the latest Iowa Drought Monitor map which was released Thursday morning. The map shows over 56% of the state in abnormally dry conditions or some level of drought. That’s an increase of almost 10 percent. The hardest hit area is still northwestern Iowa. Extreme drought conditions, shown in red, have now extended into four counties there.

The Drought Monitor summary says “The Midwest saw a mix of degradations and improvements in the Drought Monitor this week, after weather was highly variable across the region. Hot and dry weather covered south-central and southwest Missouri, where flash drought continued to intensify and agricultural problems continued as a result.” Heavy rain fell in two areas, one from southeast of Kansas City to southeast Missouri, and a second in central, eastern, and northeast Missouri. The latter caused flash flooding in the St. Louis area and a record one-day rainfall at St. Louis Lambert Airport.” (click on the image to the right to enlarge)

Improvements to the drought situation occurred in parts of northeast Illinois, though heavier rains missed the severe drought area centered near Champaign. Drought expansion paused this week in the Michigan Lower Peninsula where widespread rain fell. Localized improvements were made in parts of Indiana, Ohio, and Kentucky where short-term conditions improved due to heavy rainfall. A mix of improvements and degradations occurred in Minnesota and Wisconsin around areas where heavier rain fell. Soil moisture deficits continued to mount in far northern Wisconsin, where moderate drought developed.

The latest 10-day forecast shows little chance for rain in Iowa.

Today: Mostly sunny. High 84. NW @ 10.
Tonight: Fair to P/Cldy. Low 57. Wind light & variable.
Tomorrow: Mostly sunny. High 87. S @ 5-10 mph.
Sunday: P/Cldy. High near 90.
Monday: Isolated morning showers/thunderstorms; P/Cldy. High 92.

Thursday’s High in Atlantic was 81. The Low this morning, 51. Last year on this date the High in Atlantic was 94 and the Low was 68. The Record High on this date was 102 in 1917. The Record Low was 46 in 1952.