Today: Mostly sunny. High near 60. S winds @ 10.

Tonight: P/Cldy. Low 38. S @ 5-10.

Tomorrow: P/Cldy. High 68. S@ 10-20.

Monday: P/Cldy. High near 60.

Tuesday: P/Cldy w/a chance of afternoon showers & thunderstorms. High near 70.

Friday’s High in Atlantic was 52. Our Low this morning was 18. Last year on this date the High in Atlantic was 59 and the Low was 45. The Record High on this date was 85 in 1977. The Record Low was 14 in 2016.

(Radio Iowa) – A majority of Iowa remains in dry or drought conditions — but things have improved quite a bit in the last month. The D-N-R’s Tim Hall tracks the water summary. “You compare the drought monitor map from early March to late March — we saw significant improvement. At the beginning of March, about 90 percent of the state was rated in some form of dryness and drought — now we are down to 60 percent,” according to Hall. He says turning things around is not a quick process.  “You have to remember that the drought that we came through last year that we are still kind of working out way of, was so deeply entrenched in that state that it’s just going to take awhile to slowly dig ourselves out of those precipitation deficits we’ve been at,” according to Hall. He says the driest areas start in central Iowa and move east and north.

“Up toward Cedar Rapids and Waterloo, up toward northeast Iowa, sort of that east-central part of the state they’ve had some pretty good rainfall over the last month. Northeast Iowa has been pretty wet, in fact we saw some reductions in the Drought Monitor just in that east-central, northeast Iowa location just in the last week or two,” he says. “So, they’re getting what they need in that part of the state.” There are still some areas to the west that could use more rain as they have D-2 or severe drought. “In Monona and Pottawattamie County in western Iowa, just about two percent of the state. That’s a little bit troubling to see that creep in, because that’s a part of the state where we’ve had some drought challenges in the past,” he says. Hall says the increased rainfall hasn’t caused any problems. 

“We have not seen any substantial flooding this spring, which is a great thing for us not to have. And it kind of indicates that the rain we’ve gotten in addition to getting the right total inches of rain, it’s also come over very slow, long periods of time, and it’s had a chance to soak into the ground. So that part of the precipitation in March has also been really, really helpful,” Hall says. He says everything worked well with the snowmelt as well. “The snowpack was not significant, the snowmelt came very gradually — so really, the timing of the rain and snowfall has been almost ideal,” Hall says.

You can see Iowa’s water resource trends at: www.iowadnr.gov/watersummaryupdate

(Radio Iowa) – All four Iowans who serve in the U.S. House have introduced a bill that would upgrade the communications network for the National Weather Service. Damage to a fiber optic cable at a Weather Service office in Texas delayed warnings during last month’s tornado outbreak in Iowa. Congresswoman Cindy Axne of West Des Moines, a Democrat, says it’s important for congress to pass this bill now rather than address it later in the year during federal budget negotiations.  “It is literally a life saving measure, possibly,” Axne says. “There is no way in God’s green acres that anyone would think there should be a delay in getting information to wherever a disaster is occurring.”

Axne says it’s not just Iowans who depend upon timely warnings from the National Weather Service and Iowa’s congressional delegation is lining up bill co-sponsors from other states. “We are seeing increased severe weather patterns across this country,” Axne says. “To react to those is of utmost importance and this does that completely.”

Republican Congressman Randy Feenstra of Hull and Congresswoman Ashley Hinson of Marion, who’s also a Republican, both say every second matters during severe weather and the National Weather Service must have a functional and reliable communications system. Republican Congresswoman Mariannette Miller-Meeks of Ottumwa says she’s proud of the Iowa delegation’s bipartisan effort to get the Weather Service the tools it needs to issue timely warnings of potentially disastrous storms.

Today: P/Cldy to Cldy w/spotty light rain or flurries. High around 42. NW winds @ 20-40.

Tonight: Light rain/flurries ending; Mostly cloudy. Low 32. NW@ 13-30.

Tomorrow: P/Cldy to Cldy. High 48. N@ 15-30.

Saturday: Mo. Sunny. High near 60.

Sunday: P/Cldy. High 68.

Wednesday’s High in Atlantic was 51. Our Low this morning, 37. We received a Trace of rain, Wednesday. Last year on this date the High in Atlantic was 66 and the Low was 47. The Record High on this date was 85 in 2020. The Record Low was 10 in 2018.

(Update NWS/Omaha, 3:25-a.m. 4/7/22)

Shelby-Pottawattamie Counties….WIND ADVISORY IN EFFECT today from 7-a.m. until 9-p.m.; for Monona & Harrison Counties, the Advisory remains in effect through 9-p.m.

* WHAT…Northwest winds 25 to 35 mph with gusts up to 55 mph expected.

* IMPACTS…Gusty winds could blow around unsecured objects. Tree limbs could be blown down and a few power outages may result.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS…

Use extra caution when driving, especially if operating a high profile vehicle. Secure outdoor objects.

Crawford County……WIND ADVISORY IN EFFECT FROM 7 AM TODAY TO 7 PM THURSDAY.

Harrison County….WIND ADVISORY IN EFFECT TODAY FROM 7 AM TO 7 PM, & ON THURSDAY FROM 5-A.M. TO 7-P.M.

* WHAT…For the first Wind Advisory, northwest winds 25 to 35 mph with gusts up to 45 mph expected. For the second Wind Advisory, northwest winds 25 to 35 mph with gusts up to 50 mph
expected.

* IMPACTS…Gusty winds could blow around unsecured objects. Tree limbs could be blown down and a few power outages may result.

Wind Advisory for counties in light brown/tan.

Shelby-Pottawattamie Counties….WIND ADVISORY IN EFFECT ON THURSDAY FROM 5 AM TO 7 PM...

* WHAT…Northwest winds 25 to 30 mph with gusts up to 45 mph expected.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS…

Use extra caution when driving, especially if operating a high profile vehicle. Secure outdoor objects.

Today: P/Cldy to Cldy w/spotty light rain. High 53.W-NW @ 20-35 mph.

Tonight: Light rain ending; becoming P/Cldy. Low 37. NW @ 10-20.

Tomorrow: P/Cldy to Cldy w/a chance of flurries or light rain. High 40. NW@ 20-35.

Friday: P/Cldy to Cldy. High around 48.

Saturday: Mostly sunny. High near 60.

Tuesday’s High in Atlantic was 59. Our Low was 38. We received .01″  of rain Tuesday at KJAN. Last year on this date the High in Atlantic was 78 and the Low was 57. The Record High on this date was 89 in 1972. The Record Low was 6 in 1982.

Council Bluffs, Iowa – The Pottawattamie County Emergency Management Agency says a ban on open burning will be in place for Pottawattamie County beginning Wednesday, April 6, 2022, at 8:00 a.m.

The ban prohibits all open and controlled burning in Pottawattamie County, including all incorporated city limits within the county. The current weather forecast and environmental conditions indicate a very high fire danger with winds gusting to over 40 mph over the next couple days. The current dry conditions and dead vegetative fuels creates the perfect conditions for fires to spread rapidly.

Fire departments within the county have been responding to increased controlled burns that have gotten out of control, endangering property. During these dry conditions, citizens are reminded to not throw out cigarettes from moving vehicles and to discontinue burning yard waste, piled tree debris, grass/agricultural ground and set-asides or other items during the ban. At this time, the ban is anticipated to remain in effect until after planting season or if the county receives substantial increases in precipitation.

Violation of a burn ban can subject a person to citation or arrest for reckless use of fire or disobeying a burn ban. You may also be liable for any damages, losses, or injuries resulting from the fire.

For updated information on burn bans and the law you can find further information on our facebook, twitter, and web page. All citizens are urged to sign up for Alert Iowa at pcema-ia.org to receive alerts for fire danger, severe weather, and emergency notifications for your community.

Today: P/Cldy to Cldy w/scattered showers. High 57 S winds @ 10-20 becoming NW late.

Tonight: Rain ending in the evening; becoming P/Cldy. Low 35. NW-SW @ 10-15.

Tomorrow: P/Cldy to Cldy w/a chance of afternoon showers. High 53. NW@ 10-20.

Thursday: Mo. Cldy, windy & cooler, w/scattered showers & possible flurries. High 40.

Friday: P/Cldy to Cldy. High 48.

Monday’s High in Atlantic was 59. Our Low was 31. Last year on this date the High in Atlantic was 83 and the Low was 59. The Record High on this date was 88 in 2000. The Record Low was 14 in 1920.