(Radio Iowa) – The chance of spring flooding in eastern Iowa is “near normal to below normal,” according to the first flood outlook from the National Weather Service in Davenport. Rich Kinney, the warning coordination meteorologist, says that doesn’t mean there won’t be any flooding along the Mississippi River and its tributaries. Even though local snowpack is mostly melted, the snowpack in Minnesota hasn’t, and it’s storing an above-average amount of water.

“The rate of the snow melt, especially way up north in the upper reaches of the Mississippi River valley where there’s a lot more snow than there is down here,” Kinney says. “We’re also looking at additional snowfall or heavy spring rains.” From now through April, Kinney expects slightly above-normal precipitation. Another factor is — the ground is only frozen a few inches deep. That’ll allow melting snow and spring rain to be absorbed, instead of running off into local rivers.

“Our river levels are, for this time of year, running around normal to, in some places, a little bit below normal,” Kinney says. “So, we’ve got quite a bit of room in the rivers right now for storage for heavy precipitation.” At Lock and Dam 15 in the Quad Cities, the chance of the Mississippi River reaching flood stage is 51-percent, slightly lower than normal, and the chance it’ll reach major flood stage is 21-percent, also slightly lower than normal.

The weather service plans to begin offering in-person “spotter training” sessions soon, for the first time since early 2020. More than 4,000 people serve as spotters across 36 counties in the region.

Today: Partly Cloudy. High 32. NW @ 10-20. (Wind chill values as low as 5)
Tonight: Partly cloudy, with a low around 13. Winds light & variable
Tomorrow: P/Cldy & warmer. High 49. S @ 15-25.
Wednesday: Mostly cloudy w/a chance of rain becoming mixed with light snow. High 38.
Thursday: Mo. Cldy w/flurries possible. High near 20.

Sunday’s High in Atlantic was 27. Our Low was 9. Last year on this date the High in Atlantic was -9 and the Low was -14. The Record High on this date was 68 in 1934. The Record Low was -20 in 1936.

Today: Mostly sunny, with a high near 24. Wind chill values as low as -5. North wind 7 to 14 mph becoming south southwest in the afternoon. Winds could gust as high as 20 mph.
Tonight: Mostly cloudy, then gradually becoming mostly clear, with a steady temperature around 21. South wind 5 to 8 mph becoming northwest after midnight.
Monday: Sunny, with a high near 39. North northwest wind 6 to 10 mph becoming northeast in the afternoon.
Monday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 18. Wind chill values as low as 10. East southeast wind 5 to 11 mph.
Tuesday: Partly sunny, with a high near 54. Windy, with a south wind 13 to 22 mph, with gusts as high as 31 mph.
Tuesday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 28.
Wednesday: A slight chance of rain before 9am, then a slight chance of snow. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 40. Breezy. Chance of precipitation is 20%.

Saturday’s High in Atlantic was 29. Our Low was -3. Last year on this date the High in Atlantic was 3 and the Low was -14. The Record High on this date was 63 in 1934. The Record Low was -30 in 1905.

Today: Partly-to-Mostly Sunny. High 23. NW winds becoming SW @ 10.
Tonight: Becoming mostly cloudy w/a chance of flurries. Low near 10. N 10.
Tomorrow: P/Sunny. High 28. N-SW @ 10.
Monday: P/Cldy. High 37.
Tuesday: P/Cldy. High 48.

Friday’s High in Atlantic was 49. Our Low this morning was 4.  Last year on this date the High in Atlantic was -3 and the Low was -7. The Record High on this date was 72 in 1990. The Record Low was -24 in 1986 & 1988.

Sac-Crawford-Carroll Counties…..WIND ADVISORY IN EFFECT UNTIL 6 PM.

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

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

* ADDITIONAL DETAILS…Snow showers may accompany the strong and blustery winds producing localized areas of reduced visibility.

Wind Advisory until 6-p.m. for counties in brown

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS…

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

Today: Partly cloudy to cloudy w/sprinkles/light rain this morning. High 45 early, w/temps dropping into the 30’s this afternoon. Winds NW @ 15-30 mph.
Tonight: Becoming p/cldy w/diminishing winds. Low near 0. N/NW @ 10-15.
Tomorrow: Mostly sunny & cold. High 23. NW-SW @ 10.
Sunday: P/Cldy to Cldy. High near 30.
Monday: P/Cldy. High 37.

Thursday’s High in Atlantic was 52. Our Low was 14. 24-hour Rainfall (7-a.m.) was .1″. Last year on this date the High in Atlantic was 5 and the Low was -10. The Record High on this date was 64 in 1951 & 1999. The Record Low was -26 in 1899.

Today: Partly cloudy. High 45. Winds NW-SW @ 10-15 mph.
Tonight: Mostly cloudy w/a channce of light rain. Low 35. NW @ 10-15.
Tomorrow: P/Cldy to cldy. High 41. NW @ 15-25.
Saturday: Mo. Sunny & colder. High near 24.
Sunday: P/Cldy to Cldy. High 32.

Wednesday’s High in Atlantic was 53. Our Low this morning was 15. Last year on this date the High in Atlantic was 13 and the Low was -10. The Record High on this date was 72 in 1999. The Record Low was -24 in 1905.

(Council Bluffs, Iowa) – An open burning ban will be in place for Pottawattamie County starting today (February 8, 2022) at 2:00 p.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 for today with a warm/dry pattern continuing over the next couple of weeks. Under the current dry conditions, dead and drying vegetation is the perfect fuel to spread fires rapidly.

Emergency Management Director Doug Reed says “Pottawattamie County has seen the devastating effects of fire in extreme conditions and we want to do everything we can to help mitigate incidents like that from occurring.” 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.

Small recreational camp fires are permitted only if they are conducted in a fire place of brick, metal or heavy one-inch wire mesh. Any camp fire not in an outdoor fire place is prohibited.
Violation of a burn ban can subject a person to citation or arrest for reckless use of fire or disobeying a burn ban.

For updated information on burn bans and the law you can find further information on the Pott. County EMA Facebook, Twitter, and web pages. The ban will remain in place until environmental conditions improve