*EXCESSIVE HEAT WATCH IS IN EFFECT FROM SATURDAY AFTERNOON
THROUGH MONDAY EVENING FOR CASS, CRAWFORD, CARROLL, AUDUBON, 
GUTHRIE, ADAIR, MADISON, ADAMS, UNION, TAYLOR, AND RINGGOLD COUNTIES
*WATCH IN PLACE FOR ALL OTHER COUNTIES IN THE LISTENING AREA UNTIL WEDNESDAY EVENING*

* WHAT...Dangerously hot conditions with heat index values nearing
  105 or more possible for several days Saturday into next week.

* WHERE...Portions of south central and southwestern Iowa.

* WHEN...From Saturday afternoon through Monday evening.

* IMPACTS...Extreme heat and humidity will significantly
  increase the potential for heat related illnesses,
  particularly for those working or participating in outdoor
  activities.

* ADDITIONAL DETAILS...Hot conditions are expected to expand into
  northern Iowa by Monday and then likely extend further into
  next week across the entire area as well. Additional expansion
  of heat related headlines is very possible over most of the
  region as more certainty on coverage and duration is realized.

The final days of the Iowa State Fair promise to be sweltering, as Iowans are being warned about a late summer heat wave that’s approaching for the weekend. The past few evenings have felt almost like fall with lows in the 50s and 60s, but National Weather Service meteorologist Cory Martin says daytime high temperatures will be climbing again very soon.

Many of Iowa’s crops are at critical growth stages and Martin says there’s very little chance for rain, well into next week.

With high temps likely climbing into triple digits this weekend, Martin says it’s certainly possible the weather service will issue heat advisories, or even extreme heat warnings.

The long-range forecast indicates those high temperatures will last at least as far as next Tuesday, with the prediction of 95 degrees that day in Des Moines.

Today: Patchy fog before 8am. Otherwise, sunny, with a high near 78. North northwest wind 5 to 7 mph.
Tonight: Mostly clear, with a low around 56. Light and variable wind becoming south around 6 mph in the evening.
Wednesday: Sunny, with a high near 85. Breezy, with a south southwest wind 9 to 18 mph, with gusts as high as 23 mph.
Wednesday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 63. Breezy, with a south wind 10 to 18 mph becoming west northwest after midnight. Winds could gust as high as 29 mph.
Thursday: Sunny, with a high near 80. North northwest wind 8 to 13 mph, with gusts as high as 18 mph.
Thursday Night: Clear, with a low around 55.
Friday: Sunny, with a high near 84.

Yesterday’s high was 72 and the low was 53. This day last year the high was 69 and the low was 62. The all-time record high was 103 set in 1937. The record low was 40 set in 1929. Sunrise is 6:28 a.m. and sunset is 8:20 p.m.

Today: Mostly cloudy, with a high near 70. Windy, with a west northwest wind 10 to 15 mph increasing to 15 to 20 mph in the afternoon. Winds could gust as high as 30 mph.
Tonight: Mostly cloudy, then gradually becoming mostly clear, with a low around 53. Breezy, with a north wind 5 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 25 mph.
Tuesday: Sunny, with a high near 78. Northwest wind 5 to 10 mph.
Tuesday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 56. South wind 5 to 10 mph.
Wednesday: Sunny, with a high near 84. Breezy, with a south southwest wind 10 to 20 mph, with gusts as high as 25 mph.
Thursday: Sunny, with a high near 81.

Yesterday’s high was 78 and the low was 60. This day last year the high was 83 and the low was 60. The  all-time record high was 107 set back in 1936 and the record low was 45 in 1929. Sunrise today is 6:27 a.m. and sunset is 8:21 p.m.

Today: Mostly cloudy w/a 50% chance of showers and thunderstorms. High near 80. East wind 5 to 10 mph becoming south in the afternoon, and gusting to near 20 mph. New rainfall amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible.

Tonight: A 40 % chance of showers and thunderstorms. Low around 58. W/NW winds @ 10-20 mph. New rainfall amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.

Monday: Partly sunny & breezy, with a high near 73. W/NW winds 15-30 mph.

Tuesday: Sunny, with a high near 77.

Wednesday: Sunny & breezy, with a high near 84.

Saturday’s High in Atlantic was 87 and the low was 62. We received .25″ rain overnight (as of 7-a.m. today/24-hour rainfall). This day last year the high was 88 and the low was 56. The all-time record high was 101 set in 1913. The record low was 39 set in 1964. Sunrise is 6:26 a.m. and sunset is 8:23 p.m.

(Radio Iowa) – The new U-S Drought Monitor shows the areas of Iowa with extreme and severe drought dropped following recent rains. Iowa Ag Secretary Mike Naig says a lot of farmers are thankful for the rains. “You know, you’d still say, and then the drought monitor will still say, that we’re dry. And you know, 100 percent of the state of Iowa is in at least abnormally dry. And you’ve seen persistent drought in some places like along western Iowa, southeast Iowa, there’s a pocket. But once again, this year, we’ve seen timely rain,” Naig says.

He says the impact of the drought has not been totally washed away. “We’ve got some places in the state that certainly will, we’ll see some yield reduction because of that persistent dryness,” Naig says. “But as I’ve traveled the state, there’s a lot of places that look really good. So now’s when you need rain, you still need to finish this crop off. And it’s good to see a more active weather pattern.”

IA AG Sec Mike Naig (RI photo)

Naig was at the Iowa State Fair for its opening ceremonies Thursday. He touted the new “Choose Iowa” program. “This is something that the legislature funded this past year, it’s time for us as a state to have a branded program for Iowa-made, Iowa-raised, Iowa-grown products,” he says. “So you know, it’s everything from a farmer selling beef direct to a consumer or a vegetable producer who’s working with a restaurant working with a chef.”  Naig says consumers have been asking for and want to consider local when they are buying food.  “I see a lot of exciting opportunities here. And I think too, for small and beginning farmers, just more market opportunities for folks to sell. And again, consumers are going to win in this whole thing,” he says.

Food, beverages and other agricultural products that are grown, raised or made within Iowa and meet or exceed minimum criteria can carry the “Choose Iowa” logo.