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Skyscan Forecast for Atlantic & the Nishna Valley: Tue., June 13, 2023

Weather

June 13th, 2023 by Ric Hanson

Today: Sunny, with a high near 83. West wind around 11 mph.
Tonight: Partly cloudy, with a low around 55. West wind 6 to 9 mph.
Wednesday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 86. West northwest wind around 6 mph.
Thursday: Sunny, with a high near 88.
Thursday Night: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly cloudy, with a low around 62.
Friday: A 50 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly sunny, with a high near 85.

Monday’s High in Atlantic was 77. The Low was 47. Last year on this date, the High in Atlantic was 100 and the Low was 79. The Record High was 100 in 2022, and the Record Low was 37 in 1906. Sunrise is at 5:45. Sunset is at 8:54.

60% of Iowa topsoil short or very short of moisture

Ag/Outdoor, News, Weather

June 13th, 2023 by Ric Hanson

(Radio Iowa) – This week’s Iowa Crop and Weather report from the U-S-D-A rates 60 percent of Iowa topsoil either short or very short of moisture. State Climatologist Justin Glisan says abnormally dry conditions have expanded in the past two weeks. “In those more pervasive and dry areas, we’ve seen precipitation deficits really stack up,” Glisan says. “This is reflected in lower stream flows, but also diminishment in soil moisture.”

By last Thursday, 99 percent of the state reached some stage of drought or has been abnormally dry for 30 to 60 days according to the U-S-D-A’s Iowa Drought Monitor. Glisan says it appears surface temperatures in the eastern Pacific Ocean are rising — and that means a change in the weather pattern for thunderstorms that form over the ocean and later sweep into Iowa.

“I think there is good news on the horizon,” Glisan says. Weather models indicate the swing into the wetter pattern could arrive in Iowa by July, according to Glisan, just when corn and soybeans hit a major stage in development.  “We need timely rainfalls throughout the teeth of the growing season,” Glisan says, “so seeing this potential shift into El Nino, which we are in now, and the potential for the weather patterns that set up, I am pretty confident that we are not going to see any yield loss because of early planting.”

Glisan made his comments during a recent appearance on “Iowa Press” on Iowa P-B-S. According to the U-S-D-A, the development of Iowa’s soybean crop is nine days ahead of normal and the corn crop is a week ahead of last year.

Record low temperatures set this morning in some areas

News, Weather

June 12th, 2023 by Ric Hanson

(Radio Iowa) – Some Iowa cities set record low temperatures this (Monday) morning. The National Weather Service in La Crosse received a report that the temperature fell to 35 in Elkader in northeast Iowa. There was a record low in Cedar Rapids of 40 degrees. It dipped to 41 in Mason City and Ottumwa, also records for this date. The low in Atlantic (43) fell five-degrees short of tying the record (38) set in 1903.

Alexis Jimenez is a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in central Iowa.  “We saw low to mid 40s throughout much of the state,” Jimenez says. Temperatures for the rest of the day will be in the 70s. “It’ll be really a perfect day weather wise. You can’t get much better. You can’t ask for more in the middle of June, but we will see a warming trend starting tomorrow,” she says. “We’ll see temperatures climb into the 80s and then we’ll see temperatures close to 90 Thursday.”

The record low in Iowa for this date was set in 1903. The temperature fell to 30 degrees in Fayette according to federal records from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

Skyscan Forecast for Atlantic & the Nishna Valley: Monday, June 12, 2023

Weather

June 12th, 2023 by Ric Hanson

Today: Sunny, with a high near 75. West northwest wind 3 to 8 mph.
Tonight: Mostly clear, with a low around 51. West southwest wind 5 to 7 mph.
Tuesday: Sunny, with a high near 82. West northwest wind 8 to 11 mph.
Wednesday: Sunny, with a high near 86.
Thursday: Sunny, with a high near 88.

Sunday’s High in Atlantic was 71. Our Low this morning, 43. Last year on this date, the High in Atlantic was 90 and the Low was 69. The Record High was 95 in 1892, and the Record Low was 38 in 1903. Sunrise is at 5:45. Sunset is at 8:54.

Skyscan Forecast for Atlantic & the Nishna Valley: Sunday, June 11, 2023

Weather

June 11th, 2023 by Ric Hanson

Today: Gradually becoming mostly sunny, with a high near 72. Breezy, with a north northeast wind 13 to 16 mph, with gusts as high as 23 mph.
Tonight: Mostly clear, with a low around 46. North wind 5 to 11 mph.
Monday: Sunny, with a high near 75. Light north northwest wind becoming northwest 5 to 9 mph in the morning.
Monday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 52. West wind 6 to 8 mph.
Tuesday: Sunny, with a high near 81.
Tuesday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 57.
Wednesday: Sunny, with a high near 86.

Saturday’s High in Atlantic was 83. Our Low this morning, 61. We received .41″ rain yesterday. Last year on this date, the High in Atlantic was 87 and the Low was 63. The Record High was 99 in 1892, and the Record Low was 36 in 1903. Sunrise was at 5:45. Sunset is at 8:53.

Skyscan Forecast for Atlantic & the Nishna Valley: Saturday, June 10, 2023

Weather

June 10th, 2023 by Ric Hanson

Today: A chance of showers and thunderstorms before 7am, then showers likely and possibly a thunderstorm between 7am and 8am, then a chance of showers and thunderstorms after 8am. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 80. Southeast wind 5 to 8 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%. New rainfall amounts between a half and three quarters of an inch possible.
Tonight: Showers and thunderstorms likely, mainly before 8pm. Cloudy, with a low around 58. Northeast wind 7 to 11 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%. New rainfall amounts between a half and three quarters of an inch possible.
Sunday: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms before 10am. Mostly cloudy, then gradually becoming sunny, with a high near 73. Breezy, with a north northeast wind 13 to 17 mph, with gusts as high as 24 mph.
Monday: Sunny, with a high near 76.
Tuesday: Sunny, with a high near 82.

Friday’s High in Atlantic was 79. The Low was 56. Last year on this date the High in Atlantic was 80 and the Low was 60. The Record High on this date was 104 in 1933. The Record Low was 40 in 1966. Sunrise was at 5:45. Sunset is at 8:53.

Local 24-Hour Rainfall Totals Reported at 7:00 am on Friday, June 9, 2023

Ag/Outdoor, Weather

June 9th, 2023 by Jim Field

  • KJAN, Atlantic  .3″
  • Atlantic Airport  .58″
  • 7 miles NNE of Atlantic  .4″
  • Massena  .32″
  • Anita  .3″
  • Audubon  .41″
  • Corning  .38″
  • Manning  .44″
  • Carroll  .32″

State moves to “Drought Watch”

Ag/Outdoor, News, Weather

June 9th, 2023 by Ric Hanson

(Radio Iowa) – Iowa is back in the “Drought Watch” category on the system put together last year to keep tabs on the situation. D-N-R Hydrology coordinator, Tim Hall, works with other state agencies in assessing the issue. “We take a number of factors and look at them together. And we we decide whether a region of the state is normal, drought watch, drought warning, or drought emergency,” Hall says. He says the drought watch is similar to a thunderstorm or tornado watch.

“Which is really just a call for people to be very careful and pay attention. Because things are looking on the dry side,” he says, “and right now they’re getting a little bit worse all the time. So we’re just trying to keep an eye out and work with folks to make sure everybody has the information they need.” Hall says the state is also seeing the start of what could be a “flash drought,” or rapid increase in drought conditions in some areas. “Particularly in the eastern part of the state where things just got really dry really fast. We saw the U-S Drought Monitor pop up with severe drought in in parts of northeast Iowa and southeast Iowa. So you know, we were kind of on the mend there for a while and then March and particularly April and May have just turned dry on us and they have not done us any favors,” Hall says.

He says there are some indications the conditions might change and bring more rain, and June is normally the wettest month in the state. Hall says until we see more rain, everyone should do what they can to stop water waste by fixing any leaky fixtures. “Which is which is about as pure and simple wasting water as you can get. If you’re just dribbling it down the drain, you’re using resources to pump the water, to treat the water to get it to your house. And if you’re just letting it go down the drain, that’s an absolute waste of resources,” Hall says. “So figure out how to get those leaking faucets fixed and leaking toilets fixed.”

Hall says the situation may soon call for other measures as well. “Unfortunately, it looks like we’re getting into a situation where we’re going to have to start to remind people that water conservation is a necessary thing,” he says. “And we’re going to have to try to work on that a little bit in the state as we get through these dry, these dry weeks here.”

Hall says the best case scenario would be for normal June rainfall to return and turn the drought conditions around. But he says we have to be prepared if that does not happen.

Skyscan Forecast for Atlantic & the Nishna Valley: Friday, June 9, 2023

Weather

June 9th, 2023 by Ric Hanson

Today: Mostly sunny, with a high near 81. South wind 6 to 10 mph.

Tonight: A 50 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly after 1am. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 60. South southeast wind around 8 mph. New rainfall amounts of less than a tenth of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.

Saturday: Showers and thunderstorms likely, mainly after 10am. Partly sunny, with a high near 78. Southeast wind 7 to 9 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%. New rainfall amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible.

Saturday Night: Showers and thunderstorms, mainly before 1am. Low around 58. East wind 8 to 11 mph becoming north northeast after midnight. Winds could gust as high as 18 mph. Chance of precipitation is 80%. New rainfall amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible.

Sunday: A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms before 1pm. Partly sunny, with a high near 72. Breezy. New rainfall amounts of less than a tenth of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.

Monday: Sunny, with a high near 76.

Thursday’s High in Atlantic was 76. The Low was 54. We received .3” rain at the KJAN studios, Thursday. Last year on this date the High in Atlantic was 77 and the Low was 57. The Record High on this date was 101 in 1985. The Record Low was 38 in 1915. Sunrise is at 5:46. Sunset at 8:52.

NOAA declares the arrival of El Nino

News, Weather

June 8th, 2023 by Ric Hanson

(Washington, D-C) – The expected El Nino has emerged, according to scientists at NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center, a division of the National Weather Service. In the monthly outlook released today, forecasters issued an El Nino Advisory, noting that El Nino conditions are present and are expected to gradually strengthen into the winter.

El Nino is a natural climate phenomenon marked by warmer-than-average sea surface temperatures in the central and eastern Pacific Ocean near the equator, which occurs on average every 2-7 years. El Nino’s impacts on the climate extend far beyond the Pacific Ocean.

​”Depending on its strength, El Nino can cause a range of impacts, such as increasing the risk of heavy rainfall and droughts in certain locations around the world,” said Michelle L’Heureux, climate scientist at the Climate Prediction Center. “Climate change can exacerbate or mitigate certain impacts related to El Nino. For example, El Nino could lead to new records for temperatures, particularly in areas that already experience above-average temperatures during El Nino.”

El Nino’s influence on the U.S. is weak during the summer and more pronounced starting in the late fall through spring. By winter, there is an 84% chance of greater than a moderate strength El Nino, and a 56% chance of a strong El Nino developing. Typically, moderate to strong El Nino conditions during the fall and winter result in wetter-than-average conditions from southern California to along the Gulf Coast and drier-than-average conditions in the Pacific Northwest and Ohio Valley. El Nino winters also bring better chances for warmer-than-average temperatures across the northern tier of the country.

A single El Nino event will not result in all of these impacts, but El Nino increases the odds of them occurring.

The anticipated persistence of El Nino also contributed to the 2023 Atlantic and Eastern Pacific Hurricane Outlooks issued by NOAA last month. El Nino conditions usually help to suppress Atlantic Hurricane activity, while the presence of El Nino typically favors strong hurricane activity in the central and eastern Pacific Basins.

The Climate Prediction Center’s seasonal temperature and precipitation outlooks will continue to take into account current and forecasted El Nino conditions. These seasonal outlooks are updated monthly, with the next update on June 15. The Atlantic Hurricane Season Outlook will be updated in early August.

Scientists have been forecasting the development of El Nino for the last few months and issued the first El Nino Watch on April 13.