Friday:  Showers and thunderstorms likely, mainly this morning. Cloudy with a high near 74. East southeast wind 5 to 10 mph.

Friday Night:  A chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly after midnight. Mostly cloudy with a low around 64. Southeast wind 5 to 10 mph.

Saturday:  Showers and thunderstorms, mainly after 10am. High near 78. Windy, with a south southeast wind 15 to 20 mph, with gusts as high as 30 mph.

Sunday:  A chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly sunny, with a high near 76.

Monday:  A slight chance of showers and thunderstorms in the afternoon. Mostly sunny, with a high near 75.

As farmers in many parts of Iowa launch into the harvest, Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig says there’s good news for producers who might need to dry their grains using heaters fueled by tanks of liquid propane. While L-P supplies have been tight in recent years, Naig says that doesn’t appear to be the case this season, as fall arrives on Saturday.

Propane prices are averaging around a dollar-77 a gallon in Iowa, which is down from around two-16 a year ago.

Naig remains optimistic prices will hold steady as we head into the cold weather months.

It’s also a plus for Iowans who heat their homes with L-P. Estimates show about 67% of Iowans use natural gas to heat their homes, 15% use electricity, and 14% use liquid propane.

(Radio Iowa) – John Deere is laying off nearly ten percent of its workforce at the Harvester Works in East Moline, Illinois.
K-W-W-L T-V reports the company let employees know at a meeting Wednesday they were being laid off indefinitely. Deere leaders told employees that they had learned of the need for layoffs just one week ago.

They say lagging economic conditions for farmers are the primary reason for laying off employees. Some 225 workers will be laid off on October 16th.

Jim Field visits with Nishna Valley Trails President Dave Chase about the Tour de Parks bike ride event in Atlantic on October 1st.

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Autumn arrives Saturday but many Iowa farmers are already starting the fall harvest, and motorists in rural areas will need to share the roads with large, slow-moving farm equipment for the next several weeks. Franklin County Sheriff Aaron Dodd says he’s already spotted drivers taking big chances when they shouldn’t, like trying to pass tractors on a hill.

Such risky behavior might result in a collision, or at least a ticket.

Distractions are also causing crashes, and Dodd says people need to put down the number-one distraction — their smartphones — while driving.

From 2017 through June 30th, 2022, the Iowa Department of Transportation reports 30 people died in crashes involving farm equipment in the state. This is National Farm Safety and Health Week.

Today:  Sunny with a high near 79.  East southeast wind 5 to 15 mph.
Tonight:  A slight chance of showers.  Increasing clouds with a low around 59.  East wind around 10 mph.
Friday:  Cloudy, with a 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly between 7:00 am and 1:00 pm, then gradually becoming mostly sunny with a high near 77.  East wind 5 to 15 mph with gusts as high as 20 mph.
Saturday:  Showers and possibly a thunderstorm.  High near 79. Breezy with a south southeast wind 15 to 20 mph, with gusts as high as 25 mph.
Sunday:  A 40 percent chance of showers.  Mostly sunny with a high near 75.

Jim Field visits with Cass County Youth Coordinator Katie Bateman about local 4-H enrollment and upcoming events.

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• KJAN, Atlantic  1.64″
• 7 miles NNE of Atlantic  .5″
• Atlantic Airport  .98″
• Massena  1.96″
• Lewis  2.1″
• Lyman  2″
• Marne  .35″
• Exira  .85″
• Anita  .92″
• Wiota  1.31″
• Adair  .52″
• Audubon  .64″
• Bridgewater  1.6″
• Carroll  1.3″
• Corning  .11″
• Manning  .79″
• Guthrie Center  1.65″
• Creston  1.05″

w/Kate Olson.

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Many of Iowa’s trees are struggling in the long-running drought. Joe Herring, a district forester with the Iowa Department of Natural Resources, says some insects are causing problems with trees, and not just the emerald ash borer.

Herring says fall colors should be coming into view soon, starting with a species of small tree or bush found along roadsides, called sumac (SOO-mack).

During some drought years, the reds, yellows and oranges of fall appear more vibrantly on several species of trees in particular.

The D-N-R says the peak of fall color should be during the second week of October for the northern part of the state, and the second through the fourth weeks of October in southern Iowa.