Iowa’s weather during January featured several extremes. State climatologist Harry Hillaker says there were radical shifts in temperature, for starters, and despite the heavy snow that blanketed much of the state over the weekend, Iowa ended up lacking for precipitation during the month. “Very cold, generally speaking, for the first half of January, very mild and rather dry for the second half other than the big storm that came into the state on the very last day of January,” Hillaker says. “If we look at the state as a whole, the month ended up being about 2.3 degrees warmer than normal.”

In Atlantic, our average high for the month was 36. The average Low was 13. The normal High is 29, while the normal Low is 9. Most of Iowa got whalloped by a monster winter storm over the weekend that dumped up to 14-inches of snow on some areas of the state. Still, February 1st was Sunday, so the statewide average for precipitation during January was only about half-an-inch, which is about half the norm for the month.

“That basically does not include that event on the last day of the month,” Hillaker says. “For most of the official weather observers, their last report for the month would have come at 7 AM on January 31st, and all of that snow we had for the weekend came after that time, so it’ll end up in February’s records.”

In Atlantic, prior to the snow storm, we had received just 17 one-hundredths (.17”) of an inch of precipitation in January, from melted snowfall. Including snowfall for the 24-hour period that covered the 31st thru 7-a.m. Sunday, we received a total of .78” (78 one-hundredths of an inch) precipitation. Normal precipitation for the month is .84”

Hillaker says Iowa’s high and low temperatures for January were more than 90 degrees apart.
“Cherokee had the lowest temperature of the month, down to minus 24 degrees,” Hillaker says. “Then, toward the tail end of the month, right before the big snow event, we did have an impressive -for January- high of 67 degrees down in Shenandoah on the 28th day of the month.”

The lowest temp for the month in Atlantic, was -10 on the 12th and 13th of January. The warmest day was 59 degrees on the 16th. February started off much colder than normal and, for most of the state, much snowier than usual, too. Temperatures will likely stay below freezing this week and he says there will only be a little melting of the mounds of snow.

(Radio Iowa/KJAN weather records)

A Clarinda man wanted on a Page County warrant for Manner of Conveyance, was arrested Monday night in Montgomery County. Sheriff”s officials say 31-year old Charles Adam Bradshaw was being held for Page County in the Montgomery County Jail. His bond was set at $300.

Sheriff’s officials in Montgomery County say no injuries were reported following a rollover accident Monday evening, northeast of Stanton. Authorities say 16-year old Wyatt Patrick Robinette, of Villisca, was traveling east on 200th Street just before 6-p.m., when he lost control of the 2007 Nissan Altima he was driving on the icy road. The vehicle traveled into the north ditch and rolled onto its top, sustaining about $8,000 damage. No citations were issued.

The Chief and some of the volunteers with the fire department in Shelby are back on duty after the former chief withdrew his resignation, and four members were reinstated. The Daily NonPareil reports Fire Chief Eric Wendt withdrew the resignation he tendered last Wednesday, just two days after the Shelby Volunteer Fire Department was fired en masse over a disagreement with the city council regarding a bank account maintained by the department in which it deposited fundraising monies.

Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press

CASPER, Wyo. (AP) — Nathan Bekke has accepted a job within Lee Enterprises at the company’s corporate headquarters in Davenport, Iowa. The 45-year-old Bekke will be vice president of consumer sales and marketing for the media company. Lee Enterprises owns 46 daily newspapers, and provides digital products and produces nearly 300 specialty publications in 22 states.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — A Des Moines lawyer has been appointed to head a division of state government that oversees worker’s compensation disputes in Iowa. Joe Cortese, a contributor to the Republican Party and its candidates including Gov. Terry Branstad, will begin work as Workers’ Compensation Commissioner on Feb. 16. The appointment is subject to Senate confirmation.

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (AP) — Officials in eastern Iowa’s Linn County are warning residents about phone call scammers pretending to be an officer and demanding them to pay a fine for missed jury duty. Linn County Sheriff Brian Gardner says several people called Monday to report calls from a man saying he is Lt. Greg Allen with the sheriff’s office. Gardner says the scammer tries to collect money by saying someone has missed jury duty, ordering the purchase of a money order and threatening arrest if the fine isn’t paid.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Gov. Terry Branstad is hoping to reduce domestic abuse in Iowa through proposed legislation that would toughen penalties and oversight. Branstad says he supports a bill that would increase prison time for people repeatedly convicted of domestic abuse assault. It would also increase oversight of domestic abuse offenders by permitting the use of electronic monitoring in some cases.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Gov. Terry Branstad is hoping to reduce domestic abuse in Iowa through proposed legislation that would toughen penalties and oversight. Branstad said Monday he supports a bill that would increase prison time for people repeatedly convicted of domestic abuse assault. It would also increase oversight of domestic abuse offenders by permitting the use of electronic monitoring in some cases.

The bill has been drafted and will now be reviewed by lawmakers in the Legislature. Branstad said he hopes the bill will “end domestic violence in our state. Sheila Lynch said that tougher laws would have helped protect her daughter, TereseAnn Lynch Moore, who was killed by her estranged husband in 2009. Randall Moore was convicted of murder, kidnapping and sexual abuse and was sentenced to three life sentences.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — A Senate panel has advanced a bill that would prohibit in Iowa the sale of cleaning products that contain a certain sanitizing agent. The bill would prohibit a person from selling cleaning products that contain triclosan (TRY’-kloh-san) for the purpose of sanitizing. The ingredient is found in products like soaps and deodorants. Members of a human resources subcommittee advanced the bill Monday. It now moves to a full committee for review.

The Food and Drug Administration said in 2013 that there is no evidence that anti-bacterial soap cleansers with ingredients like triclosan were more effective than regular soap. The agency is reviewing the safety of triclosan in response to studies about its alleged health risks.

Minnesota last year banned triclosan in most retail consumer hygiene products.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Senate Democrats are again seeking to increase funding for school districts that expand public preschool for 4-year-olds. A Senate panel gave preliminary approval to a proposal Monday that seeks to expand the Iowa Statewide Voluntary Preschool Program, which was established in 2007. The legislation now moves to the Senate Education Committee. A similar bill failed to win full legislative approval last year.

Sen. Herman Quirmbach, a Democrat from Ames, introduced the bill. He says students benefit from early education and the state should help more students participate. He said the price tag for the proposal would depend on the number of new students enrolled.

Rep. Ron Jorgenson, a Republican from Sioux City, said he had not reviewed the bill, but that he was concerned about the potential cost.

SIOUX CITY, Iowa (AP) — A Sioux City mom has pleaded guilty to leaving her 10-month-old son alone in a bathtub while she smoked marijuana in another room. The Sioux City Journal reports 21-year-old Maricela Vasquez submitted her plea deal Monday to charges of child endangerment resulting in bodily injury and possession of a controlled substance.

Authorities say Vasquez was arrested in August when they responded to a 911 call, found evidence of marijuana in the apartment and discovered the baby had nearly drowned. The boy was taken to UnityPoint Health-St. Luke’s Regional Medical, where he was treated, released and removed from Vasquez’s custody.

A sentencing hearing has been set for Feb. 24. Vasquez faces up to five years in prison.

Officials with PRIDE (The Progressive Rural Iowa Development Enterprise) said Monday, two legislative coffees have been scheduled in Cass County for the 2015 session. The first is at 10 a.m. Saturday, February 14, at the Cass County Museum in Griswold, 412 Main Street. Cumberland is the second host Saturday, March 14, 10 a.m. at the Fire Station, 216 Main Street.

Clarke Gerlock, vice-president of PRIDE said “The greatest thing about these coffees is our ability to talk with our elected leaders like they are our friends and neighbors, because they are.” Representives Jack Drake and Clel Baudler, and Senators Tom Shipley and Jake Chapman frequent legislative coffees in the district to hear what patrons have to say about what matters most about their children’s schools, employment and business opportunities and other important issues.

P.R.I.D.E. is the economic development organization that works on behalf of communities, businesses, and citizens for Southwest Iowa development. For additional information, please contact Clarke Gerlock at 712-774-5476, or Kenner Baxter, president, at 781-2395.