Area Counties: Sac-Crawford-Carroll-Audubon-Guthrie-Cass: WIND CHILL ADVISORY in effect beginning at 12-a.m. Thursday and ending at 9-a.m., and until 11-a.m. Thursday for Monona-Harrison-Shelby-Pottawattamie-Mills-Montgomery-Fremont-Page Counties.

* WHAT…Very cold wind chills expected. Wind chills as low as 25 below zero.

* IMPACTS…The cold wind chills could cause frostbite on exposed skin in as little as 30 minutes.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS…

Use caution while traveling outside. Wear appropriate clothing, a hat, and gloves.

(Radio Iowa) – January saw colder than normal temperatures statewide and parts of the state had above average snowfall. State climatologist Justin Glisan (like listen) compiles the temperature data. “We were five degrees below average across the state and anywhere from two to eight degrees below average if you look at eastern Iowa where we had a little more snowpack,” Glisan says.

January was drier than normal if you average it out statewide. “We were about a quarter-inch below average, but January is the driest month of the year and it doesn’t take a lot to be above or below average,” according to Glisan. “And then if we look at the actual snowpack that we’ve had — about eight and a half inches across the state. And that was basically above average across much of southeast and central Iowa. And that’s about an inch above average.”

With groundhog day coming up — many are wondering what is ahead for the rest of winter. Glisan says the early indications show February not being as cold as the month was one year ago. “Now we see in the short term getting out into the middle of February — near normal to slightly elevated shots of warmer conditions,” he says. Glisan says that could mean not as much precipitation. “This time of year when we do see warmer conditions we generally see a drier signal or near-normal conditions — but we are seeing an elevated signal for drier conditions for the first half of the month,” Glisan says. “If we look at the monthly outlooks in general that were issued on January 31st — we are not seeing any real clear guidance for the full month.”

Glisan joked that without a clear signal we’ll have to wait to see what Puxatawny Phil says will happen.

(Atlantic, Iowa) – Weather data for the month of January, 2022 in Atlantic, shows the temperatures were about normal, with below normal precipitation. The average High last month was 31 (normally it’s 29). The average Low was 5 degrees, which is 4 degrees below the norm. The warmest day was January 12th (55 degrees), and the coldest morning was on the 2nd, when we bottomed out at -11.

Precipitation for the month, which includes melted snowfall, amounted to just .57″ (which is nearly .3″ below the norm). Snowfall amounted to 4.4″ altogether. January 14th brought the most snowfall, at 2.8 inches.

During the month of February in Atlantic, we typically see a little under one-inch of precipitation [.96″] (Including melted snowfall). The Average High is 35, and the average Low is 15 Degrees.

We’ll let you know how the data compared to those stats, when we compile the data next month.

Today: Partly cloudy. High 38. NW winds @ 10-20 mph.
Tonight: P/Cldy to Cloudy w/a chance of flurries late. Low around 7. N/NE @ 10-20. Wind Chill as low as -5.
Tomorrow: Mostly Cloudy w/a chance of light snow. High 16. N @ 10-20. Wind chill values as low as -10.
Thursday: P/Cldy. High near 14.
Friday: P/Cldy with a high near 26.

Monday’s High in Atlantic was 50. Our Low this morning, 25. Last year on this date the High in Atlantic was 27 and the Low was 19. The Record High was 58 in 1987. The Record Low was -27 in 1979.

(Radio Iowa) – Three state agencies have started to review plans for how the State of Iowa would respond to a significant drought. Iowa Department of Natural Resources director Kayla Lyon says her agency issued weekly reports on drinking water supplies last year as extreme drought hit some areas of the state. “We were really close to having a real problem,” Lyon says, “and it was pretty dire in some parts of the state.”

Despite heavy rains in the fall, the U.S. Drought Monitor shows more than half a million Iowans live in an area where drought conditions persist. The state’s current drought response outlines were developed in the 1980s according to Lyon. “So our staff are working together with some of the same players to modernize our state drought plan,” Lyon says.

A D-N-R spokesperson says the plan will likely look at how water users in the public and private sectors are prepared for drought conditions and how the state would respond if water supplies are endangered by a long-term drought. It’s expected to take a year for the D-N-R, the Iowa Department of Agriculture and the Iowa Department of Homeland Security Emergency Management to produce an updated drought plan.

Today: Partly cloudy, with a high near 49. SW wind 10-20 mph.
Tonight: Partly cloudy, with a low around 22. NW wind 10 mph.
Tomorrow: P/Cldy to cloudy. High around 35. NW @ 10-20.
Wednesday: Mostly cloudy & much colder, w/a chance of light snow or flurries. High 16.
Thursday: P/Cldy. High 12.

Sunday’s High in Atlantic was 31. Our Low was 16. Last year on this date the High in Atlantic was 31 and the Low was 24. The Record High on this date was 59 in 2012. The Record Low was -28 in 1996.

Today: Partly sunny, with a high near 33. Wind chill values as low as 10. North wind 5 to 8 mph becoming light and variable in the afternoon.
Tonight: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 23. Light south wind increasing to 5 to 9 mph in the evening.
Monday: Partly sunny, with a high near 50. South wind 7 to 14 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph.
Monday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 26. South wind 6 to 14 mph becoming west northwest after midnight. Winds could gust as high as 22 mph.
Tuesday: Partly sunny, with a high near 37. North northwest wind 7 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 24 mph.
Tuesday Night: A 30 percent chance of snow, mainly after midnight. Cloudy, with a low around 6.
Wednesday: A 20 percent chance of snow before noon. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 14. Blustery.

Saturday’s High in Atlantic was 47. Our Low this morning was 16. Last year on this date the High in Atlantic was 36 and the Low was 29. The Record High on this date was 65 in 2012. The Record Low was -24 in 1965.

Today: Partly cloudy. High 42. SW @ 10-20 mph.
Tonight: P/Cldy. Low 18. NW @ 5-10.
Tomorrow: P/Cldy. High 38. N-S @ 5-10.
Monday: P/Cldy. High 48.
Tuesday: Mo. Cldy w/a chance of light snow/flurries. High near 30.

Friday’s High in Atlantic was 26. Our Low was -4. Last year on this date the High in Atlantic was 36 and the Low was 11. The Record High on this date was 59 in 1931. The Record Low was -31 in 1904.

(Radio Iowa) – January is going to end up on a warm note. National Weather Service meteorologist, Ashley Bury, says the relief is coming from the south. “We’re going to see some more southerly winds pushing some of that warmer air up into the area — so it’s going to be a nice relief to the temperatures we’ve been having on a little rollercoaster of ups and downs over the past week,” Bury says. Temperatures could be well about freezing in some parts of the state. “We’ll see temperatures increase back up into the 30s for much of the area. Some areas of eastern Iowa could still see temperatures in the 20s –but mainly areas of central and western Iowa could see values even in the 40’s for Saturday,” she says.

The warm conditions will continue into the early part of next week. “It looks like we’re still going to be in the 40s for Monday, and then as we get into the beginning of February — looks like it will kind of hold into the 30s for much of the area — and then dropping down back to the teens by Wednesday,” according to Bury. She says things aren’t usually this warm. “It’s about ten or 20 degrees about average for this time of year. The teens are bit more of what we’d expect, into February as well,” Bury says. The warmer temps will lead to more melting — and that melt will freeze again overnight. “Refreezing is definitely possible, so it’s important to be extra cautious when you are outside for that,” Bury says.

There have been times when temperatures were below zero in the last week, including some days with wind chills in the double-digits below zero.