Iowa Homeland Security and Emergency Management and the National Weather Service have declared the week of March 22 through March 26, 2021 Severe Weather Awareness Week. Severe Weather Awareness Week is an annual event to remind Iowans that severe weather is part of being in Iowa and that understanding the risks and how to respond to them can save lives. The highlight of the week will be a statewide tornado drill on Wednesday, March 24th.
For this drill, the National Weather Service in Des Moines will issue a mock tornado warning issued at approximately 11:00AM coinciding with weekly weather radio testing. Outdoor warning sirens will be sounded at or soon after 11:00AM in cities throughout Cass County, according to Mike Kennon, Cass County Emergency Management Coordinator. Also, those who subscribe to the Cass County Emergency Notification System will receive an alert concerning the drill. Kennon adds,”This is an excellent opportunity for residents, businesses, and schools to practice their own procedures in the event of a real severe weather event.”
In the event of actual severe weather occurring during or close to the drill time, the drill will be cancelled. To register for the Cass County Emergency Notification System, go to links located on the Cass County homepage or the Cass County EMA Facebook page. If you need assistance, contact Mike Kennon, Cass County Emergency Management Agency Coordinator at 712-243-1500.
Today: Showers & some thunderstorms. High 59. E/SE @ 10-20.
Tonight: Showers & occ. thunderstorms. Low 39. N @ 10-20.
Tomorrow: Cloudy w/morning showers. High 48. NW @ 15-25.
Thursday: Mo. Cldy w/a chance of showers. High near 50.
Friday: Partly cloudy. High 56.
Monday’s High in Atlantic was 49 (24-hour high). Our Low was 39. 24-hour Rainfall in Atlantic was .2”. Last year on this date the High in Atlantic was 47 and Low 37. The Record High on this date was 86 in 1910. The Record Low was 4, in 1974.
(Radio Iowa) – New climate outlooks being issued show a warm and dry trend for Iowa and for much of the country this spring and well into summer. Climatologist Pat Guinan, who moderated the monthly North Central Region climate update for the National Weather Service, says the warming pattern will start in April. “It does look like above-normal temperatures are anticipated across all of the NWS central region,” Guinan says, “and below-normal precip is in the cards, at least according to the forecasters.”
Guinan says the next 90 days shows warm conditions spreading. “We see a lot of the country covered in above-normal temperatures for the April-May-June period,” Guinan says, “We see below-normal precipitation indicated, not good, when you consider much of the western half of the country is still experiencing some form of drought.” The latest map from the U-S Drought Monitor shows much of northern and western Iowa is abnormally dry, with some areas ranging from moderate to severe to extreme drought.
As the La Nina pattern fades, Guinan says the summer forecast indicates continued warm, dry weather. “All of the Corn Belt, we’re forecasting a slight enhanced likelihood of above-normal temperatures this summer,” Guinan says. “That dryness has shifted a little bit toward the north and northeast for the summer, for below-normal precipitation with the highest likelihood extending through the Dakotas, western Minnesota, northwest Iowa, all of Nebraska and northern Kansas.”
In the short term, Guinan says the expectation is for moderate to heavy rain much of this week across Iowa and into the central U-S.
(Radio Iowa) – In the past few weeks, Iowa’s seen a long run of subzero temperatures and snowfall as well as the first Tornado Watch of the year. Today, the first Monday of spring, marks the start of Severe Weather Awareness Week. Meteorologist Chad Hahn, at the National Weather Service in Johnston, says some Iowans could use a refresher course on the dangers that likely lay ahead. Each day will have a different theme. “We talk about the severe thunderstorm criteria, what we use for a Severe Thunderstorm Warning, what we base that on, and that’s either one-inch or larger in diameter hail or 58 mile per hour winds, or greater,” Hahn says.
FILE PHOTO – Hope Gettler submitted this photo to the KJAN Facebook page. She said “We watched the rotation that formed a rope like tornado. It bounced up and down for 10 minutes while it was moving northwest towards Guthrie. This was taken 5 miles north of Adair at 320th St and Elm St.”
Tomorrow’s (Tuesday) focus will be on how Iowans get their weather information and the importance of having multiple sources, like weather radios and apps on your phone, in case severe storms knock out your usual source. “On Wednesday, we start to talk about tornadoes and the threat that those pose,” Hahn says, “and the plans that folks should have in their place of business or their home of where they’re going to shelter and have that thought through and that muscle memory in place.”
The annual statewide tornado drill is also planned for Wednesday, but with a small change this year. “We will not be issuing an official National Weather Service tornado warning product,” Hahn says. “Despite that, we still want folks to practice their procedures when it comes to where they’ll go in the event of a tornado. We want folks to drill. That is still an incredibly important part of the Wednesday of Severe Weather Awareness Week.”
Learn more about the week at weather.gov/dmx. There were 28 tornadoes in Iowa last year, and 54 twisters in 2019. Severe weather spotter classes are being offered this Wednesday, as well as March 31st, April 6th and April 19th.
Today: Cloudy w/rain. High around 56. NE wind @ 10 mph.
Tonight: Rain. Low 42. E @ 10-15.
Tomorrow: Showers & thundershowers. High near 60. W/SE @ 5-10.
Wednesday: Mo. Cldy w/light rain in the morning. High near 50.
Thursday: Mo. Cldy w/light rain. High again near 50.
Sunday’s High in Atlantic was 68. Our Low this morning, 43. Last year on this date the High in Atlantic was 39 and Low 34. The Record High on this date was 86 in 1910. The Record Low was -6, in 1912.
Today: Mostly sunny, with a high near 64. Windy, with a south wind 20 to 28 mph, with gusts as high as 44 mph.
Tonight: A 30 percent chance of rain, mainly after 5am. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 43. South southwest wind 9 to 14 mph becoming light and variable after midnight. Winds could gust as high as 21 mph. New precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch possible.
Monday: Rain, mainly after 8am. High near 53. East wind 6 to 13 mph, with gusts as high as 22 mph. Chance of precipitation is 100%. New precipitation amounts between a half and three quarters of an inch possible.
Monday Night: Rain. Low around 45. East southeast wind around 10 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph. Chance of precipitation is 100%. New precipitation amounts between a half and three quarters of an inch possible.
Tuesday: Rain. High near 55. East southeast wind 9 to 13 mph becoming northwest in the afternoon. Winds could gust as high as 20 mph. Chance of precipitation is 100%. New precipitation amounts between a half and three quarters of an inch possible.
Tuesday Night: Rain likely, mainly before 1am. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 37. Chance of precipitation is 60%. New precipitation amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch possible.
Wednesday: A 20 percent chance of rain before 1pm. Partly sunny, with a high near 51. Breezy.
Saturday’s High in Atlantic was 62. Our Low was 31. Last year on this date, the High was 45 and the Low was 22. The Record High for March 21st in Atlantic, was 88 in 1907, and the Record Low was -7, in 1960.
Monona-Harrison-Shelby Counties: A WIND ADVISORY IS IN EFFECT TODAY FROM 10 AM TO 3 PM.
Sac-Crawford-Carroll-Greene-Audubon Counties: WIND ADVISORY IN EFFECT TODAY FROM 9 AM TO 4 PM.
South winds at 25 to 35 mph will gust up to 45 mph this afternoon. .Gusty winds could blow around unsecured objects.
Tree limbs could be blown down and a few power outages may result.
The strong winds will also contribute to erratic or uncontrollable fire behavior.
Use extra caution when driving, especially if operating a high profile vehicle. Secure outdoor objects.
Today: Sunny, with a high near 60. Windy, with a south wind 8 to 13 mph increasing to 16 to 21 mph in the afternoon. Winds could gust as high as 31 mph.
Tonight: Partly cloudy, with a low around 42. Breezy, with a south wind around 17 mph, with gusts as high as 25 mph.
Sunday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 65. Windy, with a south wind 18 to 25 mph, with gusts as high as 40 mph.
Sunday Night: A 50 percent chance of rain. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 44. South wind 9 to 14 mph becoming light after midnight. Winds could gust as high as 21 mph. New precipitation amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch possible.
Monday: Rain. High near 53. East southeast wind 5 to 10 mph. Chance of precipitation is 80%. New precipitation amounts between a half and three quarters of an inch possible.
Monday Night: Rain. Low around 43. Chance of precipitation is 90%. New precipitation amounts between three quarters and one inch possible.
Tuesday: Rain. High near 53. Chance of precipitation is 90%.
Friday’s High in Atlantic was 56. Our Low was 20. Last year on this date the High in Atlantic was 33 and Low 18. The Record High on this date was 80 in 1938. The Record Low was -7, in 1906.
(Radio Iowa) – Hydrologists predict an “average” flood risk in much of the Missouri River Basin this spring, in large part due to dry conditions, as much of the region is experiencing moderate to severe drought. Brian Fuchs, a climatologist with the National Drought Mitigation Center, says soils in the basin are dry and have a lot of room to take in water from rain and melting snow, which lowers the flood risk. Fuchs says, “Think of them as a big sponge, that when they are dry and there’s room in that profile for moisture to get in, any type of rain that hits them is going to get soaked in.”
Parts of northwest Iowa are shown to be in severe and extreme drought in this week’s map from the U-S Drought Monitor. Fuchs says the ground will be able to take in moisture from runoff, but if those soils aren’t replenished, plants aren’t going to have the moisture deep enough in the soil to tap into and grow. “It’s kind of a balancing game of getting that moisture into the soil so plants can utilize it if it does get dry and drought starts developing,” Fuchs says. “And if you don’t have that, what you end up seeing is the impact of that drought really taking off more so in a hurry than if that moisture was there.”
Fuchs says he expects the drought to persist in the High Plains through June. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is predicting -no- major flooding across the country for the first time in three years.
(By Katie Peikes, Iowa Public Radio)
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