(Radio Iowa) – The recent snow and rains have helped push back some of the drought conditions in the state. D-N-R Hydrologist, Tim Hall, the rainfall has been good to see. “The statewide average over the last seven days, three times the normal rainfall for that seven day period. And for the month of March, we’re ahead of normal. And so those things are all reflected in the U-S Drought Monitor this week,” Hall says. Northeast Iowa remains the driest area of the state, but the picture is better than last week.
“Almost 20 percent of the state was designated as D-3 extreme drought. And now that’s down to 12 percent,” he says. Hall says it is good to see the dry weather turnaround in March. “Every month that goes by between March and April in May and June, the monthly precipitation averages go up. So that’s why it’s really critical when we get above normal rainfall in March, because March is a pretty wet month, and even more so for April and even more so for May,” Halls says. He says the past few years a promising start to spring didn’t pan out. 
“We’ve seen really encouraging early spring and late winter rainfalls, but then the tap has been shut off. And we’ve missed out on April May and June rainfalls over the past few years,” he says. “So we’re really hoping that this will set a trend that will allow us to see above normal rainfall in April and then May and then June. And that’ll go a long ways toward getting some significant areas of drought wiped off the map here.”
The Drought Monitor shows the areas of the state not reporting any drought have gone from just more than two percent to now just under ten percent.
Today: Sunny, with a high near 60. Calm wind becoming south 5 to 10 mph this morning.
Tonight: Increasing clouds, with a low around 40.
Friday: Mostly cloudy, with a high near 66. South wind 10 to 20 mph.
Saturday: Partly sunny, with a high near 55.
Sat. Night: A 30% chance of showers after 1am. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 35.
Sunday: A 40% chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 57.
Monday: Showers likely. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 52. Breezy.
Wednesday’s High in Atlantic was 38. The Low was, 19. Last year on this date, the High in Atlantic was 51 and the Low was 21. The all-time Record High in Atlantic on March 28th, was 84 in 1910 & 1986. The Record Low was 11 in 1898. Sunrise today: 7:10. Sunset tonight: 7:40.
Today: Mostly sunny, with a high near 40. Winds West @ 10-20 mph. Wind chill values as low as 10.
Tonight: Partly cloudy, with a low around 24.
Tomorrow: Sunny, with a high near 59. E/SE winds @ 5-10 becoming S/SW in the afternoon.
Friday: Mostly cloudy, with a high near 65.
Friday Night: A slight chance of showers and thunderstorms. Low around 37.
Saturday: Partly sunny & breezy, with a high near 57.
Tuesday’s High in Atlantic was 30. Our Low this morning, 19. We received a trace of snow Tue. morning (flurries). Last year on this date, the High in Atlantic was 47 and the Low was 16. The all-time Record High in Atlantic on March 27th, was 85 in 1895. The Record Low was 6 in 1894. Sunrise today: 7:11. Sunset tonight: 7:39.
Today: Cloudy & windy w/a 30% chance of snow, mainly before 9am. A nearly steady temperature around 30. NW winds 20-30 mph. Little or no snow accumulation expected.
Tonight: Partly cloudy & blustery, with a low around 19. NW @ 10-25 mph.
Wednesday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 41. West wind 5 to 10 mph.
Wed. Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 23.
Thursday: Sunny, with a high near 59.
Friday: Partly sunny, with a high near 64. Breezy.
Saturday: Partly sunny, with a high near 58.
Monday’s High in Atlantic was 64. Our Low this morning, 29. We received .65″ rain from 7-a.m. Monday through 7-a.m. today, at KJAN. Last year on this date, the High in Atlantic was 42 and the Low was 16. The all-time Record High in Atlantic on March 26th, was 88 in 1907. The Record Low was -2 in 1955. Sunrise today: 7:13. Sunset tonight: 7:39.
(Atlantic, Iowa) – Cass County Emergency Management Coordinator Mike Kennon says the County will be participating in the statewide tornado drill Wednesday morning (March 27th), as part of Severe Weather Awareness Week in Iowa.
For this drill, the National Weather Service in Des Moines will issue a mock tornado warning issued at approximately 10:00-a.m., to coincide with weekly weather radio testing. Kennon says outdoor warning sirens will be sounded at or soon after 10:00-a.m. in towns throughout Cass County.
Also, those who subscribe to the Cass County Emergency Notification System will receive an alert concerning the drill. This is an excellent opportunity for residents, businesses, and schools to practice their own procedures in the event of real severe weather.
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 712-254-1500.
Today: A 50% chance of showers and thunderstorms. High near 62. South winds @ 15-30 mph. A few strong thunderstorms may be possible this afternoon and evening, with hail and wind the primary threats.
Tonight: Rain showers/thunderstorms becoming mixed w/snow after midnight. Low around 25. Winds NW @ 10-25 mph. New snow accumulation of less than a half inch possible.
Tomorrow: A chance of rain and/or snow showers. High near 36. NW @ 20-30 mph.New snow accumulation of less than a half inch possible.
Wednesday: Sunny, with a high near 44.
Thursday: Sunny, with a high near 60.
Sunday’s High in Atlantic was 48. Our Low was 34. From 7-a.m. Sunday through 7-a.m. today, we received 1.22″ of rain at KJAN. Last year on this date, the High in Atlantic was 60 and the Low was 31. The all-time Record High in Atlantic on March 25th, was 91 in 1907. The Record Low was 5 in 1894. Sunrise today: 7:15. Sunset tonight: 7:37.
Today: Rain. High near 48. South/southeast winds 15 to 30 mph. New precipitation amounts of between 1/2-to 3/4 of an inch is possible.
Tonight: Rain & possibly a thunderstorm. Low around 44. S/SE winds 20-35 mph.New rainfall amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.
Monday: A 50% chance of showers & thunderstorms. High near 64. S @ 15-30 mph. New rainfall amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.
Monday Night: Rain becoming mixed with and changing over to snow. Some thunder is also possible. Low around 23. New snow accumulation of less than a half inch possible.
Tuesday: A 30% chance of snow showers. High near 35.
Wednesday: Sunny, with a high near 44.
Saturday’s High in Atlantic was 36. We received one-tenth of inch of rain (.10″) this morning (7-a.m./24-hour total). Our (24-hour) Low was 20 . Last year on this date, the High in Atlantic was 56 and the Low was 22. The all-time Record High in Atlantic on March 24th, was 83 in 1967. The Record Low was -2 in 1974. Sunrise today: 7:17. Sunset tonight: 7:36.
(Des Moines, Iowa) – The Iowa Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management (HSEMD), National Weather Service (NWS), and Iowa Emergency Management Association (IEMA) have joined together to promote Severe Weather Awareness Week, March 25-29. The week is an opportunity to review the severe weather hazards, exercise your sheltering plan, and increase awareness before the typical peak of severe weather season.
Chad Hahn, Warning Coordination Meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Des Moines, says severe weather can happen ANY TIME of the year, including during the Winter months, as demonstrated by the tornadoes and damaging straight-line winds along with hail that’s occurred in Iowa and the rest of the country.
During the Spring and Summer, Hahn says, the weather pattern can be less predictable based on a variety of factors that typically aren’t seen during the Winter.
During Severe Weather Awareness Week, a different weather topic will be highlight each day. For instance, the topic on Monday (March 25th) is Lightning Safety.
Tornadoes are the focus of severe weather preparedness, on Tuesday. Hahn says Iowa averages around 50 tornadoes each year across the State. If you haven’t experienced the weather phenomenon, you shouldn’t take it for granted.
The annual statewide tornado drill will take place on Wed., March 27, beginning with a test at 10 a.m., of the NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) Weather Radio alert system. Hail and Wind Safety will be the topic for Thursday. Severe Thunderstorms are defined as containing wind gusts of 58 miles per hour or more, and/or hail of one-inch in diameter or more. Friday, the severe weather focus will be on Flash Floods.
Anytime you encounter flooding on the roadways, remember to “Turn around, don’t drown.”
All Iowans should have a severe weather emergency plan. Preparations include:
Today: Increasing clouds, with a high near 39. Northeast wind 8 to 13 mph becoming east southeast in the afternoon.
Tonight: A slight chance of rain or freezing rain between 3am and 4am, then a chance of rain. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 31. East southeast wind 10 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 22 mph. Chance of precipitation is 30%. New precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch possible.
Sunday: Rain. High near 49. Windy, with a south southeast wind 20 to 26 mph, with gusts as high as 38 mph. Chance of precipitation is 100%. New precipitation amounts between a half and three quarters of an inch possible.
Sunday Night: Showers, with thunderstorms also possible after 1am. Low around 41. Windy, with a south southeast wind 22 to 26 mph, with gusts as high as 40 mph. Chance of precipitation is 100%. New rainfall amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.
Monday: Showers likely and possibly a thunderstorm. Partly sunny, with a high near 57. Windy, with a south southeast wind around 23 mph, with gusts as high as 34 mph. Chance of precipitation is 70%. New rainfall amounts of less than a tenth of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.
Monday Night: A chance of rain and snow showers before 10pm, then a chance of snow showers. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 22. Windy. Chance of precipitation is 40%. New precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch possible.
Tuesday: A 20 percent chance of snow showers before 1pm. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 34. Windy.
Friday’s High in Atlantic was 38. We received a Trace of rain. Our Low this morning, 21. Last year on this date, the High in Atlantic was 41 and the Low was 21. The all-time Record High in Atlantic on March 23rd, was 86 in 1910. The Record Low was 4 in 1974. Sunrise today: 7:19. Sunset tonight: 7:36.
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