It’s been a cold, wet start to spring in Iowa and April wrapped up as the seventh consecutive colder-than-normal month for the state, and May isn’t starting out much better. State climatologist Harry Hillaker says most Iowans got drenched by rainclouds last month. “April primarily looks to be the 12th wettest April in 142 years of state records,” Hillaker says. “On the temperature end of things, once again, another colder-than-normal month. About a degree-and-a-half below normal so not quite so significant, but the 48th coldest in 142 years.”
A large section of Iowa saw heavy rain showers during the month, especially central, north-central and northeast Iowa, but Hillaker says not everyone was in the same boat. “A few places largely missed out, especially the far northwest corner of Iowa and the far southwest corner as well, actually below-normal precipitation,” Hillaker says. “They’re still waiting for a good rain in those places.”
After a mostly-dreary week so far, the forecast is brightening for the weekend as Saturday looks to be mostly sunny and warmer, but that pattern likely won’t last, with showers possible on Sunday. “Starting about Wednesday of next week, the first full week of the month, we could see quite a bit of thunderstorm activity back in the state,” Hillaker says. “It looks like that could be pretty significant episode of both rainfall and possibly severe weather.” There was plenty of severe weather during April, including a bout of thunderstorms on April 27th that spawned a tornado in southeast Iowa that’s blamed in two deaths.
(Radio Iowa)
331 AM CDT FRI MAY 2 2014
EARLY THIS MORNING…PARTLY CLOUDY. WEST WIND 5 TO 10 MPH.
TODAY…MOSTLY SUNNY. BREEZY…WARMER. HIGH IN THE UPPER 60S. WEST WIND 5 TO 15 MPH INCREASING TO 15 TO 20 MPH WITH GUSTS TO AROUND 30 MPH IN THE AFTERNOON.
TONIGHT...MOSTLY CLOUDY THROUGH MIDNIGHT THEN BECOMING PARTLY CLOUDY. LOW IN THE LOWER 40S. NORTHWEST WIND 10 TO 15 MPH WITH GUSTS TO AROUND 30 MPH DECREASING TO UP TO 10 MPH AFTER MIDNIGHT.
SATURDAY…MOSTLY SUNNY. HIGH IN THE LOWER 70S. WEST WIND NEAR 10 MPH.
SATURDAY NIGHT AND SUNDAY…PARTLY CLOUDY. BREEZY. LOW IN THE MID 40S. HIGH 64 TO 71. EAST WIND 5 TO 20 MPH.
SUNDAY NIGHT AND MONDAY…MOSTLY CLOUDY. LOW IN THE UPPER 40S. HIGH 64 TO 70.
(Information from records at the KJAN studios, the official NWS reporting site for Atlantic)
Average High 61.9 degrees; Average Low 32.6; Total precipitation (including melted snow), 2.91″.
(The normal Avg. High is 62.2, while the average Low is typically 37.4. Precipitation normally averages 3.43″ for the month.)
Snowfall during the month amounted to .7″. The warmest days were on April 12 & 20th, when we hit 84. The coldest days were on the 3rd and 14th, when Atlantic’s high was 41. The lowest Low temperature was 16 degrees on April 4th.
401 AM CDT THU MAY 1 2014
EARLY THIS MORNING…CLOUDY WITH A 20 PERCENT CHANCE OF LIGHT RAIN AND DRIZZLE. NORTHWEST WIND 10 TO 15 MPH.
TODAY…CLOUDY WITH A 20 PERCENT CHANCE OF LIGHT RAIN AND DRIZZLE. BREEZY. HIGH AROUND 50. NORTHWEST WIND 15 TO 20 MPH WITH GUSTS TO AROUND 30 MPH.
TONIGHT...MOSTLY CLOUDY THROUGH MIDNIGHT THEN BECOMING PARTLY CLOUDY. LOW IN THE MID 30S. NORTHWEST WIND 5 TO 15 MPH. GUSTS UP TO 25 MPH THROUGH MIDNIGHT.
FRIDAY…MOSTLY SUNNY. WARMER. HIGH IN THE UPPER 60S. WEST WIND 10 TO 15 MPH WITH GUSTS TO AROUND 30 MPH.
SATURDAY…MOSTLY SUNNY. HIGH IN THE UPPER 60S. NORTHWEST WIND 5 TO 10 MPH.
SUNDAY…MOSTLY CLOUDY. A 20 PERCENT CHANCE OF SHOWERS. HIGH IN THE UPPER 60S.
*********
Wednesday’s High in Atlantic was 45. Our 24-hour Low ending today at 7-a.m. was 40. We received .11″ of rain in Atlantic yesterday.
As spring is upon us, the warmer weather and damage from severe storms draw scam artists to our state posing as local contractors willing to do home repair work, but Iowans need to beware. The Iowa Department of Public Safety says home repair scams are one of the most common scams targeting the elderly and other vulnerable victims. Scammers frequently offer services like blacktop or asphalt paving, tree trimming, brick glazing, lawn fertilizing and gutter and roof repairs, often following severe weather damage and other natural disasters.
Scam artists are more likely to use in-person, door-to-door solicitations, offering low prices and quick work, within an hour or two. Some scam artists provide “work and run” scams, where they perform low-quality work or partial work and then disappear. Others collect all money up front and never provide any work promised. Some scam artists are known to commit identity theft by requesting or looking at personal and financial documents while completing home repairs and then sell or use that information to defraud homeowners.
Homeowners also need to know what services are free. Some scammers request payment for free services like offering to disconnect and reconnect utilities, which is done for free by utility companies. Others offer, for a fee, to speed up the process for obtaining a building permit or obtaining insurance. Speeding up those processes is not possible, especially by a third party.
DPS offers some tips to protect you from scammers:
Avoid on-the-spot contracts and read through all contracts before signing. Do not let the contractor rush you into signing by saying that other consumers will take your place if you wait.
Before you enter into a contract, check with the Better Business Bureau, the Iowa Attorney General’s Consumer Protection Division, and several references.
Avoid out-of-area business. Check the contractor’s registration with the Iowa Division of Labor and proof of liability insurance.
Get all prices in writing. Don’t pay a large amount in advance. Pay materials suppliers directly, when possible.
Negotiate any insurance repairs and payments directly with your insurance company, and don’t let the contractor negotiate the agreement for you.
Spell out, in writing, the scope of the work to be done and the quality (or brand) of materials to be used. Do not sign a contract that lets the contractor decide the scope and materials with your insurance company, or you may be forced to pay liquidated damages to cancel the contract if you don’t like their decisions.
Write down license plate numbers of salespeople, contractors and workers.
You have the right to cancel within THREE business days, and the right to a full refund within ten business days, of most door-to-door sales, or sales made at a place other than the seller’s normal place of business.
Shred all documents that contain any personal or financial information or Personal Identification Numbers (PINs).
If you believe you are a victim of a scam, call your local law enforcement. Contact the Iowa Attorney General’s Consumer Protection Division, online or by calling (515) 281-5926.
Here’s the Freese-Notis Weather forecast for Atlantic & the KJAN listening area:
Today: Cloudy w/light rain. High 46. Winds Northwest @ 15-25 mph.
Tonight: Mostly cloudy w/rain ending. Low 40. NW @ 15-25.
Tomorrow: Mostly cloudy w/isolated showers. High 51. NW @ 15-25.
Tom. Night: Becoming partly cloudy w/area of fog. Low 37.
Friday: Partly Cloudy. High in the mid-60’s.
Saturday: P/Cldy w/isolated showers. High in the mid-60’s.
*********
Tuesday’s High in Atlantic was 50. Our low through 5:30-a.m. today was 38. We received .06″ of an inch of rain yesterday through early this morning. Last year on this date we reached a High of 82 in Atlantic. The Low was 48. All-time Record High on this date: 92 in 1926. The Record Low: 19 in 1958. Sunrise today is at 6:19. Sunset will be at 8:16.
347 AM CDT WED APR 30 2014
EARLY THIS MORNING…CLOUDY WITH A 50 PERCENT CHANCE OF LIGHT RAIN. NORTHWEST WIND 10 TO 15 MPH WITH GUSTS TO AROUND 25 MPH.
TODAY…CLOUDY. A CHANCE OF LIGHT RAIN IN THE MORNING…THEN LIGHT RAIN LIKELY IN THE AFTERNOON. BREEZY. HIGH IN THE MID 40S. NORTHWEST WIND 15 TO 20 MPH WITH GUSTS TO AROUND 30 MPH. CHANCE OF RAIN 70 PERCENT.
TONIGHT…CLOUDY. A CHANCE OF LIGHT RAIN UNTIL EARLY MORNING…THEN A SLIGHT CHANCE OF LIGHT RAIN EARLY IN THE MORNING. BREEZY. LOW IN THE UPPER 30S. NORTHWEST WIND 15 TO 20 MPH. CHANCE OF RAIN 50 PERCENT.
THURSDAY…CLOUDY. A CHANCE OF LIGHT RAIN IN THE MORNING…THEN A SLIGHT CHANCE OF LIGHT RAIN IN THE AFTERNOON. BREEZY. HIGH IN THE LOWER 50S. NORTHWEST WIND 15 TO 20 MPH WITH GUSTS TO AROUND 30 MPH. CHANCE OF RAIN 30 PERCENT.
THURSDAY NIGHT…MOSTLY CLOUDY. LOW IN THE MID 30S. WEST WIND 5 TO 15 MPH. GUSTS UP TO 25 MPH THROUGH MIDNIGHT.
FRIDAY…MOSTLY SUNNY. WARMER. HIGH IN THE MID 60S. WEST WIND 10 TO 15 MPH WITH GUSTS TO AROUND 25 MPH.
SATURDAY…PARTLY SUNNY. HIGH IN THE MID 60S.
(Updated 4:04-a.m.)
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OMAHA/VALLEY NEBRASKA
1243 PM CDT MON APR 28 2014
IAZ043-055-056-281830-
SHELBY IA-HARRISON IA-MONONA IA-
1243 PM CDT MON APR 28 2014
…SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ADVISORY FOR WESTERN SHELBY…NORTHEASTERN
HARRISON AND SOUTHEASTERN MONONA COUNTIES UNTIL 130 PM CDT…
AT 1242 PM CDT…DOPPLER RADAR WAS TRACKING A STRONG THUNDERSTORM 10
MILES WEST OF EARLING…OR 21 MILES SOUTHWEST OF DENISON…MOVING
NORTHWEST AT 15 MPH.
NICKEL SIZE HAIL WILL BE POSSIBLE WITH THIS STORM.
LOCATIONS IMPACTED INCLUDE…
MOORHEAD…DUNLAP…SOLDIER…SCHABEN PARK AND PREPARATION CANYON
STATE PARK.
The Freese-Notis KJAN listening area forecast and weather information for Atlantic.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (1.1MB)
Subscribe: RSS
Facebook
Twitter
YouTube
RSS