Sac-Crawford-Carroll-Audubon-Guthrie-Cass Counties…Elevated Fire Weather Danger and Strong Winds in Western Iowa Today…

South winds increase by late morning through the afternoon with gusts in excess of 40 mph likely at times. This may blow around loose, lightweight objects and create difficult driving conditions for high profile vehicles, especially on west to east
routes. The strong winds combined with low RH values in the 30 percent range will lead to fire weather concerns this afternoon. Any fire starts will have the potential to become out of control and spread quickly.

Scattered field and ditch fires occurred Tuesday afternoon in southwest Iowa, including a corn field off 720th, between Seattle and Tucson Roads. Massena and Cumberland Fire crews were dispatched to the scene at around 4:57-p.m. Another fire was reported in Harrison County.

As  reminder, Burn Bans are in effect for nine southwest Iowa Counties until further notice.

AMES – As Iowa’s annual harvest wraps up across the state, the Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) encourages farmers to get reacquainted with fire prevention practices to keep the farm ‘firewise.’ This has been an extended drought year, particularly in the western part of the state. The following simple steps for a safer harvest can save time and money.

• Properly prepare machinery to reduce the chance of a field fire from an overheated bearing (check the manufacturer’s recommendations). A spark from an improperly lubricated combine can instantaneously ignite dry plants and field debris.

Check that all fire extinguishers carried on the machinery are fully charged with loose powder inside. If the powder is not loose, remove the extinguisher from its bracket then thump the canister with a rubber hammer until the powder moves when shaken.

Make sure the size of the extinguisher is appropriate for the size of the machinery. You may need larger and/or additional extinguishers. Also make sure you have the correct extinguisher for the type of fire to be extinguished. There are two types of extinguishers, the powder extinguisher for electrical and petroleum-based fires and the water extinguisher for vegetative fires. You may need to carry both kinds of extinguishers.

• Keep equipment clean. Check and remove combustible harvest debris from motors, exhausts, ledges and brackets several times a day. A portable gas-powered leaf blower is great for blowing debris from the various surfaces of the combine.
• Service grain storage and drying equipment. Storage facilities are like your bank vault. Protect their contents by properly servicing all bearings, belts, motors and drags. Dryers frequently cause fires, so before drying grain have a qualified service technician perform the necessary maintenance. Keep weeds mowed around the facilities to discourage a fire from spreading. All extinguishers should be handy, fully charged, and the proper size and type for the area.
• Turn off interior lighting in overfilled bins. A grain fire will start if the grain surrounds the bulb. Turn off the light’s breaker to avoid accidentally turning the light on. This also applies to hay storage facilities.
  Handle hay properly. Improper hay storage commonly causes or complicates farm fires. Preventative measures greatly reduce this risk.

Planning proper hay storage is crucial. Store hay away from combustibles such as gasoline, fertilizers and pesticides, as well as open burning areas like burn barrels, brush piles and vegetative burning. Arrange round bales in groups of 10 or fewer and place at least 100 feet away from structures. Leave 30 feet of mowed grass, bare ground or rock between the bale groups, creating a solid fire break.

Many hay fires occur by spontaneous combustion of moist hay, usually within six weeks after baling. Plan to bale hay at its driest stage and do not bale in the morning dew or too soon after a rain.

Check stored hay frequently for hot hay or an internal hay fire. Be aware of a caramel or strong burning odor, a visible vapor or smoke, a strong musty smell, and/or hay that is hot when touched. If any of these occur, call the fire department immediately and do not move the hay. Moving it exposes overheated or smoldering hay to oxygen, speeding the fire.

• When tilling in the fall, till a 30 foot break around building sites, remote bin sites and outside storage facilities to minimize fire spread, and around fields if there is excess fine fuels in the area.  Remove weeds and other combustibles around structures and stored equipment.
• If a fire occurs, remain calm, call 911 immediately. Provide clear, concise directions to your location. Many field and bin sites do not have 911 addresses, so be prepared to identify an intersection or landmark to direct responders.

To help control field fires until firefighters arrive, remain calm and act swiftly. Quickly disk a fire break approximately 15 feet wide around the fire. Be cautious when doing this as smoke will starve and stall a motor and will make hazards and bystanders difficult to see. To assist with a structural fire, make sure there are no flammable objects nearby and if the circuit panel is safely accessible, turn off the building’s electricity. If time allows, evacuate any livestock to a distant pasture. If possible, spray high-pressure water on any surrounding vegetation or structures, discouraging spreading embers. Do not take risks.

After using any equipment to fight a fire, check air filters, ledges, nooks and crannies for burning debris. For more detailed information, visit www.iowadnr.gov/Conservation/Forestry/Fire-Prevention/Fire-Protection-Prevention.

Remember, in a fire emergency, call 911 immediately. Do not wait until all your means of fighting the fire are exhausted. Every minute impacts your losses.

(Atlantic, Iowa – KJAN) – The month of October, here in Atlantic, was both warmer and cooler than average, and much drier than it should have been. Weather records compiled at KJAN (the OFFICIAL National Weather Service data site for Atlantic) show we were slightly more than 2-degrees warmer than the average of 64.1-degrees. We departed with an average of 67.3 degrees. On the Low side, we came in at 31.5-degrees for an average, which was seven-degrees cooler than average.

Rainfall, typically 2.76-inches in October, came in a little more than three-quarters of an inch, at .79.”

Here’s what the stats normally are for November:

• Avg. High, 46.3
• Avg. Low, 26.5
• Avg. Precipitation, 1.85 inches.

Today: Mostly sunny. High 73. SW @ 10-20 mph.
Tonight: Partly cloudy. Low 46. S @ 5-10.
Tomorrow: Mo. Sunny. High 76. SW @ 15-25.
Thursday: P/Cldy. High 74.
Friday: Mo. Cldy w/scattered showers & thunderstorms. High 65.

Monday’s High in Atlantic was 70. Our Low was 29. Last year on this date the High in Atlantic was 45 and the Low was 19. The Record High on this date was 78 in 1933. The Record Low was 10 in 1895.

Today: Areas of morning fog; Mostly sunny. High 68. NW-SW @ 5-10 mph.
Tonight: Partly cloudy. Low 35. SW @ 5-10.
Tomorrow: Mo. Sunny. High 74. SW @ 10-20.
Wednesday: P/Cldy. High 76.
Tuesday: P/Cldy. High 74.

Sunday’s High in Atlantic was 65. Our Low this morning, 29. Last year on this date the High in Atlantic was 52 and the Low was 26. The Record High on this date was 83 in 1950 & 1953. The Record Low was 11 in 1954.

Today: Mostly cloudy, with a high near 65. Calm wind becoming north around 5 mph in the afternoon.
Tonight: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 36. Light north wind.
Monday: Sunny, with a high near 66. Calm wind becoming northwest around 6 mph in the afternoon.
Monday Night: Clear, with a low around 38. Light south southwest wind.
Tuesday: Sunny, with a high near 72. Light south wind increasing to 9 to 14 mph in the morning. Winds could gust as high as 21 mph.
Tuesday Night: Clear, with a low around 49.
Wednesday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 71. Windy.

Skyscan Forecast  Saturday, October 29, 2022  Austin Romer

Today: Sunny. S @ 10. High 67.

Tonight: Cloud cover increasing. S @ 5. Low 43.

Sunday: Mostly cloudy. NW @ 5. High 65.

Sunday Night: Cloudy. Calm. Low 35.

Monday: Partly cloudy. W @ 10. High 65.

Tuesday: Sunny. S @ 15. High 75.

Yesterday’s high was 65 and the low was 26. This day last year the high was 59 and the low was 29. The all-time record high was 91 set in 1937 and the record low was 8 in 1895. Sunrise is at 7:48 a.m. and sunset tonight will be 6:19 p.m.

Today: Areas of morning fog; Partly cloudy. High 62. E/SE @ 10-15 mph.
Tonight: Fair to Partly cloudy. Low 32. SE @ 5-10.
Tomorrow: P/Cldy. High 64. SE @ 10-15.
Sunday: P/Cldy. High 64.
Monday: P/Cldy. High 68.

Thursday’s High in Atlantic was 59. Our Low this morning, 30. Last year on this date the High in Atlantic was 49 and the Low was 45. The Record High on this date was 83 in 1922. The Record Low was 2 in 1925.

Today: Mostly cloudy w/spotty light rain. High 58. E/SE @ 10-15 mph.
Tonight: Partly cloudy. Low 33. E @ 5-10.
Tomorrow: P/Cldy. High 62. E @ 10-15.
Saturday: P/Cldy. High 64.
Sunday: P/Cldy. High 64.

Wednesday’s High in Atlantic was 59. The Low was 25. Last year on this date the High in Atlantic was 55 and the Low was 48. The Record High on this date was 87 in 1922. The Record Low was 9 in 1997.

Today: Partly cloudy. High 59. NW-SE @ 5-10 mph.
Tonight: Partly cloudy. Low 38. SE @ 5.
Tomorrow: Mo. Cldy w/scattered light showers. High 56. E/SE @ 10-15.
Friday: P/Cldy. High 62.
Saturday: P/Cldy. High 66.

Tuesday’s High in Atlantic was 56. The Low was 26. Last year on this date the High in Atlantic was 59 and the Low was 41. The Record High on this date was 84 in 1956. The Record Low was 14 in 1980