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Sunday evening storms bring hail to the KJAN listening area

News, Weather

July 22nd, 2013 by Ric Hanson

Strong, slow-moving storms brought downpours of rain and hail to some parts of the KJAN listening area, Sunday evening. The storms began to form over parts of Audubon and Guthrie Counties at around 3:45-p.m., with the first warning coming in at 4:15.

A few minutes later, law enforcement reported golf ball-sized hail had fallen 6-miles north/northeast of the Audubon Municipal Airport. A separate batch of storms forming over far western Pottawattamie County brought Nickel-sized hail just before 5-p.m., to an area 4-miles northeast of Council Bluffs. And, just after 5-p.m., the storms which lingered over Audubon County, brought quarter-sized hail to an area 3-miles south/southeast of the Audubon Airport.

There were no immediate reports of damage.

Posted in News, Weather |

Storms in today’s weather outlook

News, Weather

July 22nd, 2013 by Ric Hanson

Thunderstorms are expected to move into northern Iowa by mid to late morning as a cold front approaches from the northwest.21986_498266960251504_2102812424_n Strong to severe storms are possible across this afternoon and evening as additional storms develop ahead of the boundary and move southeast through central and southern Iowa. Another very warm day is forecast with high temperatures in the upper 80s to lower 90s. Heat index values will approach 100 degrees by this afternoon. Much cooler conditions are forecast for Tuesday with highs in the 70s to lower 80s. The seasonably cool weather will continue through much of the week. Chances for thunderstorms will return late in the week and next weekend as another cold front arrives.

Posted in News, Weather |

Hazardous Weather Outlook for SW IA 7/22/13

Weather

July 22nd, 2013 by Ric Hanson

MONONA-HARRISON-SHELBY-POTTAWATTAMIE-MILLS-MONTGOMERY-FREMONT AND PAGE COUNTIES…

TODAY AND TONIGHT: SEVERE STORMS WILL BE POSSIBLE THIS AFTERNOON AND EARLY EVENING AS A COLD FRONT MOVES INTO THE REGION. THE BEST CHANCE FOR STORMS WILL BE ALONG AND SOUTH OF A LINE FROM SEWARD NEBRASKA TO FREMONT, NE., TO ONAWA IOWA WITH LARGE HAIL…DAMAGING WINDS… LOCALLY HEAVY RAIN…AND LIGHTNING THE MAIN HAZARDS.

TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY: THERE IS A SLIGHT CHANCE FOR THUNDERSTORMS TUESDAY THROUGH TUESDAY NIGHT…THEN AGAIN THURSDAY THROUGH SATURDAY.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT…SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE NEEDED IN SOME AREAS THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING.

Posted in Weather |

Hazardous Weather Outlook: Western/Central Iowa 7/22/13

Weather

July 22nd, 2013 by Ric Hanson

AREA COUNTIES: CRAWFORD-CARROLL-AUDUBON-GUTHRIE-DALLAS-CASS-ADAIR-MADISON-ADAMS-UNION-TAYLOR-RINGGOLD…
513 AM CDT MON JUL 22 2013
TODAY AND TONIGHT…SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED ACROSS IOWA TODAY THROUGH THIS EVENING. A FEW STORMS MAY BECOME SEVERE WITH GOLF BALL SIZED HAIL AND 60 MPH OR GREATER WINDS THE PRIMARY THREATS. AN ISOLATED TORNADO MAY OCCUR.
TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY…THUNDERSTORMS CHANCES RETURN THURSDAY AND THROUGH THE WEEKEND.

SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE REQUIRED TODAY AND THIS EVENING FROM 2 PM  TO 10 PM.

Posted in Weather |

(Podcast) Skyscan Forecast: Mon., July 22nd 2013

Podcasts, Weather

July 22nd, 2013 by Ric Hanson

The (podcast) Freese-Notis weather forecast for the KJAN listening area, and weather information for Atlantic….

Play

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (1.0MB)

Subscribe: RSS

Posted in Podcasts, Weather |

Asbestos can be a problem for remodeling projects

News

July 22nd, 2013 by Ric Hanson

Before you dig into that remodeling project, you should survey the material to be sure you’re not unleashing dangerous asbestos fibers. Brian Hutchins with the Iowa Department of Natural Resources says your home doesn’t have to be decades old to contain asbestos materials. “I guess the research would tell us that it’s more prevalent in older homes — like prior to 1990 — but it’s not to say that it can’t be in newer construction as well,” Hutchins says. “Asbestos products can still be imported into the U-S and there’s just a whole lot of different products that have used asbestos.”

Asbestos fibers can cause disease or cancer more than 20 years after the exposure. There are some key areas where you might find asbestos. “Piping insulation, that is an area where it is pretty common that it’s asbestos-containing material, especially in the old thermal insulation material. Flooring material, things like floor tile, linoleum and also the adhesive that is used to glue those materials down. Roofing material — it could be present in shingles and felt paper, and insulation as well,” Hutchins says.

He says you may not be able to tell if a material contains asbestos and should have it checked out. “The only way to know for sure is to actually have the material tested. It really should be sampled by a certified inspector, and then that gets sent into a lab where it is analyzed to determine its asbestos content,” according to Hutchins.

There are state regulations that apply to asbestos removal for commercial buildings, but they don’t apply to single family homes. Even so, Hutchins says you should really have a professional remove the asbestos, as doing it the wrong way increases your exposure. “As long as the material is not damaged and you’re not going to be disturbing it, there’s really no health concern at that point,” he says. “It’s really when you start disturbing that material and releasing those fibers into the air.”

Hutchins says the state certifies people who remove asbestos and you should look for someone with certification to do any removal work. July is Asbestos Awareness Month.

(Radio Iowa)

Posted in News |

MILDRED L. WHANNELL, 93, of Harlan (Svcs. 7/24/13)

Obituaries

July 22nd, 2013 by Ric Hanson

MILDRED L. WHANNELL, 93, of Harlan, died Sun., July 21st. Funeral services for MILDRED WHANNELL will be held 11-a.m. Wed., July 24th, at the Burmeister-Johannsen Funeral Home in Harlan.

Friends may call at the funeral home on Tuesday, from 1-to 9-pm, with the family present to greet friends from 5-to 7-pm.

Burial will be in the Harlan Cemetery.

MILDRED WHANNELL is survived by:

Her son – Rex (Mary Kae) Whannell, of Harlan.

Her daughter – Rhonda (John) Mock, of Harlan.

Her sisters – Bessie Langer, of Council Bluffs; Lois Mortensen, of Harlan; Alta Hamilton, of San Anotonio, TX; Vera (Wayne) Raasch, of Harlan; Edna Barton, of Colorado Springs, CO; and Retha Buck, of New York, NY.

Her brother – Robert (Aletha) Buck, of Shelby.

3 grandchildren, 2 great-grandchildren, other relatives, and friends.

Posted in Obituaries |

Sunday night arrest in Red Oak

News

July 22nd, 2013 by Ric Hanson

Authorities in  Montgomery County report the arrest at around 10:04-p.m. Sunday, of 37-year old John Wayne Goodall, of Red Oak. Goodall’s 1995 Chevy S-10 pickup  was pulled over near the intersection of Broadway and West Reed Streets, and he was arrested for Driving Under Suspension. He was subsequently cited for the offense, and released.

Posted in News |

NWS forecast for Cass & surrounding counties: 7/22/13

Weather

July 22nd, 2013 by Ric Hanson

344 AM CDT MON JUL 22 2013

EARLY THIS MORNING…MOSTLY CLEAR. SOUTH WIND NEAR 10 MPH.

TODAY…PARTLY SUNNY. A 40 PERCENT CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS IN THE AFTERNOON. HIGH IN THE LOWER 90S. SOUTHWEST WIND NEAR 10 MPH.

TONIGHT…PARTLY CLOUDY. A 50 PERCENT CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS THROUGH MIDNIGHT. LOW IN THE MID 60S. NORTH WIND NEAR 5 MPH.

TUESDAY...PARTLY SUNNY. NOT AS WARM. HIGH IN THE LOWER 80S. NORTHEAST WIND 5 TO 15 MPH.

TUESDAY NIGHT...PARTLY CLOUDY. A 20 PERCENT CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS THROUGH MIDNIGHT. LOW AROUND 60. EAST WIND NEAR 10 MPH.

WEDNESDAY…MOSTLY SUNNY. HIGH IN THE LOWER 80S. SOUTHEAST WIND NEAR 5 MPH.

WEDNESDAY NIGHT AND THURSDAY...PARTLY CLOUDY. LOW IN THE MID 60S. HIGH IN THE LOWER 80S.

THURSDAY NIGHT…PARTLY CLOUDY WITH A 30 PERCENT CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS. LOW IN THE MID 60S.

Posted in Weather |

Researchers tackling disease that’s harming pork production

Ag/Outdoor

July 22nd, 2013 by Ric Hanson

U.S. Department of Agriculture researchers are working to solve a swine disease that has a major negative effect on the pork industry. USDA scientist Dr. Joan Lunney says Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome, or PRRS, costs U.S. pork producers money and pigs every year. “Overall, in the United States, PRRS costs us 642-million (dollars) a year and if you take into account veterinary costs, it’s one billion a year in the U.S. alone,” Lunney says. For young pigs, being sick means respiratory problems and loss of growth, so it’s a major issue in terms of production.

“In the adult sow, if she gets PRRS when she’s pregnant, she can lose her litter, and/or her litter becomes sick and some pigs die in utero or are very unthrifty when they’re born,” Lunney says. To alleviate this situation, Lunney and her colleagues in Beltsville, Maryland — just outside of Washington D.C. — have discovered a genetic marker that shows which pigs are resistant to the effects of PRRS.

“We’ve been able to show that there is a region on swine chromosome four that is associated with decreased viral levels and increased growth,” Lunney says. “So, this is really important because it means that we can help farmers now to decrease the effect of PRRS in their herds.” With this knowledge, producers and animal breeders could introduce PRRS tolerant swine into their herds thereby reducing the effects of the virus.

“They would be buying pigs that are resistant, but not completely resistant to PRRS,” Lunney says. “This is not a situation where we have zero PRRS. It is a 15-percent decrease in PRRS and an 11-percent increase in growth traits.” The researchers are now trying to find the exact gene that leads to PRRS tolerance in hopes of developing a vaccine and treatment. Iowa is the nation’s top pork producing state, with approximately 30 million hogs raised in Iowa each year.

(Radio Iowa)

Posted in Ag/Outdoor |