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Skyscan forecast for Atlantic & the area: Sat., Feb. 23, 2019

Weather

February 23rd, 2019 by Ric Hanson

Today: **Winter Weather Advisory until 9-a.m.**Cloudy w/light freezing rain/drizzle changing to snow this afternoon. High 37 through late this morning, w/the temp nearly steady to slowly falling during the afternoon. E/NE winds @ 10-20 mph. New ice accumulation of less than a 0.1 of an inch possible. New snow and sleet accumulation of 1 to 3 inches possible.

Tonight: **Blizzard Warning in effect from 6-p.m. through 6-p.m. Sunday** Cloudy w/snow/blowing snow. N @ 20-40+mph. Low 18. Wind chill values as low as zero. New snow accumulation of 3 to 7 inches possible.

Tomorrow: ***Blizzard warning continues until 6-p.m.** Morning flurries. Cloudy to P/Cldy. High 22. NW @ 20-40+ mph. Wind chill values as low as -5. *******Total Snowfall 4-to 8-inches expected.

Monday: P/Cldy to Cldy w/flurries. High 20.

Tuesday: P/Cldy to Cldy. High 27.

Yesterday’s High in Atlantic was 34. Our Low was 12. We received 1/10th of an inch of freezing drizzle/rain overnight (.02” liquid). Last year on this date our High was 32 and the Low was 20. The record High in Atlantic on this date was 65 in 2002. The Record Low was -22 in 1989.

Travel troubles likely all weekend with more snow, ice and blizzard conditions

News, Weather

February 22nd, 2019 by Ric Hanson

(Radio Iowa) — Forecasters say Iowa will get another one-two punch from winter weather this weekend, with the potential for rain, sleet, snow, ice, blizzard conditions and even flooding. Meteorologist Chad Hahn, with the National Weather Service in metro Des Moines, says the first round tonight (Friday) won’t entail much snow, if any, though a layer of ice is threatened. “Expect freezing drizzle to develop across much of the state of Iowa later on this evening and overnight,” Hahn says. “Even some light glazing is possible across portions of the state overnight and that will continue into the morning hours on Saturday.”

Temperatures are predicted to warm up into the upper 30s tomorrow, changing the snow to rain and raising the chances of ice dams, ice jams and flooding. “We’ll have a break as we get into the day on Saturday where we actually transition much of the state into rain but it’ll be pretty short-lived because the colder air will filter in later on Saturday afternoon and especially overnight on Saturday night,” Hahn says. “We’re expecting significant accumulating snows across the central part of Iowa.”

The heaviest snow is forecast to fall roughly from the Omaha area to Fort Dodge to Mason City. That region may see six to eight inches of snow. As the storm front moves through Iowa, there’s the potential for blizzard conditions on Sunday. “Winds are going to increase significantly behind the low pressure area with wind gusts out of the northwest at 40 to 50 miles an hour,” Hahn says. “In areas that do see that snowfall, they can expect significant blowing and drifting as we work into Saturday night and during the day on Sunday.”

A series of winter weather advisories, watches and warnings are being posted through Sunday for wide sections of the state. Visit weather-dot-gov for details. In the long-ranger forecast, Hahn says we may see more snow Monday and Tuesday in what’s already one of the snowiest Iowa February’s on record.

Winter storm “Phase 1” to begin this evening

News, Weather

February 22nd, 2019 by Ric Hanson

The National Weather Service says “Phase #1 of a very potent storm system will bring a round of freezing drizzle to central and northern Iowa this evening through Saturday morning.” Ice accumulation of up to one tenth of an inch is expected. A Winter Weather Advisory has been issued for the central section of Iowa. This will likely make for difficult travel this evening through Saturday Morning. Please be careful in traveling.

Here’s a reminder of the current Winter Weather Watches & Advisories…

Monona-Harrison-Shelby-Pottawattamie Counties……WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY IN EFFECT FROM 4 PM TODAY THROUGH NOON SATURDAY…...WINTER STORM WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM NOON SATURDAY AFTERNOON THROUGH 6-PM SUNDAY…Mixed precipitation.Blizzard conditions possible. Total snow accumulations of up to one inch and ice accumulations of around one tenth of an inch expected. Total snow accumulations of 3 to 6 inches and ice accumulations of a light glaze possible. Winds could gust as high as 45 mph.

Audubon-Guthrie-Dallas CountiesWINTER WEATHER ADVISORY IN EFFECT FROM 9 PM TODAY (FRIDAY) THROUGH 9-A.M. SATURDAY. .WINTER STORM WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM 6-P.M. SATURDAY THROUGH 6-P.M. SUNDAY. Mixed precipitation expected tonight through Sunday morning. Blizzard conditions possible Saturday evening into Sunday. Ice accumulations of up to one tenth of an inch
possible. Total snow accumulations of 3 to 5 inches possible. Winds could gust as high as 50 mph.

Cass-Adair-Madison-Adams-Union-Taylor-Ringgold Counties….WINTER STORM WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM 6-PM SATURDAY THROUGH 6-PM SUNDAY…Blizzard conditions possible. Total snow accumulations of 2 to 4 inches possible. Winds could gust as high as 45 mph. Plan on slippery road conditions. Areas of blowing snow could significantly reduce visibility.

Mills-Montgomery-Fremont-Page Counties……WINTER STORM WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM NOON SATURDAY UNTIL 6-P.M. SUNDAY. Blizzard conditions possible. Total snow accumulations of 2 to 8 inches and ice accumulations of a light glaze possible. Winds could gust as high as 35 to 55 mph. Near zero whiteout conditions.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS…

A Winter Storm Watch for blizzard conditions means there is a potential for falling and/or blowing snow with strong winds and extremely poor visibilities. This can lead to whiteout conditions and make travel very dangerous. A Winter Weather Advisory means that periods of snow, sleet or freezing rain will cause travel difficulties. Expect slippery roads and limited visibilities, and use caution while driving.

Skyscan Forecast for Atlantic & the area, 2/22/2019

Weather

February 22nd, 2019 by Ric Hanson

Today: Partly cloudy to cloudy. High 33. E @ 10-15.

Tonight: Cloudy w/light freezing rain/light snow. Low 29. E @ 5-10.

Tomorrow: Cloudy w/mixed precipitation (Light rain/freezing drizzle) in the morning, changing to snow late. High 37 by mid-morning, w/temps dropping during the day. E/NE @ 10-20.

Tomorrow night: **Winter Storm Watch from 6-p.m. Saturday thru 6-p.m. Sunday**Snow before midnight. The snow could be heavy at times. Patchy blowing snow. Low around 17. NW @ 15-30 w/gusts to 45 mph at times. Wind chill values as low as 5. New snow accumulation of 4 to 8 inches possible.

Sunday: Mostly cloudy w/flurries possible early & blowing snow. High 22.

Monday: Mo. Cldy w/a chance of snow in the morning. High 25.

Yesterday’s High in Atlantic was 37. Our Low was -6. Last year on this date our High was 32 and the Low was 22. The record High in Atlantic on this date was 71 in 2017. The Record Low was -14 in 1894.

ISU structural engineer says don’t worry about snow build up on roof

News, Weather

February 21st, 2019 by Ric Hanson

(Radio Iowa) — Snow is now piled everywhere across the state and that includes on the top of our homes. An Iowa State University Extension mechanical engineer says you shouldn’t have to worry now about that snow causing the roof to collapse. “There are things to watch for, to be concerned about, but overall we are not in too bad a shape yet,” according to Shawn Shouse. Shouse says you have to take into consideration the amount of water weight in the snow to determine if it might collapse the roof. You can find that out by taking a core sample of the snow and melting it.  “With the kind of snow density we’re having this winter — that’s going to be up to around three-and-a-half to four feet of snow depth to get to that kind of weight on a roof,” he says. “If this had been really wet heavy snow, we could be hitting close to capacity at two feet to get that capacity. But so far this winter, the snow has been relatively lightweight, not very dense.”

He says one thing to look for is an uneven distribution of the snow. “The roof works best when the load is uniform over the whole roof,” he explains. “If you’ve got a place where all the snow load is on one side of the roof and the other side is close to bare, that’s a little harder for the structure to handle, when you get uneven loading. So, there could be some situations where there could be some concern.” Icicles have formed along the rain gutters of many homes. Shouse says they’re nothing to worry about either. “If the ice gets to be really heavy hanging off the gutter — it might be okay to knock some of that loose if you can safely. But, probably that’s not a big concern,” Shouse says.

When it comes to ice, you do want to be aware of ice that starts to form at the edge of the roof and expands upwards. These are known as ice dams.  “The risk there is it can start to back water up behind that ridge of ice at the edge of the roof and that water can start to work its way underneath shingles and possibly leak into the inside of the roof structure,” Shouse says. “In really bad cases it might even drip onto the ceiling. Inside the house you might see stains of water dripping onto your ceiling.” Shouse says you are better off to wait and let mother nature melt the snow and ice off your roof than you are trying to fix it yourself.  “The risk of climbing up on the roof and falling is far greater than the risk of the roof collapsing under snow load,” Shouse says. “So, yes it is very hazardous to get up there and try to rake snow off from up above or work on an ice dame on an icy roof.”

He says there is one device that people use on snowy roofs. He says you could use a long-handled roof rake to stand on the ground and safely rake snow off. “But even so, I don’t know that I would advise doing a lot of that unless you had a really unusual situation where you had uneven loading or an extremely deep drift of snow up there,” Shouse says.  He says the best thing to do is talk to a professional who knows how to deal with these issues and avoid injuring yourself.

Mixed bag of precip. likely beginning Friday night

News, Weather

February 21st, 2019 by Ric Hanson

The National Weather Service, in it’s update this (Thursday) morning, said “An unsettled weekend ahead as yet another strong storm system impacts the region. A wintry mix will be possible Friday night and Saturday morning across all of central IA. On Saturday, temperatures warm enough for precipitation to transition to rain, with even some elevated flood potential especially across southern IA. Falling temperatures will turn rain to snow late Saturday with snow accumulations likely. Area of greatest snowfall potential bisects Iowa from northeast to southwest. Increasing northwest winds will gust to 40-50 mph Saturday night and Sunday producing the potential for considerable blowing and drifting snow.”

Officials say forecast uncertainty remains as far as the track and strength of this storm system. So those with travel plans this weekend will want to check back over the coming days as the forecast is refined.

Click on the graphic to enlarge

Skyscan forecast for Atlantic & the area, 2/21/2019

Weather

February 21st, 2019 by Ric Hanson

Today: Areas of fog this morning, otherwise Partly cloudy. High 31. Winds variable @ 5-10 mph.

Tonight: P/Cldy. Low 18.

Tomorrow: Mostly cloudy. High 34. SE @ 10.

Saturday: Cloudy w/a chance of rain-freezing rain and snow. High early around 37, w/temps falling during the day. NE @ 15-25 mph.

Sunday: Mo. Cloudy & windy, w/patchy blowing snow. High 22.

Yesterday’s High in Atlantic was 33. Our Low this morning (as of 6:25-a.m.) was -3. We received one-half inch of snow Wednesday morning, which amounted to .03″ liquid value. Last year on this date our High was 27 and the Low was 8. The record High in Atlantic on this date was 66 in 2017. The Record Low was -19 in 1894.

Local 24-Hour Snowfall Totals ending at 7:00 am on Wednesday, February 20

Ag/Outdoor, Weather

February 20th, 2019 by Jim Field

  • KJAN, Atlantic  4.5″
  • Massena  3″
  • Audubon  2″
  • Guthrie Center  5″
  • Manning  3.5″
  • Oakland  2″
  • Underwood  4.4″
  • Logan  3″
  • Denison  4.5″
  • Carroll  3.5″
  • Red Oak  3″
  • Clarinda  3.5″
  • Shenandoah  4″

Skyscan Forecast for Atlantic & the area, Wed., 2/20/19

Weather

February 20th, 2019 by Ric Hanson

Today: **Winter Storm Warning until 9-a.m.** Light snow or freezing drizzle this morning (less than 1″ new snow +  glaze of ice); Cloudy. High 30. SE-NW @ 10-20.

Tonight: P/Cldy to Cldy. Low 15. NW @ 5.

Tomorrow: P/Cldy. High 31. Variable breeze @ 5-10.

Friday: Mo. Cldy. High 34.

Saturday: Cldy with a mix of rain and snow. High 37.

Yesterday’s High in Atlantic was 28. Our Low was -12. We received 4.5” of snow overnight and some freezing drizzle here at the KJAN studios. The melted snow amounted to .28” liquid precipitation. Last year on this date our High was 22 and the Low was 7. The record High in Atlantic on this date was 65 in 1925. The Record Low was -19 in 1978.

Don’t shoot the messenger, but….more winter weather is on the way for this weekend

News, Weather

February 19th, 2019 by Ric Hanson

The winter storm for tonight hasn’t even started and yet the National Weather Service wants to bring your attention to the NEXT potent winter weather maker this coming weekend! Officials say a very potent system is slated to move through the region Saturday into Sunday with the potential for heavy snowfall (in northwest Iowa), a wintry mix (in central Iowa), and rain/wintry mix (in southeast Iowa) along, with strong winds (blowing snow). Keep your shovels and snow blowers handy and/or fueled-up for this weekend’s attack from Mother Nature.