Issued 6-p.m. NWS/Des Moines: SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH 15 IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 100 AM CDT Thursday, April 2nd FOR THE FOLLOWING LOCATIONS…

Counties in mauve are included in the Severe Thunderstorm Watch until 1-am Thu.

IOWA COUNTIES INCLUDED ARE AUDUBON BUENA VISTA CALHOUN CARROLL CHEROKEE CLAY CRAWFORD HARRISON IDA MONONA O`BRIEN PALO ALTO PLYMOUTH POCAHONTAS POTTAWATTAMIE SAC SHELBY SIOUX WOODBURY.

* PRIMARY THREATS INCLUDE…

ISOLATED DAMAGING WIND GUSTS TO 70 MPH POSSIBLE

ISOLATED LARGE HAIL EVENTS TO 1.5 INCHES IN DIAMETER POSSIBLE. THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH AREA IS APPROXIMATELY ALONG AND 65 STATUTE MILES EAST AND WEST OF A LINE FROM 40 MILES EAST SOUTHEAST OF HILL CITY KANSAS TO 10 MILES NORTHEAST OF SPENCER IOWA.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS…

REMEMBER…A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH MEANS CONDITIONS ARE FAVORABLE FOR SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS IN AND CLOSE TO THE WATCH AREA. PERSONS IN THESE AREAS SHOULD BE ON THE LOOKOUT FOR THREATENING WEATHER CONDITIONS AND LISTEN FOR LATER STATEMENTS AND POSSIBLE WARNINGS. SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS CAN AND OCCASIONALLY DO PRODUCE TORNADOES.

AREA COUNTIES: MONONA-HARRISON-SHELBY-POTTAWATTAMIE-MILLS-MONTGOMERY; 1235 PM CDT WED APR 1 2015

…WIND ADVISORY IN EFFECT UNTIL 6 PM CDT THIS EVENING…

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN OMAHA/VALLEY HAS ISSUED A WIND ADVISORY…WHICH IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 6 PM CDT THIS EVENING.

* TIMING…GUSTY SOUTH WINDS WILL PREVAIL THROUGH THE AFTERNOON.

* WINDS…SOUTH WINDS 25 TO 35 MPH WITH GUSTS NEAR 45 MPH.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS…

A WIND ADVISORY MEANS THAT SUSTAINED WIND SPEEDS BETWEEN 30 TO
39 MPH OR GUSTS BETWEEN 45 TO 57 MPH ARE EXPECTED. WINDS THIS
STRONG CAN MAKE DRIVING DIFFICULT…ESPECIALLY FOR HIGH PROFILE
VEHICLES. USE EXTRA CAUTION.

927 AM CDT WED APR 1 2015

…WIND ADVISORY NOW IN EFFECT FROM 11-AM UNTIL 6 PM CDT THIS EVENING for the following area Counties: SAC-CRAWFORD-CARROLL-GREENE-AUDUBON-GUTHRIE-CASS-and, a RED FLAG WARNING FOR EXTREME FIRE CONDITIONS IS NOW IN EFFECT FROM 11-A.M. UNTIL 7-P.M. for these area Counties: SAC-CRAWFORD-CARROLL-GREENE- AUDUBON-GUTHRIE-DALLAS-CASS-ADAIR-MADISON-ADAMS-UNION-TAYLOR-RINGGOLD. ANY FIRES WILL SPREAD VERY RAPIDLY AND BE VERY DIFFICULT TO CONTROL IN THESE DANGEROUS CONDITIONS. OUTDOOR BURNING IS HIGHLY DISCOURAGED AND SHOULD BE AVOIDED.

* TIMING…WINDS WILL INCREASE STEADILY THIS MORNING AND PERSIST
THROUGH THE AFTERNOON.

* WINDS…SOUTH INCREASING TO NEAR 30 MPH WITH GUSTS OVER 40 MPH
AT TIMES.

* IMPACTS…LOOSE OR UNSECURED OBJECTS WILL GET BLOWN AROUND AND
DRIVING MAY BECOME DIFFICULT AT TIMES. HIGH PROFILE OR LIGHT
WEIGHT VEHICLES WILL BE ESPECIALLY SUSCEPTIBLE TO STRONG
CROSSWINDS.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS…

A WIND ADVISORY MEANS THAT WINDS OF 35 MPH ARE EXPECTED. WINDS
THIS STRONG CAN MAKE DRIVING DIFFICULT…ESPECIALLY FOR HIGH
PROFILE VEHICLES. USE EXTRA CAUTION.

The Freese-Notis forecast for the KJAN listening area and weather info. for Atlantic.

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TODAY AND TONIGHT…

A RED FLAG WARNING AND WIND ADVISORY IS IN EFFECT. THUNDERSTORMS WILL MOVE INTO THE AREA AROUND SUNSET. SOME MAY BE SEVERE WITH LARGE HAIL AND HIGH WINDS THE PRIMARY THREAT. FOR NOW…IT APPEARS THAT ANY SEVERE STORM DEVELOPMENT WILL PROBABLY BE ISOLATED IN NATURE AND GENERALLY FOUND ALONG AND SOUTH OF INTERSTATE 80.

THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY...

PERIODS OF THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE FROM LATE SATURDAY NIGHT INTO TUESDAY. THE CHANCE FOR SEVERE STORMS IS LOW.

The just completed month of March was one of the driest in the state’s history. State Climatologist Harry Hillaker says the statewide average precipitation for the month amounted to just under six-tenths of an inch. “This ranked as the seventh driest March in 143 years of records,” Hillaker says. “You have to go back 21 years to 1994 for the last time we had a drier month of March in the state.”

The statewide average temperature for the month was 37.5 degrees, which is slightly warmer than normal. In Atlantic, we received just 32-one hundredths of an inch of rain last month (nearly 1/3 of an inch). The statewide average temperature for the month was 37.5 degrees, which is slightly warmer than normal. The average High here in Atlantic was 56.5 degrees. The average Low was 24.6 degrees.

The month of March featured some interesting temperature extremes. We had temperatures down to minus-17 degrees on March 5 in Stanley in northeast Iowa and up to 90-degrees just 11 days later in Sioux City,” Hillaker says. “That was the earliest we’ve hit 90-degrees in the state…it came on March 16.”

The dry spell will be interrupted across much of the state on this first day of April as showers and severe storms are in the forecast. We’ve actually had 10 consecutive wetter-than-normal Aprils, so we’re certainly getting off to a quick start this April as well,” Hillaker says. The months of January, February and March enter the Iowa record books as 12th driest first three months to the start of a year. “About half of what we’ve had this year came in one storm — the big snowstorm we had January 31 into February 1,” Hillaker says. “Otherwise, it’s been quite dry so far.”

(Radio Iowa)

AREA COUNTIES: CASS-ADAIR-ADAMS-AUDUBON-CARROLL-CRAWFORD-DALLAS-GREENE-GUTHRIE-MADISON-RINGGOLD-TAYLOR & UNION...

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN DES MOINES HAS ISSUED A RED FLAG
WARNING FOR EXTREME FIRE CONDITIONS…WHICH IS IN EFFECT TODAY FROM 1 PM TO 7 PM.

* TIMING…THE WIND WILL STEADILY INCREASE THROUGH THE MORNING BECOMING STRONG AND GUSTY THIS AFTERNOON. THE MOST DANGEROUS
CONDITIONS WILL EXIST BETWEEN 2 PM AND 5 PM.

* WIND…SOUTH INCREASING TO 25 TO 35 MPH WITH GUSTS AROUND 40 MPH AT TIMES.

* RELATIVE HUMIDITY…WILL DROP TO BETWEEN 30 AND 35 PERCENT AND
COULD POTENTIALLY DROP LOWER.

* FUEL…GRASSES REMAIN NEARLY 100 PERCENT CURED AND SURFACE FUELS ARE HIGHLY COMBUSTIBLE.

* IMPACTS…ANY FIRES WILL SPREAD VERY RAPIDLY AND BE VERY DIFFICULT TO CONTROL IN THESE DANGEROUS CONDITIONS. OUTDOOR BURNING IS HIGHLY DISCOURAGED AND SHOULD BE AVOIDED.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS…

A RED FLAG WARNING MEANS THAT CRITICAL FIRE WEATHER CONDITIONS
ARE EITHER OCCURRING NOW…OR WILL SHORTLY. A COMBINATION OF
STRONG WINDS…LOW RELATIVE HUMIDITY…AND WARM TEMPERATURES WILL
CREATE EXPLOSIVE FIRE GROWTH POTENTIAL.

330 AM CDT WED APR 1 2015

RED FLAG WARNING IN EFFECT FROM 1-PM TO 7-PM for Cass & area Counties; WIND ADVISORY IN EFFECT FROM 1 PM to 6 PM FOR CASS & AREA COUNTIES;

EARLY THIS MORNING…MOSTLY CLEAR. SOUTH WIND 5 TO 10 MPH.

TODAY…SUNNY UNTIL LATE AFTERNOON THEN BECOMING PARTLY SUNNY. WINDY. HIGH IN THE LOWER 80S. SOUTH WIND 10 TO 20 MPH WITH GUSTS TO AROUND 30 MPH INCREASING TO 20 TO 30 MPH WITH GUSTS TO AROUND 45 MPH IN THE AFTERNOON.

TONIGHT…BREEZY. A CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS IN THE  EVENING, THEN WIDESPREAD THUNDERSTORMS BEFORE MIDNIGHT AND EARLY MORNING. SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS EARLY IN THE MORNING. SOME THUNDERSTORMS MAY BE SEVERE BEFORE MIDNIGHT AND EARLY MORNING. LOW AROUND 50. SOUTH WIND 15 TO 25 MPH WITH GUSTS TO AROUND 40 MPH BECOMING NORTHWEST 5 TO 15 MPH AFTER MIDNIGHT. CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS NEAR 100 PERCENT.

THURSDAY…PARTLY SUNNY. SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS THROUGH MID MORNING…THEN A SLIGHT CHANCE OF SHOWERS AND ISOLATED  THUNDERSTORMS BEFORE NOON. COOLER. HIGH IN THE MID 60S. NORTH WIND 10 TO 15 MPH. CHANCE OF PRECIPITATION 40 PERCENT.

FRIDAY…MOSTLY CLOUDY IN THE MORNING THEN CLEARING. BREEZY & COOLER. HIGH IN THE LOWER 50S. NORTH WIND 15 TO 20 MPH.

SATURDAY…SUNNY…WARMER. HIGH IN THE MID 60S.

AREA COUNTIES: CASS-AUDUBON-GUTHRIE-CARROLL-CRAWFORD-GREENE & SAC; 333 AM CDT WED APR 1 2015

WIND ADVISORY IN EFFECT TODAY FROM 1 PM TO 6 PM CDT

* TIMING…THE WIND WILL INCREASE THROUGH LATE MORNING AND BECOME STRONG AND GUSTY THIS AFTERNOON.

* WINDS…THE WIND WILL BE OUT OF THE SOUTH TODAY WITH SUSTAINED WIND SPEEDS OF 15 TO 30 MPH BY LATE MORNING THEN INCREASE TO 25 TO 35 MPH DURING THE AFTERNOON HOURS. WIND GUSTS BETWEEN 40 AND 45 MPH ARE EXPECTED.

* IMPACTS…LOOSE OR UNSECURED OBJECTS WILL GET BLOWN AROUND  THIS AFTERNOON AND DRIVING…ESPECIALLY ACROSS EAST/WEST  ROADWAYS MAY BECOME DIFFICULT AT TIMES. HIGH PROFILE OR LIGHT WEIGHT VEHICLES WILL BE ESPECIALLY SUSCEPTIBLE TO STRONG WIND GUSTS.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS…

A WIND ADVISORY MEANS THAT WINDS OF 35 MPH ARE EXPECTED. WINDS THIS STRONG CAN MAKE DRIVING DIFFICULT…ESPECIALLY FOR HIGH PROFILE VEHICLES. USE EXTRA CAUTION.

Forecasters say Iowans may see some severe weather tomorrow (Wednesday) afternoon and evening when a cold front arrives and slams into the unseasonably warm air we’re now enjoying. Meteorologist Rod Donavon, at the National Weather Service office in Johnston, says rain showers are being predicted, and that’s not all.

Donavon says, “It’s likely we’re going to have some pretty strong storms, certainly some large hail, up to quarter-size and gusty winds up to 60 or 65 miles per hour, will be the primary severe weather threats with this.” High temperatures during the afternoon tomorrow may climb into the upper 70s and lower 80s. Donavon says tornadoes are also a possibility late tomorrow when the cold front rolls in.

“We do have some low-level what we call turning of the winds,” Donavon says. “Certainly, that could cause maybe some brief spinups but that will be a secondary threat.” By Thursday, calmer weather should be in store, lasting into the weekend, with high temperatures back down in the 50s and 60s statewide.

(Radio Iowa)