Today: Patchy fog before 7am. Otherwise, mostly sunny, with a high near 89. Breezy, with a south wind 11 to 18 mph, with gusts as high as 26 mph.
Tonight: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms after 3am. Partly cloudy, with a low around 70. South wind 13 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 23 mph.

Thursday: Showers and thunderstorms likely, mainly after 1pm. Increasing clouds, with a high near 81. Severe storms are possible late in the afternoon and evening. South southwest wind 10 to 15 mph becoming west northwest in the afternoon. Winds could gust as high as 23 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%. New rainfall amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible.
Thursday Night: A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly before 1am. Cloudy, then gradually becoming partly cloudy, with a low around 53. North northwest wind 7 to 9 mph. New rainfall amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.

Friday: Sunny, with a high near 72. Breezy, with a north northwest wind 9 to 16 mph, with gusts as high as 23 mph.
Friday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 44.

Saturday: Sunny, with a high near 75.
Saturday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 51.

Sunday: Sunny, with a high near 77.

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

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343 AM CDT TUE SEP 17 2013

EARLY THIS MORNING...PERIODS OF SHOWERS AND ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS. EAST WIND 5 TO 10 MPH. CHANCE OF PRECIPITATION NEAR 100 PERCENT.

TODAY…CLOUDY. SCATTERED SHOWERS AND ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS THROUGH MID MORNING…THEN ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS IN THE LATE MORNING AND AFTERNOON. HIGH AROUND 70. SOUTHEAST WIND 5 TO 15 MPH. CHANCE OF PRECIPITATION 50 PERCENT.

TONIGHT...MOSTLY CLOUDY WITH A 50 PERCENT CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS. LOW IN THE MID 60S. SOUTH WIND 10 TO 15 MPH.

WEDNESDAY…PARTLY SUNNY. BREEZY…WARMER. HIGH IN THE UPPER 80S. SOUTH WIND 10 TO 20 MPH WITH GUSTS TO AROUND 30 MPH.

WEDNESDAY NIGHT…PARTLY CLOUDY WITH A 50 PERCENT CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS. LOW IN THE MID 60S. SOUTH WIND 10 TO 15 MPH.

THURSDAY…PARTLY SUNNY WITH A 50 PERCENT CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS. HIGH IN THE LOWER 80S. SOUTHWEST WIND 10 TO 15 MPH SHIFTING TO THE WEST IN THE AFTERNOON. GUSTS UP TO 25 MPH.

THURSDAY NIGHT…PARTLY CLOUDY WITH A 30 PERCENT CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS. COOLER. LOW IN THE MID 50S.

FRIDAY THROUGH SUNDAY…MOSTLY CLEAR. HIGH 74 TO 79. LOW IN THE LOWER 50S.

The National Weather Service in Johnston is hosting an open house for the public this Saturday (Sept. 21st). The event will be held at the NWS office (9607 Beaver Ave.), from 10-a.m. until 3-p.m.  Parking is available at the Acorn Valley Campground, just north of the office. The theme of the event is “Weather Enterprise.” The event is free, but a food drive is being held at the same time to benefit the local food pantries of Central Iowa. You’re welcome to bring a non-perishable food item to donate.

Among the local partner booths available during the open house, are those associated with: The U-S Geological Survey (USGS); U-S Army Corps of Engineers; Iowa Homeland Security & Emergency Management; Polk County Emergency Mgmt.; Iowa Environmental Mesonet; Mid-Iowa Skywarn; Safeguard Iowa; Central Iowa television stations KCCI, WOI and WHO; and the local chapters of the National Weather Association and American Meteorological Society.

Officials say you will not be allowed to bring bags, backpacks, or purses into the building for security reasons. Cameras are allowed, however. For more information: http://www.crh.noaa.gov/images/dmx/dmxsocialmedia/OpenHouse2013.pdf

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

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TODAY…PARTLY SUNNY. HIGH IN THE LOWER 70S. EAST WIND 5 TO 15 MPH.

TONIGHT…PARTLY CLOUDY IN THE EVENING…THEN MOSTLY CLOUDY WITH A CHANCE OF SHOWERS AND ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS OVERNIGHT. LOW IN THE MID 50S. SOUTHEAST WIND 5 TO 10 MPH. CHANCE OF PRECIPITATION 50 PERCENT.

TUESDAY…CLOUDY. THUNDERSTORMS LIKELY UNTIL LATE AFTERNOON…THEN A CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS LATE IN THE AFTERNOON. HIGH IN THE MID 70S. SOUTHEAST WIND 10 TO 15 MPH. CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS 60 PERCENT.

TUESDAY NIGHT…MOSTLY CLOUDY WITH A 40 PERCENT CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS. LOW IN THE LOWER 60S. SOUTH WIND AROUND 10 MPH.

WEDNESDAY…PARTLY SUNNY. A 20 PERCENT CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS IN THE MORNING. WARMER. HIGH IN THE UPPER 80S. SOUTH WIND 10 TO 15 MPH.

WEDNESDAY NIGHT…PARTLY CLOUDY WITH A 40 PERCENT CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS. LOW IN THE MID 60S.

THURSDAY…PARTLY SUNNY WITH A 50 PERCENT CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS. HIGH IN THE LOWER 80S.

Today: Showers likely and possibly a thunderstorm before noon, then isolated showers between noon and 1pm. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 73. South southwest wind 8 to 14 mph becoming north northeast in the afternoon. Winds could gust as high as 18 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%. New rainfall amounts of less than a tenth of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.
Tonight: Partly cloudy, with a low around 50. Northeast wind 7 to 13 mph.

Monday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 72. East northeast wind 7 to 14 mph, with gusts as high as 18 mph.
Monday Night: A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms after 1am. Increasing clouds, with a low around 54. East southeast wind 7 to 11 mph. New rainfall amounts of less than a tenth of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.

Tuesday: A 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Cloudy, with a high near 76. Southeast wind 9 to 13 mph. New rainfall amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.
Tuesday Night: A 50 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 64. New rainfall amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible.

Wednesday: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly sunny, with a high near 84.
Wednesday Night: A 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly cloudy, with a low around 66.

Thursday: A 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly sunny, with a high near 81.

343 AM CDT SAT SEP 14 2013

Today: Mostly sunny, with a high near 75. South wind 5 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 23 mph.
Tonight: Showers and thunderstorms likely, mainly after 2am. Cloudy, with a low around 60. South wind around 14 mph, with gusts as high as 18 mph. Chance of precipitation is 70%. New rainfall amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.

Sunday: Showers and thunderstorms likely before 4pm, then a slight chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 71. Breezy, with a southwest wind 8 to 17 mph becoming north northeast in the afternoon. Winds could gust as high as 25 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%. New rainfall amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.
Sunday Night: A 10 percent chance of showers before 7pm. Partly cloudy, with a low around 51. East northeast wind 7 to 14 mph, with gusts as high as 18 mph.

Monday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 70. East northeast wind 7 to 13 mph.
Monday Night: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms after 1am. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 56.
Tuesday: A 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 77.

WATERLOO, Iowa (AP) – Barring a surprise storm this fall, 2013 will be a record low year for tornadoes in Iowa, with the fewest storms since comprehensive tracking began 33 years ago.  The Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier reports 15 tornadoes tore through Iowa this year. The National Weather Service says that’s one less than the previous low of 16 set in 2012.

The weather service says Iowa’s tornado season also was the shortest on record, stretching over 38 days from a May 19 storm near Adel to a June 26 twister near Vincent.  Since comprehensive tracking began in 1980, a report by meteorologist Craig Cogil says Iowa has averaged 47 tornadoes a year.

Tornadoes in the fall are unlikely but possible. Since 1980, there have been 92 tornadoes in September, October, November and December.

Drought conditions are worsening across Iowa with 98-percent of the state now in some form of drought and 42-percent in severe drought. Joel De Jong, an agronomist with the Iowa State University Extension, says crop conditions are actually in good shape in northwest Iowa, as the region’s gotten some moisture. De Jong says given the late planting this spring, some plants are being forced to mature faster.

“That doesn’t give us as much time to fill those kernels and fill those bean pods,” he says. “Yet, I still think we’re tolerating the drought reasonably well. We had some rainfall in August and it’s helping us out.” De Jong says further east, crop conditions drop off dramatically. He says to the south, in the Denison and Carroll areas where corn silage harvest has begun, some of that is being combined. He says one more good rain would help carry northwest Iowa crops through.

“We are still filling bean pods in a lot of fields and we’re filling kernels in a lot of fields,” he says. “A little more moisture helps get us a little more dry matter and moderating these temperatures is going to do some of the same thing.” While highs last week were in the hundreds in parts of Iowa, highs now are back in the 60s and 70s.

Few problems are reported with plant diseases, although there have been signs of sudden death syndrome and white mold as well as soybean cyst nematode. He says there have also been some spots of Goss’s Wilt along the Iowa-Minnesota border.

(Radio Iowa)