Today: Cloudy to partly cloudy, w/scattered showers & thunderstorms possible, mainly this morning. High near 90. S winds becoming N/NW @ 10-15.
Tonight: Fair to P/Cldy. Low 62. Winds light & variable.
Tomorrow: P/Cldy. High 90. E @ 10.
Friday: P/Cldy. High 94.
Saturday: P/Cldy. High near 98.

Tuesday’s High in Atlantic was 95. The Low was 75. Last year on this date the High in Atlantic was 80 and the Low was 52. The Record High on this date was 107 in 1930. The Record Low was 42 in 1907.

(Radio Iowa) Much of Iowa’s expected to roast in this week’s heat wave — which may end up lasting much longer — and it follows a very steamy July. State climatologist Justin Glisan says the just-ended month was one-degree warmer than normal statewide and we had one-inch less of rainfall than the average. Glisan says Iowa’s farmers are especially concerned about forecast models that show more of the same during August. “We’re getting into the teeth of the growing season but also the warmest part of the year for Iowa late July and August,” Glisan says, “and we’re definitely going to turn on the furnace this week.” The Climate Prediction Center is releasing its maps for expected temperatures and precipitation during August — and both show the hot, dry trend will continue for Iowa during the month ahead.

“It doesn’t bode well for the drought conditions that we’re seeing, especially in northwestern Iowa where we have D1 to D3 drought, the extreme drought category,” Glisan says. “We would like to see timely rainfall to hold the crop on, but right now, the probabilities, they’re not working in our direction.” If there’s a bright spot to the past month, Glisan notes there was no severe weather anywhere in Iowa during July.

“We don’t have severe weather, we don’t have thunderstorms, we don’t get rainfall and hence, drought conditions expand,” Glisan says. “We saw similar behavior last year at this time. Drought was more pervasive last year, D1 to D2 across much of the northern two thirds of the state.” While we’re in the third year of a La Nina pattern, Glisan says it’s still too early to say if the warmer, drier weather will last into the fall months.

Jim Field visits with Freese-Notis Meteorologist Dan Hicks about our recent run of hot, dry weather.

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Today: A slight chance for isolated showers this morning; Mostly sunny. High 98. Heat Index around 105. Winds S/SW @ 15-25. * Heat Advisory in effect from 1-until 8-p.m.*

Tonight: P/Cldy. Low 76. S @ 10-15 mph.

Tomorrow: P/Cldy to cloudy w/scattered showers & thunderstorms. High 90. S-N @10.

Thursday: P/Cldy. High 90.

Friday: P/Cldy. High around 95.

Monday’s High in Atlantic was 94. The Low was 63. Last year on this date the High in Atlantic was 80 and the Low was 52. The Record High on this date was 103 in 1930. The Record Low was 42 in 1907.

(Radio Iowa) – Students at Iowa State University will have the opportunity to study climate science in the upcoming school year. The university’s new major aims to prepare its students to bring about solutions to climate change. Owen Halverson, an I-S-U junior who plans to study climate science, says he sees the degree as a means to address increased severe weather patterns.

“This is one of the biggest, if not the biggest problem facing the world right now,” Halverson says. “This is the way I see that I can be helpful to everyone else in the future.” Kristie Franz, the I-S-U chair of Geological and Atmospheric Sciences, says it can prepare them for careers in everything from sustainable design planning to advising private industries, like insurance. But, she adds, all pathways will give students the knowledge to strategize against climate change.

“The current generation is recognizing that legitimacy of the science and observing it as well, along with the rest of us and really want to do something about it, because it’s their future,” Franz says, “so they want to be a part of the solution.” The degree will allow students to choose from six areas of focus — ranging from climate policy to agriculture. Program directors hope the area of study can help launch students into growing climate jobs in both private and public sectors.

Franz says the coursework will consist of many classes within the university’s earth science department and it will also integrate economic and communications courses.

(reporting by Kendall Crawford, Iowa Public Radio)

The National Weather Service-Des Moines has announced that hot and humid conditions will present safety hazards this week. Heat indices will likely be over 100 degrees over the next 7-14 days. Cass County Emergency Management Coordinator Mike Kennon, says with excessive heat expected to persist, facilities in Cass County have opened their doors to people who need a break from the extreme heat. In Atlantic, the Nishna Valley YMCA at 1100 Maple Street is open from 4:30am to 8:30pm Monday thru Thursday and 4:30am to 6:30pm on Friday. Libraries throughout Cass County will also be available as cooling stations during their regular operating hours.

The NWS-DM recommends that you drink plenty of fluids, stay in an air-conditioned room, stay out of the sun, and check up on relatives and neighbors. Young children and pets should never be left unattended in vehicles under any circumstances.

Take extra precautions if you work or spend time outside. When possible reschedule strenuous activities to early morning or evening. Know the signs and symptoms of heat exhaustion and heat stroke. Wear lightweight and loose fitting clothing when possible. To reduce risk during outdoor work, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration recommends scheduling frequent rest breaks in shaded or air conditioned environments. Anyone overcome by heat should be moved to a cool and shaded location. Heat stroke is an emergency! Call 9 1 1.

(Atlantic, Iowa) –  The month of July, here in Atlantic, was pretty much on-par as far as the average high is concerned. The normal average high is 86. Last month our average high was 86.5-degrees. The average low is normally 63. The actual average in July 2022, was almost on target, at 62.7-degrees.

As you probably guess, we fell far short of the rainfall norm, which is typically 4.62-inches, in July. Last month, though, we only squeezed 1.26-inches out of the clouds, which is a deficit of three-inches.

Looking ahead to the rest of this month: The average High in August is 83 and the Average Low is 61. Rainfall typically amounts to 3.88-inches. Check back with us on Sept. 1^st to see how our weather fared in August.

Today: Partly cloudy. High 91. Winds N/NW @ 10 mph.

Tonight: P/Cldy w/isolated thundershowers. Low 70. Winds light & variable.

Tomorrow: Mostly Sunny & hot. High 98. * Heat Advisory in effect from1-until 8-p.m.* SW wind @15-25

Wednesday: P/Cldy w/scattered showers & tstrms. High 92.

Thursday: P/Cldy. High 90.

Sunday’s High in Atlantic was 86. Our Low was 64. Last year on this date (Aug. 1st), the High was 81 and the Low was 52. The Record High on this date, in Atlantic, was 102 in 1897. The Record Low was 42 in 1898.

Today: Cloudy through mid morning, then gradual clearing, with a high near 90. Light south wind becoming south southwest 9 to 14 mph in the morning. Winds could gust as high as 20 mph.
Tonight: A slight chance of showers and thunderstorms between 9pm and midnight. Mostly clear, with a low around 68. Southwest wind 8 to 13 mph becoming light and variable after midnight. Winds could gust as high as 21 mph. Chance of precipitation is 20%.
Monday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 92. North northwest wind 3 to 6 mph.
Monday Night: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly clear, with a low around 69. Light and variable wind becoming south southeast around 6 mph after midnight.
Tuesday: Sunny and hot, with a high near 100. South wind 6 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 22 mph.
Wednesday: A 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly before 1pm. Mostly sunny, with a high near 95.

Saturday’s High in Atlantic was 85. The Low was 53. Last year on this date the High in Atlantic was 81 and the Low was 57. The Record High on this date was 104 in 1955. The Record Low was 39 in 1971.

Today: Mostly Sunny. High  82. Wind South at 10 mph.
Tonight: Mostly clear, with a low around 64. South wind 5 to 10 mph.
Tomorrow: Mostly sunny, with a high near 88. S/SW @ 10-15.
Monday: Mostly sunny. High 93. W @ 10-15.
Tuesday: Sunny, hot & breezy. High near 102. Winds S @ 15-20.

Friday’s High in Atlantic was 83. Our Low was 51. Last year on this date, the High was 87 and the Low was 67. The Record High in Atlantic on this date was 102 in 1931 & 1947. The Record Low was 39, in 1971.