A Wind Advisory is in effect for the area through this morning (Until 7-a.m.)

Scattered to widespread showers and storms move through the area today into tonight. Severe storms are possible, the greatest risk in southern Iowa and during the afternoon into evening hours. Severe weather threats include strong winds, hail, and a few tornadoes, but locally heavy rains are also possible and could result in urban ponding or flooding, especially if leaves begin to collect and block surface drainage.

Additional thunderstorm chances arrive this weekend. Any potential for severe weather for the weekend will be better assessed in the coming days.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT…

Spotters may be needed this afternoon into tonight.

Today: **A Wind Advisory remains in effect until 7-a.m.** Cloudy w/showers & thunderstorms, especially around mid-day. Some of the storms could produce heavy rainfall. Temperature falling to around 59 by 5pm.S/SW winds 15-30 mph becoming NE this afternoon. New rainfall amounts between 1 and 2 inches possible.
Tonight: Showers and thunderstorms ending after midnight. Low around 39. N/NE winds becoming NW @ 10-25 mph. New rainfall amounts between a half and three quarters of an inch possible.
Tomorrow: Cloudy to partly cloudy & breezy. High near 50. W/NW @ 15-30 mph.
Tom. Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 30.
Friday: Sunny, with a high near 58.
Fri.Night: Partly cloudy w/a slight chance showers after midnight. Low around 38.
Saturday: A 50% chance of showers. High near 60.

Tuesday’s High in Atlantic was 82. The Low was 68. Last year on this date, the High in Atlantic was 42 and the Low was 19. The Record High for Oct. 30th in Atlantic was 84 in 1950. The Record Low was 1 in 1925. Sunrise today: 7:49; Sunset: 6:16.

(Radio Iowa) – The number of active burn bans in Iowa has dropped down to 57 counties (as of 5:30-p.m. Monday). State Fire Marshal Dan Wood says five counties ended their bans thanks to recent storms. “We’ve experienced a little bit of rain, but, you know, we’ve got a lot, lot of rain to go to catch up, to get everything, you know, sufficiently moist, where it’s not going to catch on fire as easy.” he says. Bremer County reported a grass fire along Highway 218 near Janesville Monday morning that was believed to be caused by a discarded cigarette. Wood says the dry conditions make a fire possible almost anywhere in counties with bans. A grass fire was also reported Monday afternoon near mile marker 51 off westbound I-80 in Cass County. Marne and Atlantic Fire responded and quickly had the flames extinguished.

Counties w/an active burn ban are shown with a flame. Recently rescinded burn bans are shown in blue.

“With this being a rural state, and you know, our crops dry out at this time of year, every year, so that doesn’t help any either. And getting those out gives a lot of relief, but we still got to be mindful of there’s a lot of dry grass, a lot of dry crops and stubble out there. So everybody needs to be careful,” Wood says. He thinks most people have been avoiding open burning in the counties under a ban. “I think so. Haven’t heard too much of people, you know, going against the bans, a few here and there, but not much. I think people are pretty mindful once they get put on,” Wood says.

Johnson, Linn, Iowa, Hancock and Cass County recently lifted their burn bans after some rain.

Today: Increasing clouds. A high near 80. South/SW winds 25-45 mph.
Tonight: Mostly cloudy w/a slight chance of showers & thunderstorms after midnight. Low 65. S wind @ 20-45 mph.
Tomorrow: A slight chance of showers & thunderstorms. Some of the storms could produce heavy rainfall. The temperature will be falling throughout the day to around 57-degrees by 5pm. S/SW winds 20-40 mph. New rainfall amounts between 1 and 2 inches possible.
Tom. Night: Showers and possibly a thunderstorm. Low around 37. W/NW winds 15-25 mph. New rainfall amounts between 1/2-to 3/4 of an inch possible.
Thursday: Sunny & breezy. High near 50.
Thursday Night: Clear, with a low around 29.
Friday: Sunny, with a high near 57.

Monday’s High in Atlantic was 76. The Low was 58. Last year on this date, the High in Atlantic was 39 and the Low was 21. The Record High for Oct. 29th in Atlantic was 91 in 1927. The Record Low was 8 in 1895. Sunrise today: 7:48; Sunset: 6:19.

(Radio Iowa) – Most kids hate to go trick-or-treating while having to wear a winter coat that covers up their spooky costume, but that might be necessary in parts of Iowa this week.

Meteorologist Brooke Hagenhoff, at the National Weather Service, says the forecast for Halloween night calls for lows in the 30s in central and southern Iowa, and the upper 20s in northern Iowa.

“The good news is, those coldest temperatures won’t occur until very, very late, in most cases, after midnight on Thursday night,” Hagenhoff says, “but for prime trick-or-treating, kind of in that 6 to 8 PM time range, we’re looking at temperatures, just after sunset, should be dropping into the mid to low 40s.”

National Weather Service photo

Some areas of northern Iowa may be in the upper 30s during trick-or-treat time, meaning kids will need to wear warmer costumes or layer well under their outfits. Des Moines and a few other Iowa communities will hold trick-or-treating on Wednesday night, and while it’ll be cold, rain is also possible.

“There is a chance for some severe storms as well with these storms as they move through, so not just rain, but also lightning,” Hagenhoff says. “We want to make sure people are not just worried about getting wet, but also staying safe. Lightning can certainly be dangerous as we try to walk around getting that candy, so keep a close eye on the forecast for that.”

In many areas of the state, it’s been a glorious fall, with the leaves changing to stunning golds, yellows, oranges and reds. If you’re a leaf watcher, you might need to snap a few pictures right away, as those colorful leaves may soon be gone with the wind.

“We’re looking at today, wind gusts over 35 miles per hour possible, and then Tuesday, our warmest day is also our breeziest day, and we’re looking at wind gusts that could top 45 miles per hour in most places across the state,” Hagenhoff says, “so we’re going to be blowing a lot of leaves out of the trees.”

High temps today and tomorrow are forecast in the 70s and 80s, but a cold front is forecast to arrive with the rain on Wednesday, knocking highs by Thursday into the 40s and 50s.

(Radio Iowa) – An expert at Iowa State University’s Insect Zoo says there may actually be some science behind the folklore about how the thickness of a Woollybear caterpillar’s stripes can help predict the severity of the winter ahead. Ginny Mitchell, the insect zoo’s education program coordinator, says a fellow entomologist in New York studied the fuzzy creatures in the 1940s. “He sampled all of the woolly caterpillars in the area for nine years, and during that time, there was actually some correlation between the markings on the woolly caterpillar and the winter,” Mitchell says, “but that study had a very small sample size, so people do not consider it scientifically factual.”

The black-and-brown caterpillars are prevalent in Iowa right now as they’re looking for safe places to spend the winter. As the story goes, Mitchell says the thickness of the caterpillar’s center stripe is key in weather forecasting. “The rusty, kind of orange color, if that band is really big, that means we’re going to have a mild winter,” Mitchell says. “If the black parts of the woolly caterpillar are very large, it’s going to be a more severe winter. If there is more hair on the woolly caterpillar, then that means that it’s going to be a more severe winter.”

There are also theories that if the caterpillar is crawling south when you find it, it’s trying to flee the looming northern cold, and the reverse, if it’s heading north, a mild winter is ahead. At least two communities — Vermilion, Ohio and Banner Elk, North Carolina — have fall festivals devoted to the alleged prognosticating abilities of the woolly bear caterpillar. One remarkable fact, Mitchell says these fuzzy critters hibernate during the wintertime and their bodies contain a sort of natural antifreeze. “Say you’re out raking leaves or moving some brush and you find one, it will kind of look like it’s dead. It’ll be curled up like a ‘C’ and it won’t be moving very much,” Mitchell says, “but if you take it inside and you warm it up, then it’ll start to move.”

There are reports of woolly bear caterpillars surviving temperatures as low as 90-degrees below zero, even spending an entire winter frozen in an ice cube, to emerge just fine in the spring. Once temperatures warm up for the season, it will create a cocoon and emerge a few weeks later as an Alexandra or Isabella tiger moth.

Today: Partly sunny & windy, High near 76. Winds S @ 15-to around 30 mph.
Tonight: Partly cloudy & breezy. Low around 64. S @ 15-30 mph.
Tomorrow: Mostly sunny & windy. High near 81. S @ 20-45 mph.
Tom. Night: Showers likely and possibly a thunderstorm after midnight. Low 57. S @ 20-40 mph.
Wednesday: Showers & possibly a thunderstorm. Windy. High near 70.
Wed.y Night: Showers likely and possibly a thunderstorm. Low around 33.
Thursday: Sunny, with a high near 51.

Sunday’s High in Atlantic was 69. The Low was 41. Last year on this date, the High in Atlantic was 36 and the Low was 29. The Record High for Oct. 28th in Atlantic was 83 in 1922. The Record Low was 2 in 1925. Sunrise today: 7:46; Sunset: 6:20.

Today: Sunny & windy, with a high near 68. South winds 10 to 20 mph.
Tonight: Increasing clouds. Low around 52. South winds 15 to 25 mph.
Monday: Partly sunny & windy, with a high near 77. South winds 15 to 30 mph.
Monday Night: Mostly cloudy & windy, with a low around 66. S @ 15-35 mph.
Tuesday: Mostly sunny & wind, with a high near 82. S @ 20-40 mph.
Tue. Night: A 40% chance of showers & thunderstorms late. Low around 56.
Wednesday: Showers likely along with possible thunderstorms. Windy. High near 68.

Saturday’s High in Atlantic was 62. The Low was 24. Last year on this date, the High in Atlantic was 42 and the Low was 25. The Record High for Oct. 27th in Atlantic was 87 in 1922. The Record Low was 9 in 1997. Sunrise today: 7:46; Sunset: 6:22.

Today: Sunny, with a high near 60. South/southeast wind 5 to 10 mph.
Tonight: Mostly cloudy during the early evening, then gradual clearing. Low around 36. S/SE wind around 5 mph.
Sunday: Sunny & breezy. High near 68. South wind 10 to 2 mph.
Sun.: Partly cloudy. Low around 52. South wind 10 to 25 mph.
Monday: Mostly cloudy & windy. High near 77.
Tuesday: Partly sunny & windy, with a high near 83.
Wednesday: Mostly cloudy w/a 60% chance of showers. High near 70.

Friday’s High in Atlantic was 63. The Low was 26. Last year on this date, the High in Atlantic was 71 and the Low was 38. The Record High for Oct. 26th in Atlantic was 84 in 1956. The Record Low was 14 in 1980. Sunrise today: 7:46; Sunset: 6:23.

Today: Sunny, with a high near 62. North winds 10-to 25-mph.
Tonight: Mostly clear, with a low around 30.
Tomorrow: Sunny, with a high near 60. S/SE winds 5-10.
Tom. Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 37.
Sunday: Sunny, with a high near 68.
Sunday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 52.
Monday: Partly sunny & windy, with a high near 78.
Tuesday: Mostly sunny & windy, with a high near 83.

Thursday’s High in Atlantic was 72. The Low was 31. Last year on this date, the High in Atlantic was 66 and the Low was 57. The Record High for Oct. 25th in Atlantic was 66 in 1891 & 1940. The Record Low was 14 in 1892. Sunrise today: 7:42; Sunset: 6:24.