OMAHA, Neb. (AP) – A National Weather Service meteorologist says Friday evening’s tornado-spawning storms in northeastern Nebraska and northwestern Iowa were unusual for this time of year.  Meteorologist Mike Fuhs in the service’s Sioux Falls, S.D., office says it’s unusual to get “not just this many tornadoes this late, but tornadoes this strong.” As many as nine tornadoes hit the area from 6 p.m. to 7:45 p.m. Friday, and some “were quite powerful,” according to Fuhs.

Fuhs says a couple of the tornadoes are estimated to have been one-quarter to one-half mile wide. He says it’s too early to estimate where the tornadoes will rank on the Enhanced Fujita Scale, which ranges from the weak EF0 to the top-of-the-scale EF5.

The weekend weather forecast from KJAN News Director Ric Hanson, and weather information for Atlantic….

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(information compiled by the National Weather Service)

8:00-p.m. Montgomery County Emergency Management reports trees were down in Red Oak due to high winds, and a lightening strike started a structure fire west of Red Oak.

6:40-p.m. Amateur radio operator reports 1-inch diameter (quarter-size) hail fell in the Rolling Hills area, east of Council Bluffs.

6:28-p.m. Law enforcement in Mills County report baseball-size hail fell along I-29 at the rest area and punched through a vehicle’s windshield. At that same time, quarter-size hail was reported to have fallen in Glenwood.

6:24-p.m. Golf ball-size hail was reported 3-miles west of Pacific Junction in Mills County.

344 AM CDT SAT OCT 5 2013 National Weather Service/Des Moines

EARLY THIS MORNING…PARTLY CLOUDY WITH A 20 PERCENT CHANCE OF LIGHT SHOWERS. COLDER. WEST WIND 10 TO 15 MPH.

TODAY…PARTLY SUNNY. BREEZY. MUCH COOLER. HIGH IN THE MID 50S. SOUTHWEST WIND 15 TO 20 MPH WITH GUSTS TO AROUND 30 MPH.

TONIGHT…MOSTLY CLOUDY. A 20 PERCENT CHANCE OF LIGHT RAIN EARLY IN THE MORNING. LOW AROUND 40. WEST WIND 5 TO 15 MPH.

SUNDAY…CLOUDY. A CHANCE OF LIGHT RAIN IN THE MORNING…THEN LIGHT RAIN LIKELY IN THE AFTERNOON. HIGH AROUND 50. NORTHWEST WIND 5 TO 15 MPH. CHANCE OF RAIN 70 PERCENT.

SUNDAY NIGHT…MOSTLY CLOUDY. A 20 PERCENT CHANCE OF LIGHT RAIN THROUGH MIDNIGHT. LOW IN THE LOWER 40S. NORTHWEST WIND 5 TO 10 MPH.

MONDAY…PARTLY SUNNY. WARMER. HIGH IN THE MID 60S. NORTHWEST WIND 5 TO 10 MPH.

MONDAY NIGHT AND TUESDAY…MOSTLY CLEAR. LOW IN THE MID 40S. HIGH IN THE LOWER 70S.

940 PM CDT FRI OCT 4 2013

THE NWS STORM PREDICTION CENTER HAS CANCELLED TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 539 ISSUED AT 240 PM CDT FOR PORTIONS OF IOWA and NEBRASKA. There are currently no Watches or Warnings in effect for the KJAN listening area.

TORNADO WATCH 541 REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 1200 AM CDT FOR THE
FOLLOWING IOWA COUNTIES…
   ADAIR                ADAMS               AUDUBON     
BOONE                CALHOUN             CARROLL
CASS                 CERRO GORDO         CLARKE
CRAWFORD             DALLAS              DECATUR
EMMET                FRANKLIN            GREENE
GUTHRIE              HAMILTON            HANCOCK
HARDIN               HUMBOLDT            KOSSUTH
MADISON              PALO ALTO           POCAHONTAS
POLK                 RINGGOLD            SAC
STORY                TAYLOR              UNION
WARREN               WEBSTER             WINNEBAGO
WORTH                WRIGHT

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS CANCELLED TORNADO WATCH 539 FOR
THE FOLLOWING AREAS…IN IOWA THIS CANCELS 8 COUNTIES:

IN SOUTHWEST IOWA

FREMONT               HARRISON              MILLS
MONTGOMERY            PAGE                  POTTAWATTAMIE
SHELBY

IN WEST CENTRAL IOWA

MONONA

CASS IA-
844 PM CDT FRI OCT 4 2013

…THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR CASS COUNTY IS CANCELLED…

THE STORM WHICH PROMPTED THE WARNING HAS WEAKENED BELOW SEVERE
LIMITS…AND NO LONGER POSES AN IMMEDIATE THREAT TO LIFE OR PROPERTY.

A TORNADO WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL MIDNIGHT. ISOLATED STORMS
MAY STILL PRODUCE PEA SIZE HAIL OVER EASTERN CASS COUNTY UNTIL 9 PM.

AUDUBON IA-
826 PM CDT FRI OCT 4 2013

…THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR NORTHWESTERN AUDUBON COUNTY IS
CANCELLED…

THE STORM WHICH PROMPTED THE WARNING HAS MOVED OUT OF THE WARNED
AREA.

822 PM CDT FRI OCT 4 2013

…A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR CASS COUNTY
UNTIL 900 PM CDT…

AT 820 PM CDT…A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WAS LOCATED 9 MILES SOUTHEAST
OF ATLANTIC…AND MOVING NORTHEAST AT 45 MPH.

HAZARD…QUARTER SIZE HAIL AND 60 MPH WIND GUSTS.

SOURCE…RADAR INDICATED.

IMPACT…HAIL DAMAGE TO VEHICLES IS EXPECTED. EXPECT WIND DAMAGE TO
ROOFS…SIDING AND TREES.

LOCATIONS IMPACTED INCLUDE…
ATLANTIC…MASSENA…WIOTA AND ANITA.