A forum next week will focus on the intersection between faith, climate change and agriculture. Reverend Susan Guy, executive director of Iowa Interfaith Power & Light, says the panelists will talk about how climate change is altering the face of farming, why the issue is important to them and how their faith calls them to respond. “We know that there are a lot of people in rural communities who are very dependent on agriculture to make a living,” Reverend Guy says. “We know that extreme weather events are really having an impact on them. We feel this is part of our mission to reach out to those who are most vulnerable to the impacts of climate change.”

Members of the panel include Fred Kirschenmann, a farmer and former director of the Leopold Center at Iowa State University and Chris Anderson, assistant director of the I-S-U’s Climate Science Program. “Farmers are doing a lot of great things and they’re aware of the impacts of climate change in terms of their planting seasons and extreme weather events,” Guy says. “We want to normalize the conversation about climate change and agriculture and talk about how farmers and rural communities are adapting and mitigating and helping to find solutions.”

Those solutions include using more renewable fuels and working to make farming operations more energy efficient, in addition to locating wind turbines on their properties to help offset costs. Still, Guy says, climate change continues to present significant challenges to growers. “We’re having extreme weather events and a lot of flooding, so it’s keeping farmers out of their fields or it’s destroying crops that are already in the ground,” Guy says. “We’ve had seasons where we’ve had both flooding and drought in the same year, so we’re going from lots and lots of water to no water which is also having a negative impact on crops.”

The forum is open to anyone and will start at 6:30 PM Wednesday (June 15) at the Christy 4-H Hall in Nevada. Guy says Iowa Interfaith Power & Light is a non-profit group dedicated to inspiring and equipping people of faith to become leaders finding solutions to climate change.

(Radio Iowa)

Early This Morning: Mostly clear. South wind 5 to 15 mph.

Today: Sunny…hot. High in the mid 90s. South wind 10 to 15 mph with gusts to around 25 mph. Highest heat index readings around 100 in the afternoon.

Tonight: Mostly clear. Low in the lower 70s. South wind 5 to 15 mph. Gusts up to 25 mph through midnight.

Saturday: Sunny…hot. High in the mid 90s. Southwest wind 5 to 10 mph. Highest heat index readings 100 to 102 in the afternoon.

Saturday Night: Mostly clear. Low in the lower 70s. South wind 5 to 10 mph. Highest heat index readings 100 to 102 through midnight.

Sunday: Sunny. High in the mid 90s. South wind 5 to 15 mph. Highest heat index readings around 100 in the afternoon.

Sunday Night: Partly cloudy with a 30 percent chance of thunderstorms. Low in the lower 70s.

Monday: Mostly cloudy with a 50 percent chance of thunderstorms. High in the upper 80s.

Despite the wet spring across much of the Midwest, there’s still the potential for drought. Doug Kluck, a climatologist with NOAA in Kansas City, says most of the Missouri River Basin is far from drought, though some potential dry spots are starting to emerge in the upper basin. Kluck says western Iowa shouldn’t have anything to worry about, at least not yet.

“It’s not surprising this time of year, droughts can happen really fast,” Kluck says. “Sometimes, they call them flash droughts, if it gets really hot and winds pick up. Those are usually agriculturally-based impacts.” Kluck says the El Nino effect on the weather has passed now with a La Nina pattern likely, meaning, it will be hotter and wetter than normal over much of the region in the months to come.

“As far as predictions, right now we’re slipping into what we call a Neutral Tropical Pacific with La Nina likely developing a little later this summer,” Kluck says. “Really, the impacts from that La Nina tend not to be felt until late fall.” Barges should be running all summer on the Missouri, according to U-S Army Corps of Engineers hydraulic engineer Joel Knofcynski. He says the upper Missouri River reservoirs -do- have enough capacity to handle the heavy rainfall this spring and the current heavy snow melt.

“The service level for the remainder of the navigation season and the navigation season length are based on the July 1st system storage check,” Knofcynski says. “Under all three simulations, flow support for navigaton would be full service and a full eight-month navigation season would be provided.” Water levels are high on the upper Missouri River reservoirs, but enough capacity remains to reduce flooding while maintaining barge traffic. He notes, there could be some minor-to-moderate flooding along the Missouri River, but nothing that poses a serious threat to property.

(Radio Iowa)

Forecasters say a heat wave will wash over Iowa today (Thursday) that will likely last through the weekend, with steamy high temperatures in the 90s — and the heat may doom many pets. Josh Colvin, with the Animal Rescue League of Iowa, expects they’ll average five calls a day alerting them to animals that are locked inside hot cars.

“If we get a call like that, first, we’re going to try to identify how critical it is,” Colvin says. “If it’s very critical, we’re going to call the police department over and make entry into the vehicle. We’re going to try to identify where the owner is, who the owner is, if we’ve got a little bit of time but it’s a hurry up and make a decision on whether we’re going to gain entry in that vehicle.” Sad but true, he says, hundreds of cats and dogs die needlessly every summer by being left inside cars.

“People are on the fence, ‘Well, I don’t want to call on my neighbor,’ because they just don’t want to do that,” Colvin says, “but if they’re really concerned that the animal is in danger, we really encourage people to call us.” Colvin says the situation can rapidly become lethal. “If we’re talking about animals in vehicles, with weather like today, tomorrow and this weekend, it can become critical very quickly, in a matter of minutes to be frank,” Colvin says. “We’ve really got to respond to those calls quickly.”

Pets should never be left unattended in a car when the temperature is more than 70 degrees, even for a few minutes. When it’s 80 degrees, the temperature inside a car can reach 99 degrees or hotter within ten minutes, and leaving windows cracked does very little to lower the temp. Colvin reminds people to act immediately if they see a distressed animal in an unattended car. Call your local law enforcement agency.

(Radio Iowa)

With temperatures expected to rise above 90 degrees for the first time this year, the Iowa Department of Public Health (IDPH) reminds Iowans to keep health in mind during the hot weather. “People suffer heat-related illness when the body’s temperature control system is overloaded. The body normally cools itself by sweating. But under some conditions, sweating just isn’t enough,” said IPDH Medical Director, Dr. Patricia Quinlisk. “Although people with cardiac and other medical problems are especially at risk, even young and healthy individuals can have a heat-related illness if they are very active during hot weather or the heat index is very high.”

To protect your health when temperatures and humidity are high, remember to keep cool and use common sense. The following tips are important:

• Increase fluid intake, regardless of your activity level. The best way to tell you are well-hydrated is if your urine is light yellow. If it gets dark, stop and rehydrate by drinking water immediately.
• If experiencing a lot of sweating, replace salt and minerals by eating foods like bananas and salty crackers, or drink rehydrating beverages that contain salts such as sports drinks and special rehydration fluids.
• Choose lightweight, light-colored, loose-fitting clothing and wear sunscreen.
• Wear hats that shade your face such as sun hats, visors, etc.
• Keep in the shade or air conditioned areas as much as possible.
• Work slowly if you are not used to working or exercising in heat and humidity. Stop immediately if you get dizzy, nauseated, or feel weak. Go into an air conditioned space and drink cool liquids.
• Use a buddy system. Watch others for heat-induced illness, since some people may not realize that they are suffering heat-related illnesses, and can become confused or lose consciousness.

As Iowans enjoy more outdoor recreational opportunities and events, it’s important to remember some basic summer safety guidelines, which can be summarized with the word ‘SHADE’:

• S – Sunscreen. Put on sunscreen with a sun protective factor (SPF) of 15 or higher and reapply throughout the day, especially if swimming or sweating.
• H – Heat safety. Drink lots of water and other non-alcoholic, sugar-free fluids; wear lightweight, loose-fitting clothing when outdoors, especially when active; and when temperatures soar, stay in the shade or air conditioning as much as possible.
• A – Animal contact. Remember to wash your hands after touching animals at places like petting zoos or county fairs. Avoid stray and wild animals; they may carry diseases like rabies.
• D – DEET.  To prevent being bitten by ticks and mosquitoes that can carry diseases like West Nile virus and Lyme disease, use insect repellent with DEET (follow the label directions when using, especially on children).
• E – Eating outdoors. Grill all meats until thoroughly cooked and always keep cold foods cold and hot foods hot.

For more information about hot weather health, visit www.cdc.gov/Features/ExtremeHeat/.

Today: P/Cldy. High 91. S @ 10-20.

Tonight: P/Cldy w/isolated shwrs possible late. Low 70. S @ 5-10.

Tomorrow: Partly Cloudy w/iso. Shwrs possible early. High near 94. S @ 10-20.

Friday: P/Cldy & humid. High 95.

Saturday: P/Cldy & humid. High 92.

Wednesday’s High in Atlantic was 86. Our 24-hour Low thru 7-a.m. today was 56. Last year on this date, our High in Atlantic was 95 and the low was 61. The All-time Record High in Atlantic on this date was 101 in 1985. The Record Low was 38 in 1915.

342 AM CDT THU JUN 9 2016

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

TODAY…MOSTLY SUNNY. BREEZY. HIGH IN THE LOWER 90S. SOUTHWEST WIND 10 TO 20 MPH.

TONIGHT…MOSTLY CLEAR. LOW IN THE LOWER 70S. SOUTH WIND 10 TO 15 MPH. GUSTS UP TO 25 MPH THROUGH MIDNIGHT.

FRIDAY…MOSTLY SUNNY. HIGH IN THE LOWER 90S. SOUTH WIND 10 TO 15 MPH WITH GUSTS TO AROUND 25 MPH.

SATURDAY…SUNNY. HIGH IN THE MID 90S. SOUTHWEST WIND 5 TO 10 MPH. HIGHEST HEAT INDEX READINGS AROUND 100 IN THE AFTERNOON.

SUNDAY…SUNNY. HIGH IN THE LOWER 90S.

The forecast calls for the hottest weather of the year so far to arrive in Iowa tomorrow (Thursday), which happens to coincide with Heat Awareness Day. Meteorologist Kenny Podrazik, at the National Weather Service, says it’s not officially summertime yet, but it’ll sure feel like it. “We’ll be up into the low 90s Thursday, and then Friday and into the weekend, we’ll be well into the mid 90s on Friday, Saturday and even into Sunday,” Podrazik says. “Sunday it may be a little cooler, but it’ll be nice and hot.”

Podrazik says Heat Awareness Day is a time to remind Iowans about the steamy season ahead and how to conduct best themselves. “Never leave kids or pets unattended when the car is off,” he says. “Limit strenuous outdoor activities. Find shade. Always stay hydrated. If you work outside, the biggest thing is to take breaks in the shade.”

The first day of summer is June 20th. Find more information about Heat Awareness Day at www.weather.gov/dmx

(Radio Iowa)

Today: Partly Cloudy. High 83. SE @ 5-10.

Tonight: P/Cldy w/isolated showers possible. Low 65. SE @ 5-10.

Tomorrow: Partly Cloudy. High near 90. S @ 5-10.

Friday & Saturday: P/Cldy, warm & humid. High’s both days around 94.

Tuesday’s High in Atlantic was 79. Our 24-hour Low thru 7-a.m. today was 53. Last year on this date, our High in Atlantic was 87 and the low was 56. The All-time Record High in Atlantic on this date was 102in 1985. The Record Low was 38 in 1930.

410 AM CDT WED JUN 8 2016

EARLY THIS MORNING…PARTLY CLOUDY. SOUTHEAST WIND NEAR 5 MPH.

TODAY…MOSTLY SUNNY. HIGH IN THE MID 80S. SOUTHEAST WIND NEAR 10 MPH SHIFTING TO THE SOUTH IN THE AFTERNOON.

TONIGHT…PARTLY CLOUDY. WARMER. LOW IN THE MID 60S. SOUTH WIND 5 TO 15 MPH.

THURSDAY…MOSTLY SUNNY. HIGH IN THE LOWER 90S. SOUTHWEST WIND T0 TO 15 MPH WITH GUSTS TO AROUND 25 MPH.

FRIDAY…SUNNY. HIGH IN THE LOWER 90S. SOUTHWEST WIND 5 TO 15 MPH WITH GUSTS TO AROUND 25 MPH.

SATURDAY…SUNNY. HIGH IN THE MID 90S.