The Adair & Guthrie County Emergency Management Agencies, Iowa Homeland Security and Emergency Management Department (HSEMD), and the National Weather Service have joined together to promote today, Nov. 5th, as Winter Weather Awareness Day in Iowa.

Each year, winter returns to Iowa and produces winter storms, blizzards, ice storms and periods of extremely cold temperatures as well as dangerous wind chills.
A big part of being prepared for winter weather is being aware of potential hazards. One preparedness step for Iowans to take now is to sign up for emergency alerts through the Adair & Guthrie County Emergency Notification System. By signing up for alerts, residents can receive notifications about winter weather and other hazards and emergency conditions.

Robert Kempf, Adair & Guthrie County EMA Coordinator, says “This is a great tool to help our residents stay aware of hazards. Our system allows people to sign up to receive alerts in a variety of ways, including by text, cell phone or land-line calls or email. So no matter where you are, you will know if hazards might impact you or your family.” To sign up, visit the EMA Page website at http://www.guthriecounty.org/emergmgmt/notificationsystem.html. You can also click the signup button on the Adair & Guthrie County EMAs Facebook page.

Winter weather information from the National Weather Service Des Moines office can be found on the http://www.weather.gov/dmx/ or at www.weather.gov.

The Ready Iowa website, has information to help Iowans plan for winter hazards, whether at home, at work or on the road. Visit the website, http://www.beready.iowa.gov/, for downloadable brochures, emergency plans and checklists.

Early This Morning: Mostly cloudy with scattered light showers and isolated thunderstorms. South wind 10 to 15 mph with gusts to around 25 mph. Chance of precipitation 30 percent.
Today: Mostly cloudy. Isolated thunderstorms before noon. Scattered showers and isolated thunderstorms in the afternoon. Breezy. High in the lower 70s. Southwest wind 15 to 20 mph with gusts to around 30 mph. Chance of precipitation 50 percent.
Tonight: Mostly cloudy with a slight chance of rain showers and isolated thunderstorms in the evening…then partly cloudy overnight. Colder. Low in the upper 30s. Northwest wind 5 to 15 mph with gusts to around 25 mph. Chance of precipitation 20 percent.

Friday: Mostly sunny. Cooler. High in the lower 50s. West wind 5 to 15 mph.
Friday Night: Mostly cloudy through midnight then becoming partly cloudy. Scattered sprinkles through midnight. Low in the mid 30s. Northwest wind 5 to 10 mph.

Saturday: Sunny. High in the lower 50s. Northwest wind 5 to 10 mph.

Sunday: Sunny. High in the upper 50s.

Today: Areas of fog this morning; Partly Sunny. High 74.. S @ 10-20.
Tonight: P/Cloudy to Cloudy. Low 58. S @ 5-10.
Tomorrow: Showers & isolated thunderstorms. High 69. S @ 10-20.
Tom. Night: Cldy w/a 40% chance of showers thru midnight. Low 40.
Friday: P/Cldy. High 55.
Saturday: P/Cldy. High 49.

Tuesday’s High in Atlantic was 69. Our 24-hour Low ending today at 7-a.m., was 51. Last year on this date, the High in Atlantic was 59, and the Low 36. The All-Time Record High in Atlantic on Nov. 4th, was 75 in 1909 & 1978. The Record Low was -1 degrees in 1991.

Early This Morning: Mostly cloudy. Patchy fog. South wind 10 to 15 mph.
Today: Partly sunny. Breezy. Patchy fog through mid morning. High around 70. South wind 15 to 20 mph with gusts to around 30 mph.
Tonight: Partly cloudy in the evening then becoming mostly cloudy. Breezy. Low in the upper 50s. South wind 15 to 20 mph.

Thursday: Mostly cloudy with a chance of showers and isolated thunderstorms. Breezy. High in the upper 60s. Southwest wind 15 to 20 mph with gusts to around 30 mph. Chance of precipitation 50 percent.
Thursday Night: Mostly cloudy with a 50 percent chance of showers through midnight…then partly cloudy after midnight. Colder. Low around 40. Northwest wind 10 to 15 mph with gusts to around 25 mph.

Friday: Mostly sunny. Cooler. High in the mid 50s. West wind 10 to 15 mph.
Saturday: Sunny. High in the lower 50s.

AREA COUNTIES: CRAWFORD-CARROLL-AUDUBON-GUTHRIE-
DALLAS-CASS-ADAIR-MADISON-ADAMS-UNION-TAYLOR-RINGGOLD-
835 AM CST TUE NOV 3 2015

…DENSE FOG ADVISORY IN EFFECT UNTIL 11 AM CST THIS MORNING…

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN DES MOINES HAS ISSUED A DENSE FOG ADVISORY…WHICH IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 11 AM CST THIS MORNING.

* VISIBILITY…VISIBILITIES BELOW ONE QUARTER OF A MILE WILL BE
COMMON WITH NEAR ZERO VISIBILITIES FROM TIME TO TIME.
IMPROVEMENT IS EXPECTED BY LATER THIS MORNING.

* IMPACTS…THE LOW VISIBILITIES WILL PRODUCE HAZARDOUS DRIVING
CONDITIONS.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS…

A DENSE FOG ADVISORY MEANS VISIBILITIES WILL FREQUENTLY BE
REDUCED TO LESS THAN ONE QUARTER MILE. IF DRIVING…SLOW DOWN…
USE YOUR HEADLIGHTS…AND LEAVE PLENTY OF DISTANCE AHEAD OF YOU.

(Update 7:25-a.m. – NWS)

…PATCHY DENSE FOG CONTINUES THIS MORNING...

PATCHY TO AREAS OF FOG…DENSE AT TIMES…CONTINUES OVER CENTRAL
AND SOUTHERN IOWA EARLY THIS (TUESDAY) MORNING. VISIBILITY HAS DROPPED TO ONE QUARTER MILE OR LESS AT TIMES. THE FOG WILL PERSIST THROUGH MID MORNING. PERSONS TRAVELING EARLY TODAY SHOULD EXERCISE CAUTION WHEN ENCOUNTERING AREAS OF FOG…SLOW DOWN…USE LOW BEAM HEADLIGHTS…AND ALLOW EXTRA TIME TO REACH YOUR DESTINATION SAFELY. BE ESPECIALLY CAUTIOUS NEAR SCHOOL BUS STOPS… INTERSECTIONS…AND RAILROAD CROSSINGS. CONDITIONS WILL IMPROVE AFTER 930 AM THIS MORNING WHEN THE FOG BEGINS TO LIFT.

Today: Area of dense fog thru about 8-a.m.; Partly Cloudy & breezy. High 75. S @ 10-20 w/gusts to near 30.
Tonight: P/Cldy & breezy. Low 47. S @ 5-15 w/gusts to around 25.
Wednesday: Areas of fog early: P/Cldy. High 75. SW @ 10-20.
Thursday: A 60% chance of showers & thunderstorms. High 68. S-NW @ 15-25.
Thu. Night: Mostly Cloudy w/a 60% chance of shwrs & tstrms. Low 41.
Friday: P/Sunny. High 56.

Monday’s High in Atlantic of 77 tied the record set for Nov. 2nd, in 1965. Our 24-hour Low ending today at 7-a.m., was 45.. Last year on this date, the High in Atlantic was 62, and the Low 39. The All-Time Record High in Atlantic on Nov. 3rd, was 77 in 2008. The Record Low was 6 degrees in 1966.

COUNTIES: ADAMS-UNION-TAYLOR-RINGGOLD-449 AM CST TUE NOV 3 2015

AREAS OF FOG…DENSE AT TIMES…HAS DEVELOPED OVER SOUTHERN IOWA
EARLY THIS TUESDAY MORNING. VISIBILITY HAS DROPPED TO ONE QUARTER MILE OR LESS AT TIMES. THE FOG WILL PERSIST THROUGH THE MORNING COMMUTE. PERSONS TRAVELING EARLY TODAY SHOULD EXERCISE CAUTION WHEN ENCOUNTERING AREAS OF FOG…SLOW DOWN…USE LOW BEAM HEADLIGHTS…AND ALLOW EXTRA TIME TO REACH YOUR DESTINATION SAFELY. BE ESPECIALLY CAUTIOUS NEAR SCHOOL BUS STOPS…INTERSECTIONS…AND RAILROAD CROSSINGS. CONDITIONS WILL IMPROVE AFTER 8 AM THIS MORNING WHEN THE FOG BEGINS TO LIFT.

COUNTIES: CASS-ADAIR-MADISON–

PATCHY FOG…POSSIBLY EXPANDING AND THICKENING THIS MORNING…CAN BE EXPECTED THROUGH THE MORNING COMMUTE TO AROUND 8 AM. PERSONS TRAVELING EARLY TODAY SHOULD EXERCISE CAUTION WHEN ENCOUNTERING AREAS OF FOG…SLOW DOWN…USE LOW BEAM HEADLIGHTS…AND ALLOW EXTRA TIME TO REACH YOUR DESTINATION SAFELY. BE ESPECIALLY CAUTIOUS NEAR SCHOOL BUS STOPS…INTERSECTIONS…AND RAILROAD CROSSINGS. CONDITIONS WILL IMPROVE AFTER 8 AM THIS MORNING WHEN THE FOG BEGINS TO LIFT.

The just ended month of October was warmer and drier than normal across Iowa. State climatologist Harry Hillaker says the statewide average rainfall total for the month was one-and-three-quarters inches (1.75 inches), about one inch less than usual for October. “The most unusual aspect there was the extremely dry start to the month, with very little rain anywhere in the state over the first 20 days of October,” Hillaker said. It was the 52nd driest October in Iowa in 143 years of record keeping.

Here in Atlantic, at the KJAN studios, we received 1.28″ of rain, and that was 1.48″ less than normal. Across the state, most of the month was ideal for farmers who were working to complete the harvest. “Temperatures averaged about 2.6 degrees warmer than usual…it ranks as the 46th warmest October,” Hillaker said. Many areas of central and southern Iowa have yet to record a hard freeze this fall. There was a range of 72 degrees between temperature “extremes” across Iowa last month. “The warmest reading we had, by far, came on the 11th of October at 91-degrees in Sioux City. That was a daily record for that day of the month. On the other extreme, a little less than a week later, it got down to 19-degrees on the morning of the 17th at Stanley up in Buchanan County in northeast Iowa,” Hillaker said.

In Atlantic, the Average High for the month was 66.1, which was 2 degrees warmer than normal. The Average Low was 39.5, which was just one-half degree warmer than normal. The month of November is starting off dry and warm — as highs are forecast to reach the 70s again Tuesday and Wednesday. Showers and much cooler conditions are expected to push into the state Thursday and Friday.

(Radio Iowa/KJAN)

EARLY THIS MORNING: PARTLY CLOUDY. PATCHY FOG. SOUTH WIND NEAR 10 MPH.

TODAY: MOSTLY SUNNY. BREEZY. PATCHY FOG THROUGH MID MORNING. HIGH IN THE LOWER 70S. SOUTH WIND 10 TO 20 MPH. GUSTS UP TO 30 MPH IN THE AFTERNOON.

TONIGHT…PARTLY CLOUDY THROUGH MIDNIGHT THEN BECOMING MOSTLY CLOUDY. LOW IN THE MID 50S. SOUTH WIND 10 TO 15 MPH WITH GUSTS TO AROUND 25 MPH.

WEDNESDAY…PARTLY SUNNY. BREEZY. HIGH IN THE LOWER 70S. SOUTH WIND 15 TO 20 MPH WITH GUSTS TO AROUND 30 MPH.

THURSDAY…MOSTLY CLOUDY. A CHANCE OF SHOWERS AND ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS IN THE MORNING…THEN SHOWERS LIKELY AND ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS IN THE AFTERNOON. BREEZY. HIGH IN THE MID 60S. SOUTHWEST WIND 15 TO 20 MPH. CHANCE OF PRECIPITATION 60 PERCENT.

FRIDAY: MOSTLY SUNNY. COOLER. HIGH IN THE LOWER 50S.