(Radio Iowa) – Damage assessment teams from the National Weather Service are being dispatched to multiple locations in western Iowa after severe thunderstorms last (Wednesday) night spun off at least three suspected tornadoes. Meteorologist Dylan Dodson, at the weather service office in metro Des Moines, says they don’t have any reports of significant tornado damage, at least not yet. “There were a couple of tornadoes. We don’t have an exact number yet,” Dodson says. “Obviously, there’s going to be surveys that go out for those, but yes, there were a few tornadoes out in western Iowa that were reported.”
Tornadoes are believed to have touched down near Macedonia, Sidney and Thurman, while a funnel cloud was also spotted in the skies near Kiron, though it may not have reached the ground. There are scattered hail reports from Sioux City all the way across Iowa to Dubuque, while baseball-sized hail dinged roofs, shattered windows, destroyed siding and wrecked vehicles in Crawford County. “Most of our hail remained fairly low-end, but there were some bigger sizes out in the west, especially,” Dodson says. “We saw some three-inch hail out there, and then over kind of more in central Iowa, we saw a few reports of inch hail, so about quarter- to maybe half dollar-size.”
North English reported getting more than two inches of rain during the cloudburst, while winds in central Iowa peaked at 62 miles an hour. “The strongest report that we’ve seen so far was at the Des Moines Airport. That was the strongest recorded that we had,” Dodson says. “There were others that were a little bit lower than that, around that 50-mile per hour, maybe 55-mile per hour range.”
Spring arrived on the 20th of March, exactly a month ago, yet Dodson says there’s still snow in the forecast on Friday for parts of northwest and north-central Iowa.
(Radio Iowa) – A report from a national agricultural organization says climate change is already impacting the production of Iowa’s key crops and it offers dire predictions for a more challenging future. John Piotti, president and C-E-O of American Farmland Trust, says shifts in rainfall patterns that bring extremes like drought and flooding, are combining with warmer weather to make it very difficult — if not impossible — to continue the way we currently farm.
The report says 80-percent of our cropland is at risk due to rising temperatures and rainfall changes. By 2040, the report projects only 33-percent of the acres now devoted to corn are likely to remain highly productive with the current corn varieties. Piotti says with the right tools and support, agricultural producers can continue to adapt to climate changes and help reverse the trends.
To ward off the worst impacts of climate change, Piotti says farmers and non-farmers can work to limit global warming and to increase the resiliency and profitability of farmland.
(Multiple area counties) – Large hail and heavy rain pummeled parts of western and southwest Iowa, Wednesday evening through late Wednesday night. Some areas also saw street flooding as the result of heavy rain. There was photographic evidence of funnel clouds spinning their way downward. Some reached the ground, officially becoming a tornado.
National Weather Service reports and posts on social media showed the extent of the hail damage, which was most severe in Mills, Crawford and Sac Counties, where hail ranging in size from quarters to tennis balls and baseballs, fell and caused heavy damage to vehicles, siding and other property. Widespread hail damage reports came in from Ricketts, Kiron, Schleswig and Charter Oak, inc Crawford County, while just pea-size hail was observed a little after 7:30-p.m., in Atlantic.
Street flooding was reported at some locations in Mills and Pottawattamie Counties. KETV in Omaha says the Classic Café in Malvern had its roof pounded by hail the size of golf balls, and was forced to deal with severe leaking. The restaurant’s owner said water came down so hard it seemed like it was raining inside, but when the storm hit, her staff sprung into action and used everything available to them to capture the leaks and mop-up.
Tornados were observed near Macedonia, Sidney and Thurman, while multiple funnels clouds were observed elsewhere, including as far north as Kiron, in Sac County. There were no reports of injuries stemming from the recent storms. (Click on the images below to enlarge). Parts of eastern Nebraska also experienced damage from large hail.
Mills County, via the Mills County Scanner Facebook Page 
Crawford County EMA Photo
Crawford County EMA Photo
Crawford County EMA Photo
Mills County, via the Mills County Scanner Facebook Page
Today: A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly before 10am. Cloudy, then gradually becoming mostly sunny, with a high near 58. Windy, with a west northwest wind 14 to 21 mph, with gusts as high as 29 mph. New precipitation amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.
Tonight: Mostly clear, with a low around 36. West wind 7 to 13 mph, with gusts as high as 18 mph.
Friday: Increasing clouds, with a high near 51. Windy, with a west wind 14 to 21 mph, with gusts as high as 29 mph.
Saturday: Mostly cloudy, with a high near 46. Windy.
Sunday: Sunny, with a high near 53.
Wednesday’s High in Atlantic was 74. Our Low 55. 24-hour Rainfall amounted to 1.13″ at the KJAN studios. Last year on this date the High in Atlantic was 51 and the Low was 37. The Record High on this date was 90 in 1902. The Record Low was 18in 1956.
0806 PM TORNADO 3 S KIRON 42.15N 95.32W 04/19/2023 CRAWFORD IA STORM CHASER
0803 PM FUNNEL CLOUD 3 SSW KIRON 42.15N 95.34W 04/19/2023 CRAWFORD IA PUBLIC SPOTTERS REPORTED A FUNNEL CLOUD, UNSURE OF TORNADO DEVELOPMENT AT TIME OF REPORT.
0722 PM HAIL CHARTER OAK 42.07N 95.59W 04/19/2023 E2.75 INCH CRAWFORD IA EMERGENCY MNGR SIGNIFICANT CAR DAMAGE REPORTED.
The following are southwest Iowa severe weather events relayed to the National Weather Service Office in Valley, NE
0737 PM HAIL HAMBURG 40.61N 95.66W 04/19/2023 E1.75 INCH FREMONT IA PUBLIC
0711 PM TORNADO 5 E MACEDONIA 41.19N 95.32W 04/19/2023 POTTAWATTAMIE IA PUBLIC 0705 PM HAIL HAMBURG 40.60N 95.65W 04/19/2023 E1.00 INCH FREMONT IA TRAINED SPOTTER
0650 PM HAIL 1 E HENDERSON 41.14N 95.40W 04/19/2023 E1.75 INCH MILLS IA PUBLIC REPORT FROM MPING: GOLF BALL (1.75 IN.).
0700 PM HAIL UTE 42.05N 95.70W 04/19/2023 M1.00 INCH MONONA IA TRAINED SPOTTER TRAINED SPOTTER REPORTED QUARTER SIZED HAIL COVERING THE GROUND IN UTE.
0636 PM HAIL 1 WNW EMERSON 41.02N 95.42W 04/19/2023 E2.00 INCH MILLS IA PUBLIC PUBLIC REPORTED VIA SOCIAL MEDIA HAIL APPROXIMATELY 2 INCHES IN DIAMETER.
0631 PM HAIL MALVERN 41.01N 95.58W 04/19/2023 U1.75 INCH MILLS IA PUBLIC
0608 PM HAIL 1 S SIDNEY 40.73N 95.65W 04/19/2023 E2.00 INCH FREMONT IA PUBLIC
0628 PM HAIL BLENCOE 41.93N 96.09W 04/19/2023 E1.50 INCH MONONA IA BROADCAST MEDIA
0608 PM HAIL MINDEN 41.47N 95.54W 04/19/2023 E2.00 INCH POTTAWATTAMIE IA EMERGENCY MNGR
0610 PM HAIL 4 S TURIN 41.96N 95.97W 04/19/2023 U1.00 INCH MONONA IA PUBLIC
0613 PM HAIL THURMAN 40.82N 95.75W 04/19/2023 M1.00 INCH FREMONT IA TRAINED SPOTTER TRAINED STORM SPOTTER REPORTED QUARTER SIZE HAIL. 0538 PM HAIL GLENWOOD 41.05N 95.74W 04/19/2023 E2.00 INCH MILLS IA PUBLIC
0544 PM HAIL 4 NW SILVER CITY 41.15N 95.69W 04/19/2023 E1.00 INCH MILLS IA PUBLIC
0537 PM HAIL GLENWOOD 41.05N 95.75W 04/19/2023 E1.25 INCH MILLS IA PUBLIC
0527 PM HAIL 3 W THURMAN 40.82N 95.80W 04/19/2023 E1.50 INCH FREMONT IA PUBLIC
0529 PM HAIL 5 NNW THURMAN 40.89N 95.79W 04/19/2023 E1.75 INCH FREMONT IA TRAINED SPOTTER
0529 PM HAIL 5 NNW THURMAN 40.89N 95.79W 04/19/2023 E1.75 INCH FREMONT IA TRAINED SPOTTER
Montgomery County Emergency Management Coordinator Brian Hamman has posted photos on social media, showing funnel cloud development just south of Wales, looking northward.
(Radio Iowa) – The La Nina weather pattern is gone, and the National Climate Prediction Center anticipates an El Nino will develop within a few months, which could be welcome news for Iowa farmers. Meteorologist Dennis Todey, director of the U-S-D-A’s Midwest Climate Hub — based in Ames, says El Ninos typically mean a decent growing season for our region, while the extra rainfall could help to knock down the long-running drought. “Conditions look like they’re heading towards El Nino, in the way of the computer models and what we’re seeing in the way of sea surface temperatures,” Todey says, “so they issue what they call an El Nino Watch, which means that an El Nino is likely to be occurring after this.”
While the La Nina lasted for three years, he say the switch to an El Nino pattern is coming on much faster than expected. “The ocean temperatures in the Pacific, especially close to South America, are warming up very quickly,” Todey says. “The computer models continue that progression to likely being El Nino. Reading the advisory now, the El Nino seems more likely by summer which seemed a very quick transition.” Wide areas of Iowa have suffered with drought, and this weather shift could provide some much-needed relief.
“El Ninos typically are better growing seasons for us. They may not be outstanding growing seasons but the tendency is for them to not be bad growing seasons,” Todey says. “Temperatures tend to be more moderate, better chances for precipitation. So for the drought areas, that’s not a bad thing and actually a good thing.” Northwest Iowa’s Monona and Woodbury counties are in the worst category — exceptional drought, while much of Iowa’s western half is either rated in moderate, severe or extreme drought, while broad sections of central and eastern Iowa are listed as abnormally dry.
Today: A 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly after 3pm. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 74. Breezy, with a south southwest wind 13 to 17 mph, with gusts as high as 29 mph. New rainfall amounts of less than a tenth of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.
Tonight: Showers likely and possibly a thunderstorm before 4am, then a chance of showers and thunderstorms after 4am. Cloudy, with a low around 46. Southwest wind 8 to 14 mph becoming north after midnight. Winds could gust as high as 21 mph. Chance of precipitation is 70%. New rainfall amounts between a half and three quarters of an inch possible.
Thursday: A 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms before 1pm. Cloudy through mid morning, then gradual clearing, with a high near 60. Breezy, with a northwest wind 16 to 20 mph, with gusts as high as 30 mph. New rainfall amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.
Friday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 51. Windy.
Saturday: Partly sunny, with a high near 48. Breezy.
Tuesday’s High in Atlantic was 68. Our Low 38. We received .02” rain overnight Tuesday into early this morning, at KJAN. Last year on this date the High in Atlantic was 49 and the Low was 17. The Record High on this date was 87 in 1908, 1946 & 1987. The Record Low was 15in 1988.
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