DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – Officials say nearly 7 percent of Iowa is no longer in drought.    The Iowa Department of Natural Resources says in a report issued Thursday that conditions have returned to normal in a swath of southeast Iowa. The U.S. Drought Monitor map from the National Drought Mitigation Center shows the drought conditions are worse to the northwest, culminating in extreme drought in portions of northwest Iowa.

The drought center says that a year ago nearly 61 percent of Iowa had no drought.  March rain in Iowa was a drop or two higher than the historical normal of 2.15 inches. It was the fourth consecutive month for higher-than-normal rainfall in the state.

The (podcast) weather forecast for Atlantic & the KJAN listening area from Freese-Notis, and weather data for Atlantic….

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415 AM CDT FRI APR 5 2013

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

TODAY…PARTLY SUNNY. BREEZY. HIGH IN THE MID 60S. SOUTHEAST WIND 5 TO 15 MPH WITH GUSTS TO AROUND 25 MPH INCREASING TO SOUTH 15 TO 25 MPH WITH GUSTS TO AROUND 35 MPH IN THE AFTERNOON.

TONIGHT...PARTLY CLOUDY. ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS EARLY IN THE MORNING. BREEZY…WARMER. LOW AROUND 50. SOUTH WIND 15 TO 20 MPH WITH GUSTS TO AROUND 30 MPH. CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS 20 PERCENT.

SATURDAY…PARTLY SUNNY. SCATTERED SHOWERS AND ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS THROUGH MID MORNING. BREEZY. HIGH IN THE UPPER 60S. WEST WIND 15 TO 20 MPH WITH GUSTS TO AROUND 30 MPH. CHANCE OF PRECIPITATION 30 PERCENT.

SATURDAY NIGHT…PARTLY CLOUDY. COLDER. LOW AROUND 40. NORTHWEST WIND NEAR 5 MPH WITH GUSTS TO AROUND 20 MPH SHIFTING TO THE NORTHEAST AFTER MIDNIGHT.

SUNDAY…PARTLY SUNNY. SCATTERED SHOWERS AND ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS IN THE AFTERNOON. HIGH IN THE MID 60S. EAST WIND 5 TO 10 MPH. CHANCE OF PRECIPITATION 30 PERCENT.

SUNDAY NIGHT…MOSTLY CLOUDY WITH A CHANCE OF SHOWERS AND ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS. LOW IN THE MID 40S. CHANCE OF PRECIPITATION 50 PERCENT.

MONDAY…MOSTLY CLOUDY WITH A CHANCE OF SHOWERS AND ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS. HIGH IN THE LOWER 60S. CHANCE OF PRECIPITATION 30 PERCENT.

MONDAY NIGHT…MOSTLY CLOUDY WITH A 50 PERCENT CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS. LOW IN THE UPPER 40S.

The Shelby County Emergency Management agency says because vegetation in the county is very dry, and fires that start can spread quickly, the Fire Danger Index is being upgraded to the “Moderate” category.

Emergency Management Director Bob Seivert says several weather systems will be passing through the area over the weekend. The resulting, shifting winds, will created problems with controlled burns . Seivert advises residents and land owners to develop a burn plan, and check the weather prior to lighting any controlled burns, as well as your local fire chief.

The next, scheduled update on the Fire Danger in Shelby County will be on Monday, April 8th.

The (podcast) weather forecast for Atlantic & the KJAN listening area from Freese-Notis, and weather data for Atlantic….

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401 AM CDT THU APR 4 2013

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

TODAY…MOSTLY SUNNY. HIGH AROUND 60. WEST WIND 5 TO 10 MPH.

TONIGHT…PARTLY CLOUDY. LOW IN THE LOWER 30S. NORTHEAST WIND 5 TO 10 MPH. GUSTS UP TO 20 MPH AFTER MIDNIGHT.

FRIDAY…PARTLY SUNNY. BREEZY. HIGH IN THE MID 60S. SOUTHEAST WIND 10 TO 15 MPH SHIFTING TO THE SOUTH 15 TO 25 MPH IN THE AFTERNOON.

FRIDAY NIGHT…MOSTLY CLOUDY. BREEZY…WARMER. LOW AROUND 50. SOUTH WIND 15 TO 20 MPH WITH GUSTS TO AROUND 35 MPH.

SATURDAY…PARTLY SUNNY. A SLIGHT CHANCE OF SHOWERS AND ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS IN THE MORNING. BREEZY. HIGH IN THE UPPER 60S. WEST WIND 10 TO 20 MPH. CHANCE OF PRECIPITATION 20 PERCENT.

SATURDAY NIGHT…PARTLY CLOUDY. LOW IN THE LOWER 40S.

SUNDAY…MOSTLY CLOUDY. A SLIGHT CHANCE OF SHOWERS AND ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS IN THE AFTERNOON. HIGH IN THE LOWER 60S. CHANCE OF PRECIPITATION 20 PERCENT.

SUNDAY NIGHT…MOSTLY CLOUDY WITH A 50 PERCENT CHANCE OF SHOWERS. LOW IN THE LOWER 40S.

MONDAY…MOSTLY CLOUDY WITH A 30 PERCENT CHANCE OF SHOWERS. HIGH AROUND 60.

The (podcast) Freese-Notis weather forecast for Atlantic and the KJAN listening area, and weather data for Atlantic from KJAN News Director Ric Hanson…

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400 AM CDT WED APR 3 2013

EARLY THIS MORNING…MOSTLY CLEAR. EAST WIND AROUND 5 MPH.

TODAY…MOSTLY SUNNY. HIGH IN THE MID 50S. SOUTH WIND 5 TO 15 MPH.

TONIGHT…MOSTLY CLEAR. LOW IN THE LOWER 30S. SOUTH WIND 5 TO 10 MPH.

THURSDAY…PARTLY SUNNY. HIGH AROUND 60. WEST WIND 5 TO 15 MPH.

THURSDAY NIGHT…PARTLY CLOUDY. LOW IN THE MID 30S. NORTHEAST WIND NEAR 10 MPH.

FRIDAY…PARTLY SUNNY. BREEZY. HIGH IN THE MID 60S. SOUTHEAST WIND 10 TO 20 MPH. GUSTS UP TO 30 MPH IN THE AFTERNOON.

FRIDAY NIGHT…MOSTLY CLOUDY WITH A 20 PERCENT CHANCE OF SHOWERS. BREEZY. NOT AS COOL. LOW IN THE UPPER 40S.

SATURDAY…MOSTLY CLOUDY WITH A 30 PERCENT CHANCE OF SHOWERS. HIGH IN THE MID 60S.

SATURDAY NIGHT…PARTLY CLOUDY. LOW IN THE UPPER 30S.

SUNDAY…PARTLY SUNNY WITH A 30 PERCENT CHANCE OF SHOWERS. HIGH IN THE MID 50S.

SUNDAY NIGHT…MOSTLY CLOUDY WITH A 40 PERCENT CHANCE OF SHOWERS. LOW IN THE UPPER 30S.

Here’s the Freese-Notis (podcast) weather forecast for Atlantic and the KJAN listening area, and weather data for Atlantic from KJAN News Director, Ric Hanson…

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Today: Mostly sunny. High in the upper 40s. North wind near 5 mph.
Tonight: Mostly clear. Low in the mid 20s. Northeast wind around 5 mph shifting to the southeast after midnight.

Wednesday: Mostly sunny. High in the mid 50s. South wind 5 to 15 mph.
Wednesday Night: Partly cloudy. Not as cool. Low in the mid 30s. South wind 5 to 10 mph.

Thursday And Thursday Night: Partly cloudy. High in the upper 50s. Low in the mid 30s.

Friday: Partly sunny. High in the lower 60s.
Friday Night: Partly cloudy with a 20 percent chance of rain. Not as cool. Low in the upper 40s.

Saturday: Mostly cloudy with a 30 percent chance of thunderstorms. High in the mid 60s.