Emergency Management Coordinator Bob Seivert reports the Fire Danger Index in Shelby County will remain in the “Low” category through Monday. Seivert noted the current rain and the moist field conditions as reasons the danger of grassland and field fires is low. He cited also, the fact the there are currently no bans on open burning anywhere in southwest Iowa.

COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa (AP) – Council Bluffs officials say the Missouri River flooding last year will cost the city about $4.5 million. Finance director Art Hill  says the city’s total estimated cost for dealing with the 2011 flooding is expected to be $19.4 million. The city’s portion includes its required 15 percent share of costs eligible for federal assistance, as well as $1.9 million in costs that were not eligible for assistance. The state and federal governments are paying the rest of the bills.

The costs include infrastructure repairs, debris removal and the purchase and demolition of structures damaged by high water. Hill says Council Bluffs won’t have to raise taxes to pay flood bills, because the money will come from what he says is the city’s healthy general fund.

Showers and thunderstorms rumbled through western Iowa early this morning, ahead of a cold front making its way through the state. In  Atlantic, our 24-hour rainfall total at 7-a.m. amounted to seven-tenths (.7″) of an inch at the KJAN studios. The temps began to fall as well as the rain, with a 5-degree decline between 5-and 7-a.m. The 24-hour high was 78-degrees, while the 24-hour low at 7-a.m., was 46.

Other area rainfall amounts reported as of 7-a.m., include: .33″ in Massena; .2″ in Lyman; .9″ just east of Oakland; .94″ southwest of Avoca; A spotter near Malvern reported .75″ of rain; Villisca had .19″; Shenandoah .2″; Red Oak .25″; N. of Marne 1.3″

If you have a rain amount you’d like to report, give us a call at 1-800-283-5526.

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

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345 AM CDT THU OCT 25 2012

TODAY…CLOUDY WITH RAIN LIKELY AND ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS THROUGH MID MORNING…THEN CLOUDY WITH RAIN SHOWERS LIKELY AND ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS BEFORE NOON. PARTLY SUNNY IN THE AFTERNOON. BREEZY. MUCH COOLER. HIGH IN THE MID 40S. NORTHWEST WIND 15 TO 25 MPH WITH GUSTS TO AROUND 40 MPH. CHANCE OF PRECIPITATION 70 PERCENT.

TONIGHT…MOSTLY CLEAR. COLDER. LOW IN THE UPPER 20S. NORTHWEST WIND 5 TO 15 MPH. GUSTS UP TO 35 MPH THROUGH MIDNIGHT.

FRIDAY…MOSTLY SUNNY. HIGH IN THE UPPER 40S. NORTH WIND 5 TO 10 MPH.

FRIDAY NIGHT…PARTLY CLOUDY. LOW IN THE MID 20S. NORTH WIND NEAR 10 MPH.

SATURDAY…MOSTLY SUNNY. HIGH IN THE UPPER 40S. SOUTH WIND NEAR 10 MPH.

SATURDAY NIGHT THROUGH TUESDAY…MOSTLY CLOUDY. LOW IN THE MID 30S. HIGH IN THE LOWER 50S.

**A DENSE FOG ADVISORY IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 10-A.M.**

Today: Mostly cloudy in the morning then becoming partly sunny. Areas of dense fog through mid morning. Isolated thunderstorms late in the afternoon. Breezy. High around 80. South wind 10 to 20 mph. Chance of thunderstorms 20 percent.

Tonight: Periods of thunderstorms. Cooler. Low in the mid 40s. West wind near 10 mph shifting to the northwest after midnight. Gusts up to 25 mph. Chance of thunderstorms near 100 percent.

Thursday: Cloudy with showers likely in the morning…then partly sunny in the afternoon. Breezy. Much cooler. High around 50. Northwest wind 15 to 20 mph with gusts to around 30 mph. Chance of showers 60 percent.

Thursday Night: Partly cloudy. Colder. Low in the upper 20s. North wind 10 to 15 mph.

Friday: Mostly sunny. High in the upper 40s. North wind around 10 mph.

Friday Night: Partly cloudy. Low in the mid 20s.

Saturday Through Sunday Night: Mostly cloudy. High in the upper 40s. Low in the lower 30s.

357 AM CDT WED OCT 24 2012

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN DES MOINES HAS EXPANDED A DENSE FOG ADVISORY…WHICH IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 10 AM CDT THIS MORNING, TO INCLUDE CASS, ADAIR, ADAMS AND TAYLOR COUNTIES. VISIBILITIES OF LESS THAN ONE QUARTER OF A MILE IS EXPECTED. IMPROVEMENT IS EXPECTED BY MID MORNING AS DAYTIME HEATING INCREASES. TRAVEL WILL BE DIFFICULT DUE TO REDUCED VISIBILITY. PERSONS WILL NEED TO EXERCISE CAUTION AND ALLOW EXTRA TIME TO REACH THEIR MORNING DESTINATION SAFELY.

COUNTIES IN IOWA: POTTAWATTAMIE-MILLS-MONTGOMERY-FREMONT-PAGE  330 AM CDT WED OCT 24 2012

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN OMAHA/VALLEY HAS ISSUED A DENSE FOG ADVISORY, WHICH IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 10 AM CDT THIS MORNING. GENERALLY VISIBILITIES WILL RANGE FROM A QUARTER TO A HALF MILE, BUT AT TIMES COULD BE DOWN TO A FEW HUNDRED FEET.

THE FOG WILL MAKE DRIVING DIFFICULT. MOTORISTS SHOULD USE CAUTION AND USE LOWER SPEEDS. IN ADDITION THE FOG WILL MAKE PEDESTRIANS DIFFICULT TO SEE. IF DRIVING…SLOW DOWN… USE YOUR HEADLIGHTS…AND LEAVE PLENTY OF DISTANCE AHEAD OF YOU.

A DENSE FOG ADVISORY IS ALSO IN EFFECT UNTIL 9-A.M. WED., FOR CRAWFORD-CARROLL-AUDUBON AND GUTHRIE COUNTIES. 

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

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Despite recent rains, reservoirs on the Missouri River are dropping as drought persists and low water levels will translate to higher electric rates for some Iowans. The Western Area Power Administration is responsible for selling power from hydroelectric dams on the river and WAPA spokesman Randy Wilkerson says they’re watching water levels carefully. “Right now, we know that water levels in the reservoirs are low and we’re anticipating less than normal generation over the winter and into the coming year,” Wilkerson says.

The agency delivers power to several rural electric co-ops and municipalities in Iowa and in 14 other states. Wilkerson says WAPA easily met its power projections during last year’s historic flooding on the Missouri. “Everybody had more than enough water and we had excess generation that we could actually sell on the open market,” he says. “This year, if we have less than normal generation, we’ll have to be out on the open market purchasing some power in order to make up our contracts.”

Wilkerson says while WAPA will meet its power contract obligations, they will likely come at an added cost. “It gets built into the rates somewhere along the line,” he says. “We do have a drought adder that periodically takes a look at the rates and identifies how much costs are due to drought or low water levels, so absolutely, yes, ultimately, it gets built into the rates.”

Last year, WAPA delivered more than 42-billion kilowatt hours of electricity to its service areas.

(Radio Iowa)