(Radio Iowa) – Cedar Rapids marked the five-year anniversary today (Friday) of the derecho that did tremendous damage — including ripping away some two-thirds of its tree canopy. City officials planted a Bur Oak tree in Jones Park as part of the ceremony, which City ReLeaf coordinator Carole Teator says is a sign.

City Manager Jeff Pomeranz says they will continue the recovery effort.

More than 16-thousand trees have been planted on public land since the storm with the help of schools, businesses and countless volunteers. Teater says they’re ahead of schedule for their goal to plant 42-thousand-500 trees in total over ten years. The city has committed more than one million dollars to that goal.

Today (Day 1 of the Tournament of Champions golf event in Atlantic): **HEAT ADVISORY from 1-until 7-p.m.**Sunny, hot & breezy. A high near 93. Heat index values as high as 103. Winds South @ 15-25 mph.
Tonight: Partly cloudy, with a low around 73. South wind 5 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 25 mph.
Saturday (Day 2, T-of-C): Partly sunny w/a 30% chance of showers & thunderstorms, mainly before 1pm. A high near 85. North winds around 5-10 mph.
Sat. Night: Partly cloudy w/a  50% chance of showers & thunderstorms. A low around 68.
Sunday (Final day for the T-of-C): P/Sunny w/a 40% chance of showers & thunderstorms. High near 83.
Sun. Night: A 60% chance of showers & thunderstorms; Mostly cloudy. Low around 64.
Monday: P/Sunny w/a 30% chance of showers & thunderstorms, mainly before 1pm. A high near 80.

Thursday’s High in Atlantic was 83. The Low was 72. Last year on this date, the High in Atlantic was 76 and the Low was 49. The All-time Record High in Atlantic on Aug. 8th, was 111 in 1934. The Record Low was 39 in 1904. Sunrise: 6:21-a.m.; Sunset: 8:29-p.m.

Official NWS reports:

Atlantic (KJAN), .95″

Atlantic (7.1 miles N/NE), 1.01″

Creston, .62″

Council Bluffs, 1.60″

Dunlap, .43″

Earling, .68″

Elk Horn, .03″

Hastings, .91″

Massena, 1.07″

Missouri Valley, 1.14″

New Market, .75″

Thurman, .95″

Other, unofficial reports (from the public & area media):

SE of Bridgewater, 1.20″

(Additional reports will be posted as they become available)

Today: Isolated showers and thunderstorms before 9am. A few storms could produce brief, gusty winds; Mostly cloudy, then gradually becoming sunny, with a high near 90. South wind 10 to 15 mph.
Tonight: Partly cloudy, with a low around 73. South southeast wind around 10 mph.
Friday (Day 1 of the Tournament of Champions in Atlantic): Sunny & breezy, with a high near 93. Heat index values as high as 101. Winds South at 10-20 mph w/gusts to near 25.
Friday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 74. South wind 10-20 mph.
Saturday (Day 2 of the T-of-C): A slight chance of showers and thunderstorms, otherwise partly sunny, with a high near 86.
Sat. Night: Showers & thunderstorms likely, mainly after midnight. Low around 67.
Sunday (the final day of the T-of-C): Partly sunny w/a 40% chance of showers and thunderstorms. A high near 83.

Wednesday’s High in Atlantic was 85. The Low was 66. We received .95″ Wed. morning at KJAN, and a trace early this morning (a few sprinkles before 5-a.m.). Last year on this date, the High in Atlantic was 83 and the Low was 55. The All-time Record High in Atlantic on Aug. 7th, was 103 in 1937. The Record Low was 45 in 1989. Sunrise is at 6:20; Sunset will be at 8:31.

DES MOINES, Iowa –A devastating weather event, known as a derecho, struck Iowa on August 10, 2020. A line of severe storms extended more than 770 miles for 14 hours. Sustained winds lasted almost an hour over a large swath of Central and Eastern Iowa, causing catastrophic damage to structures, crops and trees. Communities across Iowa were left with a trail of destruction after the storm. Over the past five years, the Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) and Iowa communities have worked towards rebuilding and recovering the tree canopy lost in the destructive storm.

2020 Derecho Counties and FEMA Assistance

DNR’s new “5 Years of Derecho Recovery” interactive map highlights the impact, response and recovery to the August 2020 midwest derecho across Central and Eastern Iowa. Easily browse through stories, maps and videos detailing the severe damage and how Iowa DNR and partnering organizations helped communities recover and replace lost trees.

Explore the interactive map at https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/ba98113395d34a03a1b8bd348418bf2c.

Today: Partly sunny w/a 40% chance of showers & thunderstorms, mainly before noon. Some storms could be strong to severe, with damaging winds the primary threat. A high near 85. SW winds 10-20 mph. New rainfall amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible.
Tonight: Partly cloudy w/a 30% chance of showers & thunderstorms, mainly after midnight. A low around 69.
Tomorrow: Sunny, w/a slight chance of showers & thunderstorms before 7am. A high near 89. Winds S @ 10-20.
Tom. Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 72. South southeast wind around 10 mph, with gusts as high as 18 mph.
Friday: Sunny & breezy, with a high near 92.
Friday Night: A 20% chance of showers & thunderstorms after midnight. Low around 73.
Saturday: A 20% chance of showers & thunderstorms; Partly sunny, with a high near 88.

Tuesday’s High in Atlantic was 81. The Low was 59. Last year on this date, the High in Atlantic was 71 and the Low was 53. The All-time Record High in Atlantic on Aug. 6th, was 105 in 1930. The Record Low was 46 in 1974 & 1997. Sunrise is at 6:19; Sunset will be at 8:32.

(Radio Iowa) – Trees weren’t the only thing knocked down by the derecho that blew through Iowa last week. Gary Knight sells sweet corn at stands in Cedar Rapids and Marion, and tells K-C-R-G T-V he knew some of his corn would have damage. “You know I’m almost afraid to go look at the corn the next morning to see what happened,” Knight says. Over 60 mile and hour winds ripped through the farm, knocking down ten percent of Knight’s sweet corn. “The most vulnerable corn is the corn that’s just ready or ripe, and it has the heavy weight on it. So when it blows down, it’s not going to come back up again,” he says. Some of the corn from those fallen stalks is salvageable, but Knight says he can’t harvest the corn with a machine because of the damage and will have to use the old-fashioned method of picking.

“Go out there by hand, walk through it, bend over, pick them and get them in the wagon. So it’s just a whole lot more work, and hard to find people who’ll go out and do that,” Knight says. The farm lost a total of five acres from the storm that’s now been classified as a derecho. “I’m going to call it ‘monsoon weekend,” Knight says.

That loss of product means some stands are closed for now. As they work to pick up the damage and the crops he said they do still plan to have sweet corn available through September.

Today: Mostly sunny, with a high near 82. E/SE wind becoming S/SE at 5 to 10 mph this morning.
Tonight: A 10% chance of showers & thunderstorms after midnight; Partly cloudy. Low around 64.
Tomorrow: A 30% chance of showers & thunderstorms, mainly before 10am. Mostly cloudy, then gradually becoming sunny, with a high near 86. Winds South @ 10-20 mph.
Tom. Night: A 20% chance of showers & thunderstorms after midnight; Mostly clear, with a low around 69.
Thursday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 88.
Friday: Sunny, with a high near 91. Breezy.

Monday’s High in Atlantic was 79. Our Low this morning was 57. Last year on this date, the High in Atlantic was 94 and the Low was 63. The All-time Record High in Atlantic on Aug. 5th, was 111 in 1918. The Record Low was 42 in 1978. Sunrise is at 6:18; Sunset will be at 8:33.

Today: Partly sunny, with a high near 78. Calm wind becoming southeast 5 to 10 mph this morning.
Tonight: Partly cloudy, with a low around 58. East southeast wind around 5 mph.
Tomorrow: Mostly sunny, with a high near 82. Light southeast wind increasing to 5 to 10 mph in the morning.
Tom. Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 64. Southeast wind 5 to 10 mph.
Wednesday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 86.
Wed. Night: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms after 1am. Mostly clear, with a low around 69.
Thursday: Sunny, with a high near 90.

Sunday’s High in Atlantic was 73. Our Low this morning was 56. Last year on this date, the High in Atlantic was 94 and the Low was 65. The All-time Record High in Atlantic on Aug. 4th, was 110 in 1918. The Record Low was 38 in 1978. Sunrise is at 6:17; Sunset will be at 8:35.

Today: Partly sunny, with a high near 77. S/SE winds 5 to 10 mph.
Tonight: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 57.
Monday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 78. Wind becoming S/SE at around 5 mph in the morning.
Monday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 59.
Tuesday: Sunny, with a high near 83.
Tuesday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 64.
Wednesday: A slight chance of showers & thunderstorms, otherwise mostly sunny, with a high near 85.

Saturday’s High in Atlantic was 77. The Low was 53. Last year on this date, the High in Atlantic was 93 and the Low was 64. The Record High in Atlantic on August 3rd was 107 in 1930. The Record Low was 42 in 1907. Sunrise today: 6:15; Sunset tonight: 8:35.