TODAY…MOSTLY CLOUDY UNTIL LATE AFTERNOON THEN BECOMING MOSTLY SUNNY. AREAS OF FOG THROUGH MID MORNING. HIGH IN THE MID 70S. SOUTH WIND 5 TO 15 MPH.

TONIGHT…PARTLY CLOUDY. LOW IN THE UPPER 50S. SOUTH WIND NEAR 10 MPH.

WEDNESDAY…MOSTLY SUNNY. A 20 PERCENT CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS IN THE AFTERNOON. BREEZY. HIGH AROUND 80. SOUTH WIND 10 TO 20 MPH.

WEDNESDAY NIGHT…THUNDERSTORMS LIKELY. LOW IN THE UPPER 40S. SOUTHWEST WIND 5 TO 10 MPH SHIFTING TO THE NORTHWEST AFTER MIDNIGHT. GUSTS UP TO 20 MPH. CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS 70 PERCENT.

THURSDAY…CLOUDY WITH SHOWERS LIKELY IN THE MORNING…THEN PARTLY SUNNY WITH A CHANCE OF SHOWERS IN THE AFTERNOON. BREEZY. MUCH COOLER. HIGH IN THE LOWER 50S. NORTH WIND 15 TO 20 MPH WITH GUSTS TO AROUND 30 MPH. CHANCE OF SHOWERS 70 PERCENT.

THURSDAY NIGHT…PARTLY CLOUDY. COLDER. LOW IN THE LOWER 30S.

FRIDAY AND FRIDAY NIGHT…MOSTLY CLOUDY. HIGH IN THE MID 40S. LOW IN THE UPPER 20S.

Fire stations and other entities in Shelby County can change their Fire Danger placards to “Low,”from now through Thursday. Emergency Management Coordinator Bob Seivert says with recent rain and the moist conditions,  and the likelihood of more rain this week, the danger of grassland and field fires is low.

24-hour rainfall in Atlantic (ending at 7-a.m. today), was .21″ at the KJAN studios, the official National Weather Service reporting site for Atlantic. The rain began early this morning, and ended just after 6:30-a.m. Other, unofficial rainfall totals include: 1″ near Oakland; .94″ Villisca; .75″ in Emerson; and, .50″ near Essex. Other locations received anywhere between two- and three-tenths of an inch of rain.

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

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An expert with Iowa State University Extension is warning that this year’s drought is so severe, recovery may be years away. Cathann Kress is calling the drought a “super slow-motion disaster.” Kress says Iowa crops pulled what little moisture there was out of the ground this year and that moisture won’t come back anytime soon. “It takes so long for the subsoil moisture to rebuild, so if we look at the other droughts like this – there’s been three others in this century…they all took three years to fully recover from,” Kress said.

As much as 18 inches of precipitation is needed to fully recharge Iowa subsoils, according to Kress. That’s not likely to before next Spring. “The average (precipitation) between October and April is about 12 inches, so even if we hit average – which most models show we won’t – but even if we hit average, we’d be below what it is we’re predicting that we need,” Kress said.

Kress was at the statehouse last week and warned lawmakers it’s hard to estimate the economic impact of the drought, as well as the effects on state tax receipts.

(Radio Iowa)

352 AM CDT MON OCT 22 2012/Nat’l. Weather Service – Des Moines

EARLY THIS MORNING…PERIODS OF THUNDERSTORMS. WARMER. SOUTHEAST WIND 5 TO 10 MPH. CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS NEAR 100 PERCENT.

TODAY…CLOUDY. ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS IN THE MORNING. HIGH IN THE MID 70S. SOUTH WIND 5 TO 10 MPH. CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS 20 PERCENT.

TONIGHT…MOSTLY CLOUDY. AREAS OF FOG AFTER MIDNIGHT. LOW IN THE UPPER 50S. SOUTHWEST WIND NEAR 10 MPH.

TUESDAY…PARTLY SUNNY. HIGH IN THE UPPER 70S. SOUTH WIND 5 TO 15 MPH.

TUESDAY NIGHT AND WEDNESDAY…PARTLY CLOUDY. BREEZY. LOW IN THE LOWER 60S. HIGH AROUND 80. SOUTH WIND 5 TO 20 MPH WITH GUSTS TO AROUND 30 MPH. NEAR RECORD HIGH TEMPS POSSIBLE ON WEDNESDAY.

WEDNESDAY NIGHT...MOSTLY CLOUDY WITH A 40 PERCENT CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS. LOW IN THE MID 50S.

THURSDAY…MOSTLY CLOUDY WITH A 40 PERCENT CHANCE OF SHOWERS. MUCH COOLER. HIGH IN THE UPPER 50S.

SKYSCAN FORECAST           SATURDAY OCTOBER 20, 2012     CHRIS PARKS

Today: Patchy Fog Early.  Mostly Sunny.  Calm becoming S@ 5-10.  H 62.

Tonight: Partly Cloudy.  SSE @ 5-10.   L 46

Sunday: Mostly Sunny. S @ 10-15.  H 78.

Monday: Chance Showers and T’storms. Mostly Cloudy.  Light ESE.  H 71.

Tuesday: Mostly Sunny. H 74.

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The effects of a hot, dry and windy summer are finally coming to an end, it appears. Three more counties in the KJAN listening are rescinding their bans on open burning, as a result. Effective at Noon today (Friday, Oct. 19th), the Burn Ban in Page and Audubon Counties will no longer be in effect. Those bans had been in-place since July 19th. And, Montgomery County Emergency Management Coordinator Brian Hamman announced on his department’s Facebook page, that the Burn Ban which had been in place since July 18th, will be rescinded effective at 5-p.m. today (Friday). After today’s bans expire, only Cass, Crawford and Mills Counties will remain in a Burn Ban.

Clarinda Police Chief Keith Brothers reminds residents that even though the ban on open burning is rescinded in Page County, the City of Clarinda’s Recreational Fire Ordinance and other burn related laws, remain in effect.

The Shelby County Emergency Management Agency said today (Friday), that the Fire Danger Index in Shelby County will remain in the “Moderate” category, through Monday morning, Oct. 22nd. The field and grassland fire danger conditions will be reassessed at that time, and another report issued accordingly.

Another County in southwest Iowa is seeing a ban on open burning instituted over the summer, rescinded. Clarinda Police Chief Keith Brothers says the burn ban in Page County is being lifted effective at Noon today (Friday, October 19th). Brothers reminds residents that the City of Clarinda’s Recreational Fire Ordinance and other burn related laws, remain in effect.