Today:  Sunny, with an isolated shower and a high in the upper 80’s and light northeast winds.

Tonight:  Clear, with a low around 60.

Wednesday:  Sunny, with an isolated shower or storm, with a high around 88.

Wednesday Night:  Clear with a low around 65

Thursday:  Sunny isolated showers and storms with a high near 90

Friday:  Partly cloudy with a near 90.

Saturday and Sunday:  Partly cloudy with isolated showers and storms and a high in the low 90’s both days.

SKYSCAN FORECAST            Monday July 9, 2012               Harvey Freese

Today: Partly Sunny.  NE @ 5-10.  H upper 80’s.

Tonight: Clear.  L lower 60’s.

Tuesday: Sunny.  Light NE winds.  H 85.

Wednesday: Sunny.  Light E winds.  H upper 80’s.

Thursday: Sunny.  H 88.

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SKYSCAN FORECAST                     Saturday July 7, 2012  Chris Parks     

*HEAT ADVISORY from Noon to 8pm for MILLS, MONTGOMERY, FREMONT, PAGE Counties.

*EXCESSIVE HEAT WARNING for ADAMS, UNION, TAYLOR, RINGGOLD, and MADISON Counties until 7pm.

Today: Mostly Sunny.  Calm wind becoming N @ 5-10 this afternoon.  H 89.

Tonight: Partly Cloudy.  NNE @ 10.  L 70.

Sunday: Partly Sunny.  NE @ 10.  H 85.

Monday: Mostly Sunny.  NE @ 5-10.  H 85.

Tuesday: Sunny.  H 84.

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Here’s the Freese-Notis forecast for Atlantic and the KJAN listening area…

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Much of Iowa is in the midst of the state’s worst drought in 24 years. State Climatologist Harry Hillaker says Iowa’s rainfall totals over the last two months were less than half of normal amounts for May and June. “Probably the worst off area over that relatively short term would be in east-central and parts of northeastern Iowa,” Hillaker says. “Around Waterloo, Cedar Rapids, Quad Cities and Dubuque…those areas, in many cases, have maybe received 25-percent of normal rainfall over the past couple of months.”

In addition to the lack of rain, temperatures have been well above normal this spring and summer. The situation is similar to 1988 – the year of Iowa’s last major drought. “1988 is certainly the year that we’ve probably been comparing 2012 with the most often,” Hillaker says. “That particular summer was both unusually hot and unusually dry.” But, Iowa’s received nearly twice as much rain over the first half of this year compared to 1988. A report from the USDA this week found 73 percent of Iowa’s farm acres were either “short or very short” on subsoil moisture — that compares to just two-percent at this time last year. Hillaker says the recent heat wave is stressing crops even more.

“When temperatures are at 100 degrees or so, it basically results in evaporation rates roughly 25 to 30 percent higher than what would be the case if we had more normal temperatures, which at this time of year would be in the mid 80s,” Hillaker said. “It does make quite a bit of difference and dries things out much more rapidly than if we had moderate temperatures.” Monday’s USDA report rated 62-percent of Iowa’s corn as “good to excellent.” That compares to an 82-percent rating in Iowa at this time last year. Scattered showers and storms are in the weekend forecast and more normal temperatures, with highs in the 80s and overnight lows in the 60s, are expected Sunday and Monday.

(Radio Iowa)

315 AM CDT FRI JUL 6 2012 Nat’l. Weather Service/Des Moines

…EXCESSIVE HEAT WARNING IN EFFECT UNTIL 7 AM CDT SATURDAY…

TODAY…SUNNY. VERY HOT AND HUMID. HIGH AROUND 100. SOUTHWEST WIND 5 TO 15 MPH. HEAT INDEX READINGS 104 TO 109.

TONIGHT…MOSTLY CLEAR. LOW IN THE MID 70S. SOUTHWEST WIND 5 TO 10 MPH. HIGHEST HEAT INDEX READINGS 100 TO 104 THROUGH MIDNIGHT.

SATURDAY…MOSTLY SUNNY. HOT AND HUMID. HIGH IN THE LOWER 90S. NORTH WIND 5 TO 10 MPH. HIGHEST HEAT INDEX READINGS AROUND 100 IN THE AFTERNOON.

SATURDAY NIGHT…PARTLY CLOUDY THROUGH MIDNIGHT THEN BECOMING MOSTLY CLOUDY. LOW IN THE UPPER 60S. NORTHEAST WIND 5 TO 10 MPH.

SUNDAY…MOSTLY SUNNY. HIGH IN THE UPPER 80S. NORTHEAST WIND AROUND 10 MPH.

SUNDAY NIGHT AND MONDAY…PARTLY CLOUDY. LOW IN THE UPPER 60S. HIGH IN THE MID 80S.

331 AM CDT FRI JUL 6 2012

AREA COUNTIES: CRAWFORD-CARROLL-GREENE-AUDUBON-GUTHRIE-DALLAS-CASS-ADAIR-MADISON-ADAMS-UNION-TAYLOR-RINGGOLD….

…EXCESSIVE HEAT WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 7 AM CDT SATURDAY…

AFTERNOON HIGHS TODAY WILL ONCE AGAIN REACH THE UPPER 90S TO LOWER 100S…A FEW DEGREES WARMER THAN THURSDAY IN MANY LOCATIONS. HEAT INDEX VALUES WILL REACH THE 105 TO 110 DEGREE RANGE BY LATE THIS AFTERNOON. THE COMBINATION OF HOT TEMPERATURES AND HIGH HUMIDITY WILL CREATE A DANGEROUS SITUATION IN WHICH HEAT ILLNESSES ARE LIKELY.

AN EXCESSIVE HEAT WARNING MEANS THAT A PROLONGED PERIOD OF DANGEROUSLY HOT TEMPERATURES IS OCCURRING. DRINK PLENTY OF FLUIDS…STAY IN AN AIR-CONDITIONED ROOM…STAY OUT OF THE SUN…AND CHECK UP ON RELATIVES AND NEIGHBORS AND PETS.

TO REDUCE RISK DURING OUTDOOR WORK…THE OCCUPATIONAL AND HEALTH ADMINISTRATION RECOMMENDS SCHEDULING FREQUENT REST BREAKS IN SHADED OR AIR CONDITIONED ENVIRONMENTS. ANYONE OVERCOME BY HEAT SHOULD BE MOVED TO A COOL AND SHADED LOCATION. HEAT STROKE IS AN EMERGENCY – CALL 911.

COUNTIES: MONONA-HARRISON-SHELBY-POTTAWATTAMIE-MILLS-MONTGOMERY-FREMONT- PAGE…

329 AM CDT FRI JUL 6 2012

…EXCESSIVE HEAT WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 9 PM CDT THIS EVENING…

HEAT INDICES WILL CLIMB TO AROUND 105 DEGREES THIS AFTERNOON AS HIGH TEMPERATURES TOP OUT AROUND 100 DEGREES. THE COMBINATION OF HEAT AND HUMIDITY WILL BRING AN INCREASED RISK OF HEAT EXHAUSTION OR HEAT STROKE TO THOSE WORKING OR PLAYING OUTDOORS AND FOR THE VERY YOUNG AND ELDERLY.

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

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326 AM CDT THU JUL 5 2012 National Weather Service/Des Moines

…EXCESSIVE HEAT WARNING IN EFFECT UNTIL 7 AM CDT SATURDAY…

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

TODAY…MOSTLY SUNNY. HOT AND HUMID. HIGH IN THE UPPER 90S. SOUTHWEST WIND 5 TO 10 MPH. HEAT INDEX READINGS 103 TO 108.

TONIGHT…MOSTLY CLEAR. LOW IN THE MID 70S. SOUTH WIND AROUND 5 MPH. HIGHEST HEAT INDEX READINGS 100 TO 103 THROUGH MIDNIGHT.

FRIDAY…SUNNY. VERY HOT. HIGH AROUND 100. SOUTH WIND 5 TO 15 MPH. HEAT INDEX READINGS 102 TO 107.

FRIDAY NIGHT…PARTLY CLOUDY. LOW IN THE MID 70S. SOUTHWEST WIND 5 TO 10 MPH. HIGHEST HEAT INDEX READINGS 100 TO 103 THROUGH MIDNIGHT.

SATURDAY…MOSTLY SUNNY. HIGH IN THE MID 90S. NORTHWEST WIND 5 TO 10 MPH.

SATURDAY NIGHT…PARTLY CLOUDY. LOW IN THE LOWER 70S.

SUNDAY…MOSTLY SUNNY WITH A 20 PERCENT CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS. HIGH IN THE UPPER 80S.

SUNDAY NIGHT…MOSTLY CLOUDY WITH A 30 PERCENT CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS. LOW IN THE UPPER 60S.

…EXCESSIVE HEAT WARNING IN EFFECT UNTIL 7 AM CDT SATURDAY…

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN DES MOINES HAS ISSUED AN EXCESSIVE HEAT WARNING…WHICH IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 7 AM CDT SATURDAY. THE WARNING EXPIRES IN FAR WEST & SW IA AND PARTS OF FAR EASTERN NEBRASKA AT 9-P.M. FRIDAY. THE HEAT ADVISORY IS NO LONGER IN EFFECT.

HEAT INDICES OF 100 TO 110 DEGREES ARE EXPECTED THURSDAY AND FRIDAY AFTERNOON, AS HIGH TEMPERATURES CLIMB INTO THE UPPER 90S TO AROUND 100 DEGREES. HEAT INDICES WILL REMAIN IN THE 90S TO LOW 100S DURING THE EVENINGS RESULTING IN LITTLE RELIEF.

AN EXCESSIVE HEAT WARNING MEANS THAT A PROLONGED PERIOD OF DANGEROUSLY HOT TEMPERATURES WILL OCCUR. THE COMBINATION OF HOT TEMPERATURES AND HIGH HUMIDITY WILL COMBINE TO CREATE A DANGEROUS SITUATION IN WHICH HEAT ILLNESSES ARE LIKELY. DRINK PLENTY OF FLUIDS…STAY IN AN AIR-CONDITIONED ROOM…STAY OUT OF THE SUN… AND CHECK UP ON RELATIVES AND NEIGHBORS.

TO REDUCE RISK DURING OUTDOOR WORK…THE OCCUPATIONAL AND HEALTH ADMINISTRATION RECOMMENDS SCHEDULING FREQUENT REST BREAKS IN SHADED OR AIR CONDITIONED ENVIRONMENTS. ANYONE OVERCOME BY HEAT SHOULD BE MOVED TO A COOL AND SHADED LOCATION. HEAT STROKE IS AN EMERGENCY – CALL 911.