DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — A U.S. Department of Agriculture weekly survey shows Iowa’s cropland is getting drier as most of the state sees little rainfall. The agency says 41 percent of topsoil had adequate or surplus moisture, down 8 percentage points from the previous week. An estimated 54 percent of subsoil was in the adequate to surplus range.

Iowa Agriculture Secretary Bill Northey notes that cooler weather was putting less stress on crops, but the lower temperatures have caused plants to develop more slowly. That comes amid a season in which crops already were far behind five-year averages.

The USDA found that corn conditions worsened slightly, with 5 percent rated very poor, 12 percent poor, 32 percent fair, 41 percent good and 10 percent excellent.

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

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EARLY THIS MORNING…MOSTLY CLOUDY. WARMER. SOUTH WIND AROUND 5 MPH.

TODAY…MOSTLY CLOUDY. ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS IN THE MORNING. HIGH IN THE MID 80S. SOUTHWEST WIND NEAR 10 MPH. CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS 20 PERCENT.

TONIGHT…PARTLY CLOUDY. LOW IN THE UPPER 60S. WEST WIND NEAR 5 MPH THROUGH MIDNIGHT BECOMING LIGHT.

TUESDAY...PARTLY SUNNY. A 40 PERCENT CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS IN THE AFTERNOON. HIGH IN THE UPPER 80S. SOUTH WIND NEAR 10 MPH.

TUESDAY NIGHT…PARTLY CLOUDY. THUNDERSTORMS LIKELY THROUGH MIDNIGHT…THEN A SLIGHT CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS AFTER MIDNIGHT. LOW IN THE MID 60S. SOUTH WIND NEAR 5 MPH SHIFTING TO THE NORTHWEST AFTER MIDNIGHT. CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS 60 PERCENT.

WEDNESDAY…PARTLY SUNNY. HIGH IN THE UPPER 70S. NORTH WIND 5 TO 10 MPH.

WEDNESDAY NIGHT AND THURSDAY…PARTLY CLOUDY. LOW IN THE UPPER 50S. HIGH IN THE UPPER 70S.

EARLY THIS MORNING…PARTLY CLOUDY. NORTHEAST WIND NEAR 5 MPH.

TODAY...PARTLY SUNNY. HIGH AROUND 80. SOUTHEAST WIND 5 TO 10 MPH.

TONIGHT…MOSTLY CLOUDY. A 20 PERCENT CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS OVERNIGHT. LOW IN THE MID 60S. SOUTH WIND NEAR 10 MPH.

MONDAY…PARTLY SUNNY. A 20 PERCENT CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS THROUGH MID MORNING. HIGH IN THE MID 80S. WEST WIND NEAR 5 MPH.

MONDAY NIGHT...PARTLY CLOUDY. LOW IN THE MID 60S. WEST WIND NEAR 5 MPH SHIFTING TO THE SOUTHEAST AFTER MIDNIGHT.

TUESDAY...PARTLY SUNNY WITH A 50 PERCENT CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS. HIGH IN THE UPPER 80S. SOUTH WIND NEAR 10 MPH.

TUESDAY NIGHT...PARTLY CLOUDY WITH A 50 PERCENT CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS. LOW IN THE MID 60S.

WEDNESDAY…PARTLY SUNNY WITH A 20 PERCENT CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS. HIGH IN THE UPPER 70S.

Skyscan Forecast 08/03/2013  Chris Parks

Today: Mostly sunny, with a high near 83. Northeast wind 5 to 10 mph.

Tonight: Partly cloudy, with a low around 59. Northeast wind 5 to 10 mph.

Sunday: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 80. Southeast wind 5 to 10 mph.

Sunday Night: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 65. Southeast wind 5 to 10 mph.

Monday: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly sunny, with a high near 83. Calm wind becoming south southwest around 5 mph in the afternoon.

Tuesday: A 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly sunny, with a high near 86.

Wednesday: A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly sunny, with a high near 81.

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

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EARLY THIS MORNING…MOSTLY CLOUDY WITH ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS. SOUTHWEST WIND NEAR 5 MPH. CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS 20 PERCENT.

TODAY…MOSTLY CLOUDY. SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS IN THE LATE MORNING AND AFTERNOON. HIGH IN THE LOWER 80S. SOUTHEAST WIND NEAR 10 MPH. CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS 30 PERCENT.

TONIGHT...MOSTLY CLOUDY. A 30 PERCENT CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS THROUGH MIDNIGHT. LOW IN THE LOWER 60S. NORTHEAST WIND 5 TO 10 MPH.

SATURDAY…PARTLY SUNNY. HIGH IN THE LOWER 80S. NORTHEAST WIND AROUND 10 MPH.

SATURDAY NIGHT…PARTLY CLOUDY. LOW AROUND 60. NORTHEAST WIND 5 TO 10 MPH.

SUNDAY…MOSTLY CLOUDY WITH A 20 PERCENT CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS. HIGH IN THE UPPER 70S. EAST WIND 5 TO 10 MPH.

SUNDAY NIGHT AND MONDAY…MOSTLY CLOUDY WITH A 20 PERCENT CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS. LOW IN THE LOWER 60S. HIGH IN THE LOWER 80S.

The Severe Storms Prediction Center in Norman, OK, has issued SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH #455 for the following counties in western Iowa: Harrison, Monona, Plymouth and Woodbury. The watch is in effect until 10-p.m. (8/1/13)

Last month was much cooler and drier than the typical July in Iowa. State Climatologist Harry Hillaker says the month started with some significant heat, but turned unusually cool over the last week. “Overall, temperatures for the month averaged about 1.2 degrees below normal,” Hillaker says. “It ranks as the 30th coolest July in 141 years of records.”

Many locations posted daily record low temperatures between July 28th and 30th. Here in Atlantic, the coldest and record-setting low temperature occurred on July 27^th, when we bottomed out at 41-degrees. Average low for the month was 58, whereas the normal average low is 63. The coldest temperature recorded over the month occurred last weekend when Battle Creek, in northwest Iowa, hit 39 degrees. “That’s the first time we’ve reached the 30s anywhere in Iowa in July in almost 30 years,” Hillaker says.

The highest recorded temperature last month was 98 degrees in Keokuk on July 19th. “That 98 at Keokuk is the highest temperature so far in the summer months this year in Iowa,” Hillaker says. “Oddly enough, it’s not the highest temperature of the calendar year. Way back on May 14th, Sioux City reached 106 degrees.” The hottest day in Atlantic, was 92 on July 17^th. The average high for the month was 85, which is just one degree shy of normal. Iowa has not reached triple digit temperatures this entire summer.

The statewide average rainfall total for July was 1.76 inches, making it the 9th driest July in state history. Hillaker says sections of north-central and south-central Iowa actually received above average rainfall, but most of the state received very little precipitation. At least one town, Carroll, posted a record dry July with just 18-hundredths of an inch of rain.

Atlantic was also very short on rain last month. We received just 13-hundredths of an inch of rain in July, but that did not break the record set last year, when just a trace of rain fell over the entire month in Atlantic. Normally, Atlantic receives 4.62-inches of rain during the month of July. Year-to-date, we’ve received 18.81-inches of precipitation (Jan.-July, including melted snowfall).

Not a single tornado touched down in Iowa last month. There have been 15 confirmed tornadoes in Iowa this year. That compares to 16 in all of 2012, which was the lowest tornado total in Iowa since 1953.

(Radio Iowa/KJAN weather records)

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

TODAY AND TONIGHT…

CHANCES FOR THUNDERSTORMS WILL INCREASE THROUGH THE DAY TODAY, WITH STORMS LIKELY TO BECOME MORE WIDESPREAD ACROSS THE AREA THIS EVENING THROUGH TONIGHT. THERE IS A SLIGHT RISK FOR SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS THIS AFTERNOON INTO TONIGHT…WITH DAMAGING WINDS AND LARGE HAIL THE MAIN RISKS. LOCALLY HEAVY RAINFALL IS ALSO POSSIBLE.

SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT EXPECTED.