(Updated 3:57-a.m, Nat’l. Weather Service/Des Moines)

Today: A 20 percent chance of snow before 1pm. Cloudy, with a high near 16. Wind chill values as low as zero. East northeast wind around 7 mph.
Tonight: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 3. Wind chill values as low as -10. East southeast wind around 6 mph.

Thursday: Mostly cloudy, with a high near 24. Wind chill values as low as -5. South wind 6 to 11 mph.
Thursday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a temperature falling to near 21 by 9pm, then rising to around 27 during the remainder of the night. South wind 8 to 11 mph.

Friday: A chance of snow and sleet before noon, then rain and sleet likely between noon and 3pm, then rain and snow likely after 3pm. Cloudy, with a high near 34. South wind 5 to 10 mph becoming west southwest in the afternoon. Chance of precipitation is 70%. Little or no snow accumulation expected.
Friday Night: A 30 percent chance of snow before midnight. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 22.

Saturday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 37.

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

…WIND CHILL ADVISORY IS CANCELLED…

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN DES MOINES HAS CANCELLED THE WIND
CHILL ADVISORY.

WINDS HAVE DIMINISHED AND TEMPERATURES HAVE WARMED TO ALLOW WIND
CHILLS TO IMPROVE ACROSS THE AREA. WIND CHILLS WILL REMAIN IN THE
5 BELOW TO 15 BELOW RANGE FOR THE NEXT FEW HOURS BEFORE RISING
ABOVE ZERO BY MID DAY.

The Freese-Notis weather forecast for Atlantic & the KJAN listening area, along with weather information for Atlantic, from KJAN News Director Ric Hanson.

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

357 AM CST TUE JAN 7 2014

…WIND CHILL ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 9 AM CST THIS MORNING…

* WIND CHILL VALUES…WIND CHILLS VALUES OF 15 BELOW TO 25 BELOW WILL CONTINUE THROUGH MID MORNING.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS…

A WIND CHILL ADVISORY MEANS THAT VERY COLD AIR AND STRONG WINDS WILL COMBINE TO GENERATE LOW WIND CHILLS. THIS WILL RESULT IN FROST BITE AND LEAD TO HYPOTHERMIA IF PRECAUTIONS ARE NOT TAKEN. IF YOU MUST VENTURE OUTDOORS…MAKE SURE YOU WEAR A HAT AND GLOVES.

347 AM CST TUE JAN 7 2014

…WIND CHILL ADVISORY IN EFFECT UNTIL 9 AM CST THIS MORNING…

TODAY…PARTLY SUNNY. VERY COLD. HIGH 15 TO 20. SOUTHWEST WIND NEAR 10 MPH. LOWEST WIND CHILL READINGS 15 TO 20 BELOW IN THE MORNING.

TONIGHT…MOSTLY CLOUDY. A SLIGHT CHANCE OF SNOW AFTER MIDNIGHT. A CHANCE OF SNOW EARLY IN THE MORNING. NOT AS COLD. LOW ZERO TO 5 ABOVE. NORTH WIND NEAR 5 MPH. CHANCE OF SNOW 30 PERCENT.

WEDNESDAY…CLOUDY. A CHANCE OF SNOW IN THE MORNING…THEN A SLIGHT CHANCE OF SNOW EARLY IN THE AFTERNOON. HIGH AROUND 15. NORTHEAST WIND 5 TO 10 MPH. CHANCE OF SNOW 50 PERCENT.

WEDNESDAY NIGHT…CLOUDY. LOW ZERO TO 5 ABOVE. EAST WIND AROUND 5 MPH.

THURSDAY…MOSTLY CLOUDY. HIGH IN THE MID 20S. SOUTH WIND 5 TO 10 MPH.

THURSDAY NIGHT…CLOUDY. NOT AS COLD. LOW IN THE LOWER 20S.

FRIDAY…CLOUDY. A CHANCE OF SLEET IN THE MORNING…THEN A CHANCE OF RAIN AND SLEET IN THE AFTERNOON. HIGH IN THE MID 30S. CHANCE OF PRECIPITATION 40 PERCENT.

HARRISON-POTTAWATTAMIE-MILLS-MONTGOMERY-PAGE-COUNTIES...

...WIND CHILL ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL MIDNIGHT CST
TONIGHT...

* WIND CHILL VALUES...WIND CHILLS WILL AVERAGE 20 TO 25 BELOW
  INTO THIS EVENING.

* WINDS...WIND SPEEDS SHOULD AVERAGE 15 TO 20 MPH THROUGH THE LATE
  AFTERNOON BUT BEGIN TO DIE DOWN TO 10 MPH OR LESS DURING THE
  EVENING.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

A WIND CHILL ADVISORY MEANS THAT VERY COLD AIR AND STRONG WINDS
WILL COMBINE TO GENERATE LOW WIND CHILLS. THIS WILL RESULT IN
FROST BITE AND LEAD TO HYPOTHERMIA IF PRECAUTIONS ARE NOT TAKEN.
IF YOU MUST VENTURE OUTDOORS...MAKE SURE YOU WEAR A HAT AND
GLOVES.

...WIND CHILL ADVISORY IN EFFECT UNTIL 9 AM CST TUESDAY...
...WIND CHILL WARNING IS CANCELLED...

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN DES MOINES HAS ISSUED A WIND
CHILL ADVISORY...WHICH IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 9 AM CST TUESDAY. THE
WIND CHILL WARNING HAS BEEN CANCELLED.

* TEMPERATURES/WIND CHILL VALUES...TEMPERATURES WILL FLUCTUATE
  SOMEWHAT INTO THE NIGHT BUT GENERALLY REMAIN IN THE SINGLE
  DIGITS BELOW ZERO. THIS WILL OFTEN PRODUCE WIND CHILLS BETWEEN
  20 BELOW AND 30 BELOW ZERO.

* IMPACTS...EXTREME WIND CHILLS OF THIS MAGNITUDE CAN RESULT IN
  FROST BITE IN MINUTES AND LEAD TO HYPOTHERMIA OR DEATH IF
  PRECAUTIONS ARE NOT TAKEN.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

A WIND CHILL ADVISORY MEANS THAT VERY COLD AIR AND STRONG WINDS
WILL COMBINE TO GENERATE LOW WIND CHILLS. THIS WILL RESULT IN
FROST BITE AND LEAD TO HYPOTHERMIA IF PRECAUTIONS ARE NOT TAKEN.
IF YOU MUST VENTURE OUTDOORS...MAKE SURE YOU WEAR A HAT AND
GLOVES.

A Wind Chill Warning remains in effect until Noon Tuesday for most counties in the KJAN listening area. The exceptions are Mills and Shelby Counties, where the Warning will be replaced at 3-p.m. today by a Wind Chill Advisory, which will be in effect until Midnight.  A Wind Chill Advisory also replaces the Wind Chill Warning for Harrison, Pottawattamie, Mills, Montgomery, Fremont and Page Counties. That advisory will also be in effect until Midnight.

Wind Chills near -30 can be expected across western and southwest Iowa through this afternoon, with wind chills of 20- to 25-degrees below zero through about midnight, as the winds begin to die down.

Frost bite and hypothermia are still possible with prolonged exposure to the bitterly cold conditions. Make sure you wear a hat and gloves if you must venture outside.

As some of the coldest weather in years continues to hold the state in its icy grip, a word of caution that the bitter temps can bring real dangers. Kurt Kotenberg with the National Weather Service says while some may shrug it off as “winter happens,” this goes well beyond that.“Basically, this is the coldest air that Iowa has seen in the past 20 years, and so kind of the ‘Oh, it’s Iowa. It gets cold in January. It happens all the time?’ No, it doesn’t. This is a pretty rare event.”

The forecast for today calls for highs statewide below freezing and a wind chill warning is in effect. Dozens of schools have canceled classes today because of the extreme cold. Emergency room doctor Jeffrey Sather says when it gets this cold, frostbite becomes a real possibility and with prolonged exposure, the risk moves to hypothermia, which can lead to confusion, unconsciousness and even death. Sather says that’s why it’s vital to have a winter-survival kit in your car, with a complete change of clothes, nonperishable food and a heat source.

“Some matches, lighter, a Sterno-type fuel source (should) provide just enough heat to have someone survive overnight if they would be stranded. And you should always be prepared, especially if you live in a rural area, because you never know when that could happen. And if you’re on a rural road, even a mile is too far to have to walk if the temperatures are dropping down to very cold temperatures.”

According to the C-D-C, there are about 1,300 deaths in the U-S each year associated with exposure to excessive cold, and two-thirds of the victims are men.

(Iowa News Service)

The Freese-Notis weather forecast for Atlantic & the KJAN listening area, along with weather information for Atlantic, from KJAN News Director Ric Hanson.

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