When I'm wondering about weather folklore and historical events this is the man I go to. With more than 50 years of statistical and observational research, he's the dude! When it comes to lunar cycles, woolly bear caterpillars, insects, bugs, and animals, he tracks them, records them, and establishes ties to weather patterns. Only one person takes climatology to a level like this. His name is Steve Gottschalk by way of Lowden, Iowa. He's a knowledgeable and interesting man. I

Here we are saying a fond farewell to another August. For all intensive purposes summer is behind us and it felt like it Tuesday. A fresh NW wind, turquoise skies, temperatures in the 70s and low humidity made for a stellar day. Dew points were a big story going from the 70s Monday to the low to mid 50s Tuesday. Check these numbers out at mid-day Tuesday. In some places in far SE Iowa and NE Missouri dew points were more than 20 degrees cooler than 24 hours earlier! As you ca

The past few days have been unsettled over the central Midwest with a series of disturbances bringing showers and thunderstorms. The action was more centered on western sections Saturday but as the system chugged east the rains advanced with it. You can see the daily rainfall totals as tallied by the Iowa Flood Center. Saturday Sunday Monday Humidity was also a factor as available water levels soared to 2 inch plus level Sunday afternoon. Monday morning dew points were into t

Rain came to an end on Sunday, which including some strong storms in Illinois, and now more rounds are on the way to start the week. Here's the rainfall totals from Saturday night into Sunday morning: Some spots stayed dry, other areas got some beneficial rains. Now there's more rain coming but there's uncertainty on where it all sets up and when. The HRRR shows one round overnight into early Monday staying north of the area: The NAM is a bit different and shows the line exte

Rain began falling Saturday night and will continue into Sunday. Some spots have gotten a decent amount of rain and others haven't seen much at all. Showers and storms may fill in more overnight into early Sunday morning: There have already been Flash Flood Warnings in spots, especially north of Highway 20 where grounds are saturated. Some rain will continue through 2-4 pm on Sunday: Unfortunately it seems not everyone will benefit from the rain. Here's one model showing the