Announcement: Moving to Eastern Iowa, Blog re opening soon

I am very excited to announce I will be moving to Eastern Iowa and I will be moving to the Cedar Rapids area. After visiting the city twice I've come to really like this area. I will be living in a Cedar Rapids Suburb called Hiawatha. I have been offered a job at the areas largest garden center, which is my primary reason for moving. I will be working on the landscape crew there for the rest of the growing season this year, then next year to learn that side then I would be put into my ideal position in their retail garden center next year full time, where I will be offering consultation and customer service. I did learn that there is the potienal for a long term career at this company.

Now that I have plans to move and have finally landed what will very likely eventually will become my ideal job ( or at least the right path), I will make preparations to re open the blog covering weather and garden for the Cedar Rapids area I will do this once I have settled into my new home and my new job.



Thankyou for all your long awaited patience


Blog owner

Derek McKay

Blog closed until further notice.

I am announcing that I am am officially shutting down my blog until further notice. Sudden life changes have required me to move out of Cresco and I will be moving to a new area. After everything in my life gets settled in a new area once again I will begin posting. My blog will likely begin to reflect more my horticultural side in the long term future.

Please bare with me during this difficult time

Thanks,


Blog owner


Derek McKay

4th of July weekend forecast. Sunny and pleasent through Saturday, next chance of storms Sunday

 Regional weather view

 For the 4th of July weekend we can expect a continuation of the pleasant weather we have been having over the past week. High pressure seen in the map above has been in control of our weather and will continue to be in control. For Southeastern Minnesota and Northeast Iowa we can expect Thursday through Saturday to be sunny with highs in the low to middle 80s. Expect Humidity will be increasing through the weekend. Sunday, later in the day is the next chance for thunderstorms as a stationary frontal boundary begins to make its way eastward bringing with it more humidity as well.



Independence Day: Sunny skies, light winds, highs in the lower to middle 80s. Thursday Night, Clear skies, lows in the middle 60s.

Friday, Sunny skies, breezy south winds gusting to 25MPH, highs in the middle 80s. Friday Night, Clear skies, lows in the upper 60s.

Saturday, Warm and humid, Sunny with breezy south winds to 25MPH, Highs in the mid to upper 80s. Saturday Night, Increasing clouds, lows in the lower 70s.

Sunday,  Warm and humid, scattered thunderstorms developing, some could be strong, highs in the middle to upper 80s. Sunday Night, A chance of scattered thunderstorms early, otherwise cloudy skies, lows in the lower 70s.

Wet start to next week.

Monday and Tuesday the chances for thunderstorms will increase with the frontal boundaries track eastward. Monday and Tuesday scattered storms will be abundant and cloudcover and high humidties will be the rule though day. Thunderstorms will develop and some could be strong to severe. Highs will quickly warm to the low to middle 80s with any sun that we see during the day.

More on this expected weather in future posts.



City of Cresco Fireworks display July 3rd 2013

Have a great and Happy 4th of July!

Beautiful Summer-like weather

Front yard gardens July 2nd 2013

The past couple of days have been beautiful across Northeast Iowa and Southeast Minnesota as high pressure from the north has taken over the weather. We've had sunshine, low humidity and high temperatures in the lower 80s. This dry steak will significant help out water logged soils, Unfortunately it came too late for most farmers to get corn crops planted, and estimated 40% of farmlands remains un planted. The currently dry streak will last through the Holiday week and even into the weekend. The only chance for rain will be coming from an isolated storm that map develop during the afternoon across the area.

Todays Almanac: Sunny skies prevailed throughout the day across the area. No rain was reported.


Cresco,Iowa High 81.F Low: 60.F

Charles City,Iowa High 81.F Low 61.F

Rochester,Minnesota High 80.F Low 60.F

Note to viewers:

I have been thinking about how I can make my blog more self sufficient and better while at the same time being different then most blogs out there. Now that I am graduated from college and working full time, I need to make the blog more able to update it's self and I will change the way I do things to more adapt to the more limited time I now have. Over the next few days I will continue to think of ideas for my blog.


Thanks,

Derek McKay

Howard County Fair Forecast!

Downtown Cresco June 25th 2013

Howard County Fair Forecast


The Howard County Fair is this week into the weekend from Wednesday the 26th through Sunday the 30th. The following is a weather you can expect for the fair activities. 

Fair goers can expect a fairly good end of the week for the fair with the expect of only 1 or 2 storm chances. Thunderstorm chances on Wednesday will give way to sunny skies for Thursday and Friday of the fair. It will be rather nice accept that the winds will be on the breezy side out of the northwest. Temperatures will be typical for this time of year with much lower dewpoints. Saturday has a chance for some rain in the form of showers and thunderstorms, but at this time the chance is somewhat low and it doesn't look like an all day rain. Temperatures will cool into the upper 70s with the cloudcover Saturday. Sunday it turns pleasant behind a cool front, skies will become sunny once again and temperatures will be pleasant and not to hot with highs in the mid to upper 70s

Wednesday: Thunderstorms in the morning then skies turning partly sunny, humid with high temperatures in the lower 80s. Wednesday Night, Cloudy skies, humid, lows in the middle 60s.

Thursday: Warm and Sunny, breezy northwest winds to 30MPH, highs in the mid 80s. Thursday Night: Clear skies, lows in the middle 60s.

Friday: Sunny skies, breezy northwest winds to 30MPH, highs in the lower 80s. Friday Night, increasing clouds, lows in the lower 60s

Saturday: Partly sunny with a chance of rain, Highs in the upper 70s. Saturday Night, Decreasing clouds with lows in the lower 60s.

Sunday: Sunny with light winds and pleasant temperatures in the middle to upper 70s. Sunday night, Clear skies, lows in the upper 50s to lower 60s.

  

June 21st bow echo, severe winds, hail and flooding. Minor wind damage and 1.00" hail seen at my location

Radar shot as storms moved thorough North Iowa June 21st 2013

A line of severe thunderstorms commonly called a now echo impacted the entire area early this morning and brought widespread strong winds, isolated spots of hail and torrential downpours and flash flooding across the local area. Thunderstorms first developed in South Dakota late Thursday afternoon and formed into a bow echo that crossed the state of Minnesota in a southeasterly direction from the Twin Cities area around 2am. Storms continued to follow a stationary front and by 5 to 6am the bow echo re cycled and strengthened as it moved into the local area, but especially after crossing the Iowa boarder where rich dew points in the lower 70s were seen storms were seen.

Cloud line from early morning storms June 21st 2013

The bow echo first enter the area in Olmstead, Dodge and Winona counties where it did spotty wind damage around Rochester and throughout the 3 counties. As the storms pasted Rochester they strengthened about the point where they reached Austin were spotters reported power outages and trees down. The storms crossed the boarder into Iowa, Here in Cresco, Iowa we had quarter sized hail and wind damage in the form of several medium sized 6-10" diameter branches down. The storm went on to produce wind damage around Decorah and flash flooding as well as locations father south and east before exiting our area shortly after 7am.

Hailstones June 21st 2013

Here in Cresco the storm was singled by very dark skies, dark enough for the city lights to turn back on as the storm approached. I could see a rolling cloud line with green skies behind it ( photo above) and as the line moved in winds began to pick up from the north. Strong north winds continued especially as the heavy rain came down. At this point in the storm a video can be seen below. I estimated the winds were around 50MPH then after 5-6 minutes or so, quarter sized hail began falling, some of the hailstones looked slightly larger then quarters making it the biggest hail I've personally seen. Torrential rain followed this hail heavy enough that it was difficult to see very far. Damage mostly in the form of several large branches could be seen down across the city including in my own lawn. Many of them snapped high up in the tree and did not fall


Video of the strong winds as the storm moved into Cresco,IA June 21st 2013

 Hailstone from my yard June 21st 2013

This hailstone is slightly large then a quarter. I kept this hailstone and put it in my freezer. The hail fell for about 1-2 minutes and quickly started to damage garden plants but it did not do much damage as it did not last long.

Tree limb snapped high up into a tree in my backyard June 21st 2013

Reports

Decorah,IA 3.00" of rain Flash Flooding Reported in the city

Decorah,IA Trees down

Genoa,MN Mud slide reported on highway 35

Rochester,MN quarter sized hail, Trees down in NW Rochester

Austin,MN Tree down on powerline causing power outages

Cresco,IA Tree limbs down, quarter sized hai

June 12th Severe Weather Report. Damaging Winds and large hail reported locally

Video of strong winds from a storm in New Hampton,IA June 12th.

Some residents of the area are dealing with damage from a round of severe thunderstorms that developed yesterday afternoon evening both in Southern Minnesota and across North Iowa. The cause of the severe weather was an usually strong low pressure system and stationary front which both were situated just south of our area. This along with muggy dewpoints in the 70s and a twist in the atmosphere was the perfect set up for an explosion of severe thunderstorms. Local NWS offices were so concerned a PDS ( partially dangerous situation ) tornado watch was issued for most of our area.

Region Reports

Across the region was a very active day not only for our area but several areas of the 2-3 state area. An area of the central part of Iowa had tornadoes including several close calls for a least 2 large Iowa Cities including the Waterloo-Cedar Falls and Dubuque areas, Luckily there were no touchdowns in those populated areas. One storm produced a tornado causing significant damage to the town of Belmond,IA where NWS employees will be surveying the damage today. Other tornadoes did major damage to residents near rural areas near Hampton.  Another line of severe thunderstorms produced significant wind and hail event for Southern Minnesota in the Mapleton Albert Lea Areas. Severe weather was also seen in Illinois and east at the same time as these rounds were going on. North Illinois including the Chicago metro dealt with high winds causing damage in that area.

 Storm in New Hampton looking southwest towards the strongest part of the storm towards Nashua.

Several storm complex moved through different areas at different times yesterday evening. Most of the tornadic activity stayed to our south as our area dealt with storms producing high wind hail and torrential downpours. One storm complex moved southeast out of Minnesota across southwestern parts of our area. Damage was reported in Charles City, I went to chase this storm and ended up in New Hampton where I saw high winds and heavy rain in the video above. The worst part of this storm pasted to my southwest. Other storms complexes developed some remained just torrential downpours and did not become severe, while others became severe. A storm that produced golf ball sized hail in Fillmore County Minnesota developed off the outflow boundry of storms developing in Howard and Winnishiek counties. A 3rd complex of damaging wind storms developed in North Central Iowa and produced another round of severe winds for southwestern parts of the area for the 2nd time this day. Nora Springs was the hardest hit towns yesterday with numerous trees and power lines reported down. Torrential rains from storms repeatedly going over the same areas coupled with an extremely wet spring caused major flooding of the Shell Rock River with numerous roads being reported washed out in the Nora Springs area with flooding concerns now being seen for the Charles City area

Local Storm Reports

5 miles S Whalan golf ball sized hail

Charles City, Trees down in the city

Nora Springs 59MPH measure wind gust

Nora Springs, Numerous trees and power lines down

Nora Springs-Flash Flood Numerous roads impassible or washed out, water to the top of the levee