Cool Now...Spring Temperatures Late This Week

It just does not seem fair that we are dealing with the upper 30s to around 40 today after such a warm week last week. It was cool over the weekend...but by Friday we will flirt with 60 and then hit the 60s for the up-coming weekend. It should be a great start to April. Just a few chances for showers are in the forecast late tonight and early tomorrow. There may be a slight chance for flurries...but nothing sticking to the ground. The air is too dry to really allow more than a trace of precipitation through the week. I was sorry to be out of town during the severe weather last week. Here is a picture of a large portion of our tree that fell onto our fence in the backyard of our home. (Nice to start up the chainsaw on the day you get home from a family vacation.) Jeriann, Brett and Megan did a great job of keeping central Iowa safe. Next week is Severe Weather Awareness Week in Iowa. Here is a rundown of the information we will be passing along to you to keep you safe through the week. Thanks to the local National Weather Service for the details listed below. Severe Weather Awareness Week -- April 4-8, 2011 The Iowa Homeland Security and Emergency Management Division and the National Weather Service have declared the week of April 4th through April 8th, 2011 Severe Weather Awareness Week. Severe Weather Awareness Week is an annual event to remind Iowans that severe weather is part of living in our state and that understanding the risks and how to respond to them can save lives. During Severe Weather Awareness Week, the National Weather Service will promote severe-weather safety by issuing informative Public Information Statements. The highlight of the week will be the statewide tornado drill on Wednesday, April 6 2011. Tornado Test Details The FCC prohibits the use of live Emergency Alert System (EAS) warning codes for test messages. A waiver was granted by the FCC which authorizes the use of real TOR EAS/NOAA Weather Radio codes for the test. Therefore, the tornado warning test messages will be sent using the TOR code with the 1050 HZ tone alert on NOAA All Hazards Radio. 9:50 AM - Storm Prediction Center (SPC) coordinates with Iowa National Weather Service (NWS) offices about a test tornado watch for Iowa. 10:00 AM - SPC issues Test Tornado Watch for Iowa. Each Iowa WFO will issue test Watch Coordination Notification messages. Test watch will be toned and alerted on NOAA All Hazards Radio and sent through the Emergency Alert System (EAS). 10:10 AM - NWS Sioux Falls and Omaha issue test tornado warnings for their Iowa counties. 10:15 AM- NWS Des Moines and Quad Cities issue test tornado warnings for their Iowa counties. 10:20 AM - NWS La Crosses issues test tornado warning for their Iowa counties. 10:30-10:35 AM - All Iowa NWS offices issues a Severe Weather Statement to terminate the test warnings. 11:00 AM - Test tornado watch expires. If severe weather threatens on April 6th, the test will be conducted on April 7th at the same time. Severe Weather Awareness Week Daily Topics Monday - The focus on Monday will be flash flooding. Flash flooding is the most deadly thunderstorm threat in the United States. Never drive into a flooded area! On Tuesday will will discuss warning reception. Over the years, the ways to get hazardous weather warnings has changed. Today, we will focus on how to get a warning. Do you know how you get a warning? Wednesday - Today is tornado day. In 2008, 13 people died from this threat in Iowa. Do you know where the safest place is in your home or car? Thursday - This is severe thunderstorm day. Hundreds of severe thunderstorms hit Iowa each year. Did you severe thunderstorms can be as dangerous as tornadoes? Friday - Family Preparedness. Learn about family safety from natural and man made hazards. For additional information, check out our fact sheet. For additional severe safety information including links to the Iowa Homeland Security and Emergency Management's Be Ready Iowa!