What in the Weather?

3/25/26 - Dry now, wetter starting next week. Our 100th episode!


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Episode Summary

00:00:08 – 1907 Iowa weather history: record 92°F March heat, followed by volcanic eruption–driven spring cooling

00:01:31 – New March 2026 heat record: Little Sioux hits 97°F, breaking the all‑time Iowa March temperature record and surpassing previous 92°F marks from 1907 and 1986.

00:03:37 – This week's forecast: small rain chance Thursday, brief freeze Friday night, then temperatures rebounding into 70s–80s with a more active pattern and storm chances late next week.

00:04:48 – Mesoscale vs. synoptic systems: how models handle uncertainty, why forecasts "oscillate" several days out, and what that means for multiple‑day rain and severe weather threats.

00:07:03 – 7‑day QPF and early April outlooks: light northwest to heavier southeast Iowa rain gradients, plus warmer‑wetter Climate Prediction Center outlooks hinting at more thunderstorms.

00:08:56 – April patterns, wind, and frost risk: why April is Iowa's windiest month, how high‑amplitude ridges/troughs can still bring freezes amidst hot spells, and thoughts on planting timing vs. last frost dates.

00:12:57 – Recent extremes recap: details on the recent blizzard with 70 mph gusts, interstate closures, and the rapid flip to record March heat across Iowa and neighboring states.

00:14:29 – Severe Weather Awareness Week: overview of Storm Prediction Center convective outlook categories (marginal to high), the new "conditional intensity" layer, and how hatching now signals potential for violent tornadoes.

00:19:14 – Specialty crop planning: why growers may want to do spring tillage early ahead of a wetter, more active April while still being cautious about planting frost‑tender crops too soon.

00:20:16 – Recent crop impacts: damage to overwintered green onions in low tunnels, contrasting resilience of bulb onions and spinach, and low‑tunnel disease issues like sclerotinia in flowers after rapid warmups.

00:23:28 – Greenhouse tomato disease update: significant Tomato Spotted Wilt Virus losses in Red Deuce, and strong recommendations to switch to TSWV‑resistant tomato varieties despite good yield potential of Red Deuce.

00:24:26 – Mechanical weed control field days: University of Minnesota's free, on‑farm mechanical weeding workshops (starting May 27 at Featherstone Farm) featuring cultivating tractors, tools, hands‑on demos, and peer learning for vegetable growers.

Summary generated using perplexity.ai

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What in the Weather?By Dan Fillius; Justin Glisan; Madelynn Wuestenberg