What in the Weather: Iowa Weather and Specialty Crops Update - April 16, 2026

• 00:00:13 - Intro and This Day in Iowa Weather History: Iowa weather history from April 16, 1967, including an F3 tornado, large hail, fatalities, and historic dust storms the next day.

• 00:02:10 - Short-Term Forecast: Discussion of severe weather risks through Friday, followed by cooler weekend temps with freeze potential Saturday night, transitioning to sunny, quiet conditions next week.

• 00:04:02 - Extended Outlook: 8-14 day forecast shows near-normal temps and leaning wet; 3-4 week leans cooler/wetter; initial May outlook neutral, hinging on late April patterns like West Coast ridging.

• 00:05:44 - Wind and Recent Events: Confirmation of elevated winds April 16-20 (gusts to 30 mph Saturday), recent severe weather (hail dominant in eastern Iowa), tornadoes (11 in north, 5 in east), temp extremes (89°F high, 20°F low), and heavy rain (top-5 wettest April in parts).

• 00:12:09 - Specialty Crop Impacts: Wind damage reports (chicken tractors, center pivots); proactive field prep at Sun Dog Farm (plastic mulch, straw paths); advanced phenology (garlic, strawberries blooming); Cornucopia Farm tunnel recovery and expansions.

• 00:18:20 - Fruit Crops Update (Randall Vos): Area-specific bud stages (peaches/plums past bloom, pears full bloom, apples pink tip, grapes swelling); low freeze concern at 32-33°F but watch low spots; damage signs (black pistils, black centers); variety hardiness notes.

Summary generated using perplexity.ai