Soaking Rain Will Squelch the Summer-Like Heat

With record breaking 90s, this was probably one of the warmest Memorial Day weekend's we've had in awhile.

Records fell in Des Moines, Mason City, and Atlantic on Sunday.

Iowa will simmer down from the sweltering heat before the pendulum swings the other way and a chilly, soaking rain moves into the state.

Our weekend storm makes a clean sweep of the US.

The storm system that brought us the wind all weekend will be blowing the remnants of tropical storm Beryl and some Gulf of Mexico humidity out to sea. A drier and cooler area of high pressure will settle in briefly before a storm system crashing onshore in the Pacific Northwest migrates to Iowa. Dry air will limit the storm to produce only increasing clouds Wednesday. Moisture eventually catches the storm and Thursday could be a real soaker.

Dry air will break up some of the moisture to our south. Gulf
of Mexico moisture is the chief source of rain-making humidity
for Iowa in the spring.

A steady, substantial rain would be a nearly perfect scenario for our farmers, but a horrible forecast for anglers and outdoors enthusiasts on Thursday. Our storm system will take on winter-time characteristics meanwhile it will have access to summer-time moisture. Steady light to moderate rain with occasional thunder will blanket most of the state almost the entire day and highs will struggle. Some folks will not break out of the 50s Thursday.

The heaviest rain will be in central and western Iowa.
Dry air will evaporate rain some of the rain in eastern Iowa.

Rainfall amounts could approach 2", but some of the moisture to our south has been scoured out by Beryl and the weekend storm so we probably will pick up less than the computers think. It's still a good bet we will see more than 0.5" to 1" for most folks.

My beautiful girlfriend Heather caught this 19" bass on a
crankbait over a submerged road-bed. This fish was caught at
high noon with low barometric pressure as the front passed.
Air temp: 85, Water Temp: 76, Depth 10ft, Sky: Clear

This summer I'll be focusing more on how weather affects fishing for the blog topics and I'd also like to shine the spotlight on local anglers. Tell me your fish story and what the weather was like when you caught him and I'll post it on the blog or I might even show it on TV. E-mail cconoan@myabc5.com and be sure to include your name, the picture and the weather conditions.

Annular Solar Eclipse May 20th 2012

The United States waited 18 years for an eclipse like what we saw May 20th 2012, and Iowans were lucky enough to see it.

A solar eclipse is pretty rare. The fact that it was visible is truly a miracle of coincidence.

Add to that the fact we had the rare fortune of one at sunset on a cloudless Iowa evening.

The moon's orbit lined up perfectly to block the sun for about one hour.

The first hint's of the eclipse came at around 7:30PM in central Iowa.

As the sun set, the Earth's atmosphere filtered the light into a brilliant red glow surrounding this phenomena making it easier for my camera to capture the show.

The whole event was captivating. Folks showed up in groups to watch one of the most interesting sunsets a person may ever see. Some even brought welder's masks to protect their eyes from the sun.

The Annular Solar Eclipse of 2012 gets its name from the Latin word for "little ring." Although Iowa only experienced a partial eclipse, some parts of the western US could see the sun limited to only a thin sliver of light surrounding the moon like a spectacular ring.

Eclipses evoke strikingly diverse reactions. Some are just fascinated, and others take things to the extreme. Last night a man left our group of eclipse watchers - also leaving behind his wife, daughter and possibly reality. For unknown reasons he decided to chase the setting eclipsed sun onto a busy interstate overpass balancing on a 4 inch concrete ledge 50 feet above busy traffic. Perhaps he was trying to get a better look, perhaps he was intoxicated. I only stayed long enough to make sure he got back safely and didn't ask any questions.

I have never witnessed anything as truly irresponsible as I did that night. It was an alarmingly random and uncomfortable end to a spectacular once-in-a lifetime sunset. By the grace of God it ended well for him, his family and all parties involved. But I can honestly say, I hope I never experience humanities' stupidity like that again.

Days are Numbered

The days are numbered for turkey hunters, but they could also be numbered for that big Tom. Especially if you can put the weather patterns on your side. High pressure, like the one we have overhead, can be one of your best allies on patterning a Tom. When the sun is shining and the air comfortable, turkeys can settle into a bit of a routine with little disruption from the weather. Use these days to the fullest!

Once the heat sets in, think cool. The black feathers absorb sunlight so turkeys often head for the shade of forested river valleys. Try to use small breaks in the jungle-like tangle of our mid-May flora rather than field edges to set up your decoy spread. Tilled fields, devoid of vegetation, can be 15-20 degrees hotter than surrounding forest or a green pasture. Old logging roads in the shade of Oak trees or savanna landscapes with old growth canopy and stunted undergrowth provide a cool umbrella of shade and the visibility a Tom needs to show off. These are great spots to stalk during the heat of the day.

The end of the season will feature a low pressure system moving in and bringing with it a chance for some strong storms. Saturday afternoon into Sunday morning a band of scattered showers and thunderstorms will form in western Iowa and then march across the state. When this line hits, it could shut activity down, especially if the storms are heavy in your hunting area.

It never fails. You clear your schedule for a time to hunt and there's a chance for storms. While it's never a good idea to be outside during a storm, I've seen Toms strut right through the rain up until the worst hits. If you decide to stay afield and endure the storm, listen for "shock gobbles." The sound of thunder can actually betray a Tom into giving up his location. If it's raining before daybreak and it doesn't look to let up until mid-morning, you might be better off hitting snooze and sneaking in right before the rain ends. Good luck!

Regime Shift in the Weather

You'll often hear us meteorologists talk about pattern changes in the weather forecast. Outdoorsmen and women are usually in-tune with those changes, and so is the game we pursue. Sometimes the shift is so stark it feels like we're in an entirely different climate from just one day to the next.

Our new weather pattern with a northerly flow favors cooler
and drier weather. We may still be above average, but it wont
be the summer-like heat we had last week.

We'll we've had more than just a pattern change from last week to this week, in fact I'll call it a "regime shift." As a result, our air currents are coming from entirely different parts of the country. Last week we had storms or storm chances just about every day. The culprit was the classic early-summer setup with a southwesterly jet stream flow at the upper levels of the atmosphere and tropical air with high humidity at the surface. Barometric pressure last week averaged out on the low side, and cloud cover was better than 50%.

These are fair weather cumulus. When these clouds are
 wider than they are tall, rain is not likely.

This week and even into next week, we'll see the opposite side of the Spring weather coin. The jet stream flow will be out of the northwest and the resulting air at the surface will be cooler and much drier. The 6-10 day outlook has cooler and drier Canadian air moving in about 80% of the forecast. This is one of the best times of the year to be outside. Comfortably cool nights and mild afternoons and low chances for rain leave little to complain about.

Cumulus that are taller than they are wide are unstable and
often are a classic sign of storms brewing. Once they become tall
and wide and begin to rain they are called cumulonimbus.

This is excellent news for 4th Season Turkey hunters! Blue sky high pressure systems with comfortable temperatures are dynamite systems for strutting toms. I have always had great luck calling and sighting these old birds under high pressure. So don't try to use the weather as an excuse, get out and good luck!