Weather Forecast & Outlook:

• Alberta Clipper brings nose dive in temperatures with wind chills in negative teens to negative 20s
• Quiet storm track ahead with possible flurries Saturday night
• December outlook: below normal temperatures for entire state, slightly below normal precipitation for southern/western Iowa

Recent Weather Highlights:

• Recent snowstorm (8.5" statewide average) makes November rank as 5th snowiest on record
• Fort Dodge recorded up to 16.5 inches of snow
• November and fall 2025 both ran about 3-4°F above average
• 7th warmest fall in 153 years of record

Specialty Crop Impacts:

• Managing overwintered greens in high tunnels during frigid temperatures - use supplemental heat, and internal covers
  • When growing greens for overwintering in warm fall weather, aggressively vent tunnel warmth to slow crop growth.
• Strawberry mulching timing and techniques - wait for dormancy (several nights around 20°F) before applying straw or row cover

This Day in Weather History:

• December 2-3, 1990: Major snowstorm dropped 6-15" across Iowa with blizzard conditions
• Winds gusted to 69 mph at Cresco
• University of Iowa bubble dome collapsed under heavy snow, causing $2 million in damage

Other Topics:

• Iowa corn and soybean yields hit record highs (215 bu/acre corn, 65 bu/acre soybeans)
• Discussion of July cloudiness and potential impacts on melon yields in southeast Iowa

Weather Forecast:

• Big winter cooldown coming this weekend with lows in the teens and highs in the upper 20s-low 30s
• Potential snowfall of 1-5 inches across northern Iowa Saturday into Sunday
• Temperatures warming back to the 50s early next week
• Leaning warmer and slightly wetter pattern continues in 8-14 day outlook (Nov 13-19)

Historical Weather:

• Looking back at the November 6, 1990 snowstorm that brought up to 8.5 inches of snow and a record low of -1°F

Recent Conditions:

• Six consecutive weeks of above-average temperatures ended with near-normal conditions at the end of October
• Western Iowa received a quarter of its monthly precipitation in just two days
• Fall foliage peaked with recent windy conditions

Specialty Crop Impacts:

• Urgent: Harvest root crops (carrots, beets, radishes) before weekend freeze
• Protect lettuce with low tunnels; spinach and garlic can withstand cold
• Venting strategies for high and low tunnels to prevent moisture buildup and acclimate crops to cold
• Plant garlic now if you haven't already
• Tips on heating high tunnels for winter production

Looking Ahead: The podcast moves to a monthly schedule for the winter with the next episode on Wednesday, December 3rd.

• Historical Weather: On October 23, 1908, southwestern Iowa received significant early snowfall—up to 11 inches in Clarinda
• Current Frost Event: 57 of 160-200 weather stations recorded temperatures at or below 32°F this week, though not considered meteorologically "widespread"
• Weather Forecast: Stable pattern for next few days, then rain chances Sunday night through Tuesday (0.5-1+ inches expected across most of the state)
• Temperature Outlook: Warmer than normal for late October/early November; synoptic-scale flow patterns emerging
• Climate Prediction Center: Slight warm signal and near-normal precipitation for Oct 30-Nov 5; Iowa is in climatologically driest time of year
• Frost Timing Discussion: Average first 32°F freeze occurs early October in northern Iowa, mid-October in central Iowa, and late October in southern Iowa—this year's frost came slightly later than average
• Crop Updates: Time to harvest sweet potatoes after frost damage; garlic planting research shows August 30 plantings can yield better than traditional Halloween planting
• Winter Outlook: La Niña conditions suggest increased variability with potential for polar vortex outbreaks, especially in second half of January and February; Minnesota may see patterns similar to 2013-2014 winter
• Snowfall Predictions: Team made guesses for first 1-inch snowfall at Des Moines airport (average date: Nov 26-Dec 3)

summary generated using claude.ai