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

What in the Weather | Episode Summary — April 9, 2026

• [00:00:28] On this day in Iowa weather history: the 2007 Easter freeze cold wave event (April 3–10) and its impacts on winter wheat, blooming fruits, and emerging corn across the Central Plains and Midwest.

• [00:02:44] Seven-day weather forecast for Iowa: an active, warm, and wet pattern with multiple storm systems, a 15% chance of severe thunderstorms on days five through seven, and potential rainfall totals of one to five inches across the state.

• [00:05:08] Extended outlook: active and wet conditions expected to continue through the second half of April, with a slight risk of high winds between the 16th and 20th.

• [00:06:35] Recap of last week's weather: statewide average of 2.3 inches of rainfall, wind gusts up to 60 mph in Carroll, and why last week's severe weather outlook didn't fully materialize.

• [00:10:10] Cold temperatures on April 6th: lows of 22°F in northwest Iowa and 38°F in Des Moines — and why Des Moines stayed warmer than forecast.

• [00:11:15] Specialty crop impacts: fruit blossom freeze risk thresholds for peaches, pears, cherries, apples, and grapes, with notes on radiational freezing and earlier December cold damage.

• [00:13:01] Field notes from Dan: snapdragon overwintering results, compost tea injection troubleshooting for drip irrigation systems, and a significant greenhouse crop loss at Grade A Gardens during the recent blizzard.

• [00:16:25] Grower spotlight: cut flower farmer Jeff Morrow of Two Morrow's Acres discusses heat stress on cool-season crops, early blooming ranunculus and delphinium, and the tulip festival outlook for Pella and Orange City.

• [00:18:21] Announcements: upcoming FSMA water rule webinar next Wednesday 4/15, and an organic inspector job opening at IDALS (applications open through April 28th).

Podcast Summary generated using Claude.ai