As is usually the case in drought, some areas had rain and others didn’t Thursday evening.  A cold front sparked storms that produced rain, a little hail and some wind in NW IA and SW MN.Now, most areas will have to wait until Wednesday for another "chance" of rain.  The good news is there will scattered rain again in the west today.Here are some storm reports from last night’s storms in NW Iowa.0620 PM     HAIL             6 E DOON                43.28N 96.11W   07/26/2007  E0.88 INCH       LYON               IA   TRAINED SPOTTER     0712 PM     HAIL             4 N OYENS               42.88N 96.06W   07/26/2007  E1.00 INCH       PLYMOUTH           IA   TRAINED SPOTTER     0715 PM     TSTM WND GST     6 ENE MELVIN            43.32N 95.50W   07/26/2007  E60.00 MPH       OSCEOLA            IA   TRAINED SPOTTER                 TREE LIMBS AND BRANCHES DOWN    0715 PM     TSTM WND GST     6 ENE MELVIN            43.32N 95.50W   07/26/2007  E70.00 MPH       OSCEOLA            IA   TRAINED SPOTTER                 ESTIMATED 60-70 MPH WINDS…TREE LIMBS AND BRANCHES DOWN    0715 PM     TSTM WND GST     6 ENE MELVIN            43.32N 95.50W   07/26/2007  E70.00 MPH       OSCEOLA            IA   TRAINED SPOTTER                 ESTIMATED 60-70 MPH WINDS…TREE LIMBS AND BRANCHES DOWN    0715 PM     TSTM WND GST     6 ENE MELVIN            43.32N 95.50W   07/26/2007  E70.00 MPH       OSCEOLA            IA   TRAINED SPOTTER                 ESTIMATED 60-70 MPH WINDS…TREE LIMBS AND BRANCHES DOWN    0715 PM     TSTM WND GST     7 ENE MELVIN            43.33N 95.48W   07/26/2007  E50.00 MPH       OSCEOLA            IA   TRAINED SPOTTER                 TREES BENT    0715 PM     HAIL             ALTON                   42.99N 96.01W   07/26/2007  E1.00 INCH       SIOUX              IA   BROADCAST MEDIA                 UP TO QUARTER SIZED HAIL    0720 PM     TSTM WND DMG     5 SSW MILFORD           43.26N 95.19W   07/26/2007                   DICKINSON          IA   PUBLIC                          BRANCHES DOWN    0728 PM     TSTM WND DMG     PRIMGHAR                43.09N 95.63W   07/26/2007                   O’BRIEN            IA   BROADCAST MEDIA                 POWER LINES DOWN IN PRIMGHAR, AS WELL AS LARGE TREE               BRANCHES.    0740 PM     TSTM WND DMG     4 NW SPENCER            43.19N 95.21W   07/26/2007                   CLAY               IA   TRAINED SPOTTER                 BRANCHES DOWN    0745 PM     TSTM WND GST     5 S ROYAL               42.99N 95.28W   07/26/2007  E60.00 MPH       CLAY               IA   BROADCAST MEDIA   BK

It’s great to see the rainfall reports coming in.  As of 11:30, I thought I would post some thoughts about the rain coming in.  The cold front over eastern SD is moving through, but the upper level energy needed to support the thunderstorms is lagging behind a bit.  That’s a big deal and trend worth watching because if that fails to sync with the front, the rain will even more scattered near Sioux Falls.  I would keep that thought in mind when watching KELOLAND Live Doppler today.On the good side of things, here are just a few rainfall totals from the CocoRaHS network.  The totals are through 7am this morning.  Feel free to post your rainfall below in the comments section!

Rapid City 4.5 E 
1.61
0.0
NA
SD
Pennington
 

7/26/2007 
 7:00 AM 
 SD-PN-15 
 Hermosa 4.4 NNE 
1.07
0.0
NA
SD
Pennington
 

7/26/2007 
 7:00 AM 
 SD-PN-4 
 Rapid City 5.4 SW 
1.02
0.0
NA
SD
Pennington
 

7/26/2007 
 7:00 AM 
 SD-BN-2 
 Batesland 7.4 NNE 
0.94
0.0
NA
SD
Bennett
 

7/26/2007 
 6:00 AM 
 SD-PN-5 
 Rapid City 4.3 ESE 
0.93
0.0
NA
SD
Pennington
 

7/26/2007 
 7:30 AM 
 SD-WL-3 
 Lowry 1.1 WNW 
0.71
0.0
NA
SD
Walworth
 

7/26/2007 
 7:00 AM 
 SD-CS-1 
 Custer 10.2 E 
0.59
0.0
NA
SD
Custer
 

7/26/2007 
 7:00 AM 
 SD-PN-17 
 Rapid City 3.5 WNW 
0.47
0.0
NA
SD
Pennington
 

7/26/2007 
 7:00 AM 
 SD-BN-10 
 Martin 15.5 W 
0.45
0.0
NA
SD
Bennett
 

7/26/2007 
 7:00 AM 
 SD-PN-8 
 Wasta 22.0 NNE 
0.45
0.0
NA
SD
Pennington
 

7/26/2007 
 6:00 AM 
 SD-LW-1 
 Whitewood 4.2 NNW 
0.44
0.0
NA
SD
Lawrence
 

7/26/2007 
 7:00 AM 
 SD-MD-4 
 Blackhawk 2.0 NNW 
0.44
0.0
NA
SD
Meade
 

7/26/2007 
 7:00 AM 
 SD-FR-1 
 Hot Springs 0.5 SSW 
0.41
0.0
NA
SD
Fall River
 

7/26/2007 
 6:45 AM 
 SD-LW-6 
 Lead 5.5 SSW 
0.36
0.0
NA
SD
Lawrence
 

7/26/2007 
 8:00 AM 
 SD-WL-4 
 Java 3.8 SE 
0.36
0.0
NA
SD
Walworth
 

7/26/2007 
 7:29 AM 
 SD-MD-5 
 Sturgis 0.7 WSW 
0.32
0.0
NA
SD
Meade
 

7/26/2007 
 7:00 AM 
 SD-BN-5 
 Martin 13.2 W 
0.31
0.0
NA
SD
Bennett
 

7/26/2007 
 7:00 AM 
 SD-HM-3 
 Hayti 4.8 WNW 
0.30
0.0
NA
SD
Hamlin
 

7/26/2007 
 5:15 AM 
 SD-HR-9 
 Buffalo 0.4 WSW 
0.25
0.0
NA
SD
Harding
 

7/26/2007 
 7:00 AM 
 SD-FR-8 
 Hot Springs 1.8 W 
0.11
0.0
NA
SD
Fall River
 

7/26/2007 
 7:00 AM 
 SD-PK-9 
 Lemmon 12.5 WSW 
0.10
0.0
NA
SD
Perkins
 

7/26/2007 
 7:00 AM 
 SD-CD-3 
 Watertown 2.3 ENE 
0.05
0.0
NA
SD
Codington
 

7/26/2007 
 6:00 AM 
 SD-BN-9 
 Martin 12.4 N 
0.04
0.0
NA
SD
Bennett
 

7/26/2007 
 7:00 AM 
 SD-CD-2 
 Watertown 2.3 NNE 
0.03
0.0
NA
SD
Codington
 

7/26/2007 
 7:00 AM 
 SD-ED-5 
 Roscoe 0.3 NNW 
0.03
0.0
NA
SD
Edmunds
 

7/26/2007 
 5:00 AM 
 SD-JK-1 
 Kadoka 2.8 WNW 
0.02
0.0
NA
SD
Jackson
 

7/26/2007 
 6:00 AM 
 SD-PK-4 
 Bison 4.5 SE 
0.02
0.0
NA
SD
Perkins
 

7/26/2007 
 7:00 AM 
 SD-FR-10 
 Oelrichs 11.8 SSW 
0.02
0.0
NA
SD
Fall River
 

More scattered rain is on the way today.  Keep checking KELOLAND Live Doppler for the very latest information.BK

No one is surprised by the hot weather this time of the year, but it makes a lot of sense to pay attention to the heat index on days like this.  You’ll find the latest number on our weather page!  Take some time to read some of these timely reminders about the heat from the National Weather Service.  Stay cool everybody!BK
Hot and humid conditions will persist across the area through midweek.  Here are a few reminders when it comes to staying safe working and playing in the heat.

Increase your intake of non-alcoholic, non-carbonated, caffeine-free beverages.  Examples include water and juice.

Wear clothing that is light in color and loose fitting.

Avoid the outdoors during extreme heat. Stay out of the sun.

Stay in an air-conditioned environment if possible. Check on the elderly. They are especially susceptible to heat related illness.

Eliminate strenuous activity such as running, biking and lawn care work when it heats up.

Eat fewer foods that increase metabolic activity/heat…Proteins for example.  Increased metabolic heat increases water loss.

Here are also a few heat related illnesses and their symptoms…
SUNBURN – Redness and pain in the skin. In severe cases there is also swelling, blisters, fever, and headaches.
HEAT CRAMPS – Heavy sweating and painful spasms usually in the leg or abdomen muscles.
HEAT EXHAUSTION – The person becomes weak and is sweating heavily. The skin is cold, pale and clammy. The pulse becomes thready. Fainting and vomiting accompanies heat exhaustion.
HEATSTROKE/SUNSTROKE – High body temperature (106 degrees or higher) along with hot dry skin and a rapid and strong pulse. Unconsciousness is possible.
If you have further questions concerning the heat index or heat safety, please refer to the following link:

http://www.crh.noaa.gov/fsd/?n=heatsafety

I wish I had better news, but the upcoming forecast is NOT good news for KELOLAND.  We have the potential to see substantial heat and dry weather moving in next week….so the fire weather forecast is almost sure to get worse.We’ve been fortunate the last couple of days to see a break in the heat…with our air flow from southern Canada.  That is forecast to change this weekend and early next week as the big heat ridge in the west increases in strength and expands to the east.You can see by this map above, much of the country is going to get hot again.  Our raw computer model data raises highs between 95 and 105 as early as Sunday…with the hottest weather by Tuesday.  We are stuck in rather  stagnant weather pattern as the jet stream has retreated to the north.  It’s normal for us to see these heat waves this time of year, but our extended dry spell since June 22nd is unusual and it appears our only chance of showers will be tonight and early Thursday AM.Low pressure in the Gulf of Alaska may increase over the next 2 weeks…which usually promotes dry weather across the Dakotas and upper midwest.  We’ll have to watch this pattern closely because we are on the brink of seeing moderate drought conditions across parts of western Minnesota and northern Iowa…where rainfall has been spotty the past 2 months.  Feel free to post your comments about the dry weather.BK

You might remember our drought tour last summer in north central KELOLAND.  I had a chance to visit with several ranchers and farmers in that part of the state.  Timber Lake was one spot I couldn’t forget.  The Bickel family started writing us very early in the drought…and kept me posted as conditions worsened through the summer.  Their family ranch has seen some pretty rough weather…but this drought really was a big one for them and all the neighbors just one year ago.But 2007 has been a different year.  I’m pleased to say most of the ranches in the that area near Timber Lake are doing better.  Certainly there are dry areas of western SD…and we know there are spots where the drought is really no better than last year.  But in Timber Lake, it is.  This a picture of a thunderstorm sent in by the Bickel family.  This storm (a supercell noted by the saucer shaped clouds) dumped rain near Timber Lake on July 4th.  I’ll remind you…many areas of KELOLAND haven’t seen rain since June 22nd…so it’s pretty amazing to see so much rain in this area.  The hay bales pictured above are too many to count.  I don’t think they even cut much hay last year…and you couldn’t see a blade of green grass.  I’m sure the people in this part of KELOLAND are counting their blessings this year…because they know all too well how fast the weather can change from one year to the next.BK