This one's for you if you want to understand weather better! Join Dan Fillius, Iowa State University Extension Horticulture Field Specialist, and Dr. Justin Glisan, Iowa's State Climatologist, as they discuss what is happening in the world of Iowa weather. Every week during the main growing season we'll discuss recent weather, its impacts on fruits and vegetables, and provide a climate outlook for the coming week in Iowa. Let us know what you think, though as Mark Twain once said, "If you don't like the weather, wait a few minutes."
00:25 — Iowa weather history: An October 1996 storm brings heavy rain and early-season snow.
01:18 — Weekly forecast: Rain favors northwest Iowa as temperatures ease
02:52 — Extended outlook: Warmth remains favored into November, with El Niño and jet-stream placement shaping precipitation chances.
06:49 — Winter weather discussion: How the quasi-biennial oscillation (QBO) could influence polar vortex outbreaks— *analog years aren't a forecast.
10:46 — Weekly recap: Widespread rain, above-average temperatures, and a late frost bring mixed consequences for growers.
12:12 — Agritourism and pumpkin losses: Wet fall weather hurts farm visits and contributes to widespread fruit rot.
13:50 — September rainfall rankings: Why record-setting totals at individual stations can differ from climate-division averages.
16:44 — Weekly weather extremes: Iowa's hottest, coldest, wettest, and driest reporting locations.
17:14 — What makes weather "comfortable"? Comparing Iowa with coastal California, revisiting earthquake memories, and finding Iowa's nicest seasonal weather windows.
24:47 — Horticulture Friday's anniversary and an introduction to pumpkin grower Beany Bode's fall update.
27:51 — Specialty crop reports: Lingering dryness in Kossuth County, later high-tunnel planting dates, broccoli disease losses, and a challenging growing season.
30:26 — Looking ahead for strawberries, followed by an unresolved butternut squash discoloration question.
31:43 — Closing perspective: Why it's too early to trust weather predictions for next growing season.
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15 Oct 2026
10/15/26 - First Widespread Frost Friday Night
00:07–01:47 — Justin recounts the historic October 15–16, 1880 Iowa blizzard, including severe thunderstorms, walnut-sized hail in Des Moines, and 15–20 ft snow drifts in northwest Iowa.
02:11–04:48 — Madelynn leads an ENSO-themed Jeopardy game
04:55–06:35 — Weekly forecast: two low-pressure systems bring widespread rain and strong winds Friday, with possible frost across northern and parts of southern Iowa this weekend; quieter, warmer weather follows next week.
06:40–08:16 — Climate outlook: warm and wet conditions are favored in the 6–10 and 8–14 day periods, with a slight dry lean in weeks 3–4; El Niño tends toward wetter October–November before a drier winter pattern.
08:32–11:46 — Justin reviews strong El Niño analogs, showing warmer historical signals, mixed precipitation patterns, and generally below-normal January–March snowfall—especially in eastern Iowa.
11:50–13:22 — Hazard outlook: an early frost risk verified after several days' notice; CPC flags slight risks for heavy rain October 22–24 and high winds October 22–23.
14:04–16:41 — Frost climatology and context: normal first 32°F freeze ranges from early October in northern Iowa to mid-to-late October in the southeast; recent exceptional warmth makes the upcoming frost feel abrupt but remains seasonally normal.
16:56–20:20 — Past-week review: warm conditions, hail up to 1.75 inches from Sac through Dallas and Warren counties, a surprise Tuesday-morning thunderstorm, and a northwest-to-southeast rainfall band; Sioux City recorded both the weekly high (93°F) and low (39°F).
20:42–21:47 — Discussion of forecast uncertainty: rainfall timing and amounts become more reliable closer to the event, with synoptic-scale patterns often more predictable than localized precipitation bands.
22:05–26:56 — Specialty-crop frost preparations: drain irrigation lines and open valves, protect tender crops, use row cover carefully with hoops to prevent leaf scorch, and ventilate high tunnels to slow overly large overwintered crops and help them acclimate.
26:56–28:16 — Field opportunities: plant garlic and consider overwintered onions, which Dan reports may store better and experience less storage rot than summer-grown onions.
28:16–30:15 — Pest note: leaf-footed bugs are appearing on tomatoes and pumpkins; nymphs are more vulnerable to control than adults, but management remains difficult.
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9 Oct 2026
10/9/26 - Field Work Now, Rain Returns Next Week
01:03 — Weather history: An early October 1970 snowstorm brought record-setting snowfall to western and northwestern Iowa, including nine inches in Hawarden.
01:48 — Seven-day forecast: Warm, mostly quiet weather gives way to midweek rain chances, with 1.5–2 inches possible across southern Iowa. Justin explains the Pacific moisture connection.
04:20 — Improving field conditions: Sunshine, low humidity, and breezes help dry topsoil, renewing opportunities for tillage, garlic planting, and root-crop harvest.
05:12 — October outlooks: A near-term wet signal may largely reflect the approaching storm, while longer-range outlooks favor a return to warmer, drier conditions.
07:52 — Weekly weather recap: Heavy rainfall brought 4–6 inches along a band from Pottawattamie County to Waterloo before nearly a week of sunshine. Highlights include an 88°F high, a 34°F low, and 6.49 inches of rain at Portsmouth.
10:06 — Spinach pest spotlight: Identifying suspected beet webworm damage, recognizing its webbing, and discussing Bt treatment and harvest-quality challenges.
11:52 — Regional growing conditions: Dan reflects on central Iowa's unusually cloudy, wet September and acknowledges that eastern Iowa growers have had a different experience.
13:43 — Upcoming grower events: A November 11 high tunnel short course at the Iowa Arboretum and a free November 10 workshop on food safety and organic certification in Stevens Point, Wisconsin.
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