Weather

'Where's the flood?' (03/19/10)
On Wednesday, Governor Chet Culver signed a disaster declaration for the Army Corps of Engineers to provide assistance in Dickinson County. Thursday morning, representatives from the Corps' Omaha office were on site at Lower Gar, just northeast of Milford, meeting with potential contractors and local utility providers as a group of very unhappy Lower Gar area residents and Milford Mayor Don Lamb looked on...

Flood warning continues for Spencer (03/19/10)
Although the Little Sioux River appears to be receding for the time being, a flood warning remains in place. At 9 a.m. Thursday, the river's stage was 14.9 feet, nearly 5 feet above flood stage. It is expected to drop to 14.4 feet by 7 a.m. Friday. At 14.5, County Road B40 southeast of Spencer begins flooding...

RIVERS ON THE RISE - Little Sioux projected to reach 14.6 feet by Friday (03/16/10)
The Little Sioux River is exhibiting the effects (above and below) of a combination of rain and snow melt in recent days as it floods the bike trails and West Leach Park near the Grand Avenue bridge in downtown Spencer. A flood warning was issued shortly after noon on Sunday. ...

Rain increases flood concerns (03/11/10)
Flood concerns in Clay County have been well-documented. With more than .7 inch since Saturday and about an inch of rain expected through Sunday, those concerns are expected to elevate, just as the rivers rise. "We have forecasts that are sending some rivers to moderate and even major flooding," National Weather Service Meteorologist Aubry Wilkins said...

City, county officials launch task force (03/05/10)
As the sun shines and the snow melts, not only are water levels in area rivers and streams expected to rise, but flood concerns will be rising, as well. To alleviate some of those concerns, Spencer and Clay County officials have formed the 2010 Flood Outlook Task Force...

Flooding likely, severity will depend on multiple factors (02/27/10)
In light of all the flooding experienced to some degree or another last year in the state of Iowa, the last thing most people want to start talking about before March is the possibility of high waters. But the discussion is well under way -- the result of the large volume of snow that continues to cover the ground...

State snowfall inches into record books (02/23/10)
Blizzard by blizzard, inch by inch, this Iowa winter is going down in history. As of the most recent numbers, released by State Climatologist Harry Hillaker on Thursday, the statewide snowfall average is 43.1 inches. Though not official, the local numbers are much higher than the state average...

Firefighters battle blaze in midst of winter storm (02/16/10)
Snow began falling early and really picked up in the evening Saturday as firefighters from the Spencer and Royal volunteer fire departments battled a commercial fire at General Traffic Controls, south of Spencer along Highway 71 -- spending approximately six hours on site and using 15,000 gallons of water to get the blaze under control...

Sales of winter supplies up (02/06/10)
Snow was falling more than two months before winter officially started. Since then, northwest Iowa has been dealt more than its fair share of snow and ice. It should come as no surprise, then, that mechanisms to deal with those menaces have been hot-selling items in local stores...

Iowa students tiring of snow days (01/29/10)
With the five area school districts averaging two late starts and five snow days so far this winter, the students enrolled in their classes are beginning to realize the fun they had away from their classrooms those days will only mean a longer school year -- and shorter summer vacation. ...

Winter weather pounds the pavement (01/28/10)
Sick of Old Man Winter's pestering ways? Grand Avenue and the other Spencer streets are. Not only does winter's freeze-thaw cycle make roads slicker for drivers, but it is also responsible for another nuisance for those drivers: potholes. "That freeze-thaw cycle is the worst on streets," Spencer Public Works Director Mark White explained. "Water will leak into crevices or cracks and freeze and pop pavement out."...

Wintery mix predicted for Spencer area (01/19/10)
Numerous rumors have been circulating about yet another dose of winter weather this week. Different models render different versions of the impending storm, KICD Weather Director Mark Bruggom said. The North American Mesoscale model shows freezing rain beginning in northwest Iowa Wednesday afternoon and continuing through Thursday at 6 p.m., which would result in about a quarter inch of ice accumulation...

The big dig: Season's first winter storm is a whopper (12/10/09)
Nine inches of snow, and it didn't want to stay in one place. That was the challenge faced Tuesday and Wednesday by the law enforcement officers and road crews in the aftermath of the season's first winter storm. A blizzard warning remained in place for much of the region Wednesday morning. By mid-afternoon, the warning area was being trimmed from west to east, with a wind chill advisory in its place...

WEATHER UPDATE: Blizzard warning issued; sheriff calls for no travel (12/08/09)
A winter storm warning was cancelled for the area and a blizzard warning was put in its place by the National Weather Service at about 1:30 p.m. Tuesday. Clay County Sheriff Randy Krukow urged residents to stay home, saying deputies will only respond to "medical, life-or-death situations" as the sun goes down...

State promotes awareness as winter creeps in (11/14/09)
Rake while you can, because shovel season is on its way. The National Weather Service is getting ready for the next season, and used Thursday as "Winter Awareness Day" in Iowa. "This time of year we start looking at winter precipitation becoming an issue," said Ben Moyer, senior meteorologist for the National Weather Service in Des Moines. ...

Wet harvest advancing, yields looking good (11/07/09)
With grain dryers running nonstop across the state, harvest proceeded in force this week as several dry days finally appeared. The most recent Iowa Crops and Weather report released by the USDA National Agricultural Statistical Service revealed corn harvest for grain had reached an 18 percent completion rating, which was 22 percent behind last year and five days behind the five-year average. ...

Snow surfaces in local forecast (10/09/09)
It's that time of year again. The National Weather Service in Sioux Falls, S.D., has put a 70 percent chance of rain or snow in the forecast for Spencer on Friday night. "It's been a little on the cool side, but as far as snow this time of year, that's not unusual," said meteorologist Mike Buss...

Corn crop looks robust as harvest nears (09/22/09)
Delayed planting in some areas of the Midwest caused some early season concern, but Chad Hart, Iowa State University grain marketing economist said a long growing season may allow crops in many areas to catch up. Paul Kassel, a field agronomist for ISU Extension noted progress in northwest Iowa and said an unusually cool summer should lead to a good corn crop locally...

Storm cited as factor in fatal crash (07/11/09)
The Clay County Sheriff's Department said Thursday's stormy weather may have contributed to a fatal, head-on collision one mile west of Ruthven near the Palo Alto County line. The crash claimed 77-year-old Opal Lucille Frerichs of Spencer. Deputies think she was traveling east in a 1991 Corsica. She drifted into the westbound lane and into the path of oncoming traffic along U.S. Highway 18 at 4:20 p.m. Frerichs was pronounced dead at the Palo Alto County Hospital in Emmetsburg...

Lightning science charged with danger, a few myths (06/27/09)
It's ringing phones, not thunder that John Jensenius hears this time of year. He's the lighting expert at the National Weather Service and helped launch Lightning Safety Awareness Week nine years ago. The 2009 campaign comes to a conclusion Saturday...

Westview Memorial Park master plan approved (06/11/09)
A master plan was approved for Spencer's only arboretum-style park by Spencer Park Board members this week. The plan for Westview Memorial Park, which was presented by local landscape architect Matt Matthiesen and Karl Van Cura of Midwest Design Group in Sioux City, carried a detailed phasing of the enhancements it proposes, as well as a rough $899,046 cost estimate tied to their realization...

Tornado warning issued for Clay County (05/06/09)
Areas west and south of Spencer had a brief, but rocky, patch of severe weather Wednesday night. The National Weather Service in Sioux Falls, S.D. issued a severe thunderstorm warning for northwestern Clay County, southern Dickinson County and eastern Osceola County at 5:15 p.m. Meteorologists were concerned about quarter-size hail with the system. The cell was located near Ocheyedan when the warning was issued...

Fire caution urged Wednesday (04/15/09)

Severe Weather Awareness Week (04/08/09)
Todd Heitkamp knows northwest Iowans will venture out and look to the skies as a severe storm approaches. The warning coordination meteorologist and his colleagues at the National Weather Service office in Sioux Falls, S.D., count on it...

Blizzard conditions possible for Spencer area (04/04/09)
The good news: The National Weather Service canceled a winter storm watch for the region at 4 p.m. Friday. The bad news: They put a blizzard watch in its place. The watch will become a warning barring changes late Friday. A mix of rain and snow were expected to develop late Saturday morning, then become all snow by Saturday evening. Snowfall amounts of 12 to 15 inches were possible, according to projections for Spencer at 6:15 p.m. Friday...

Westview neighbors like park the way it is (04/03/09)
Neighbors of Westview Memorial Park -- Spencer's only arboretum-style park -- firmly expressed that they like their park the way it currently is, they want to keep it a "passive" park, but they'd like to add to or enhance what it currently displays during a meeting held Thursday night...

Region under winter storm watch (04/03/09)
Meteorologists with the National Weather Services in Sioux Falls, S.D., are keeping an eye on a strong low pressure system to the west again. This time, residents in the Spencer area may not be so lucky. After a strong system socked parts of the Dakotas in the past week, "this low will take a more southerly track," the agency said...

National Weather Service eyes floods, snow (03/24/09)
Monday brought high winds and heavy rain. But the end of the week, the region could be dealing with an entirely different sort of animal. Rainfall through Tuesday was expected to lead to minor flooding across many area rivers, including the Little Sioux River near Spencer according to the National Weather Service in Sioux Falls, S.D...

City to consider West 18th storm shelter (03/14/09)
Fairgoers could have additional shelter and a safer route to the Clay County Fairgrounds under a proposal that will be considered by Spencer City Council members at their 6:30 p.m. meeting Monday night. Spencer City Manager Bob Fagen is requesting authorization to send a Notice of Intent (NOI) to the Federal Emergency Management Agency for a proposed storm shelter on West 18th Street...

ONE LAST SNOWMAN? (03/11/09)
Cheyenne Manwarren, 7, Spencer, holds the shovel Sunday afternoon as Brionna Sinback, 5, and Tanya Manwarren, 9, try to gather enough snow for a snowman near Fareway on East Eighth Street. Forecasters thought the girls would have enough material to work with earlier in the weekend. The city received only a dusting instead of the four inches expected Saturday night and Sunday...

Storm shelter, culvert route possible for Fair (03/11/09)
Emergency management officials may have an unexpected option for shelter space at the Clay County Fair. Ted Kourousis, executive director of Northwest Iowa Planning and Development is working with Iowa Department of Homeland Security about the potential of creating shelter space, under West 18th Street, for the fairgrounds...

Streak of no snow may come to end (02/26/09)
Hopefully you took one last look at the dry streets and brown landscape Wednesday. Winter is expected to make a curtain call Thursday, but Spencer may have caught a break as forecasters shifted the heart of a winter storm north. Earlier Wednesday, Spencer was under a winter storm watch; snow totals of about 4 inches were expected...

Spencer man claims $22,222 in scratch game (02/21/09)
A Spencer man won $22,222 on the "Snow Birds" scratch game. Seth Skalicky claimed his prize Wednesday at the Iowa Lottery's regional office in Storm Lake. He bought his winning ticket at Casey's on West 18th Street in Spencer. Snow Birds is a $2 scratch game that has four different scenes. ...

Snow melt causes minor flood problems (02/12/09)
The warm temperatures that brought thunderstorms to the state earlier in the week left a reminder behind. The National Weather Service in Sioux Falls, S.D., issued a flood warning for the Little Sioux and Ocheyedan rivers near Spencer. The area saw unusually heavy snowfalls in December and unusually warm weather within the past week. It prompted the agency to issue flood warnings for:...

'Green Power Express' could come to area (02/11/09)
The Spencer, Storm Lake and Iowa Great Lakes areas could be in line to land a segment of a $10- to $12 billion network of wind energy transmission lines, according to officials at Michigan-based ITC Holdings Corp. The company on Monday announced plans to develop what it calls the "Green Power Express." The network of transmission lines would capture power from wind turbines in the Upper Midwest and carry them to load centers in places like Chicago, Minneapolis and southeast Wisconsin...

Tricky weather causes new hazards (01/24/09)
The treacherous roads and sub-zero wind chills are back. Arctic high pressure brought much colder air in for the weekend as temperatures fell into the single digits and teens below zero in the overnight hours leading into Saturday. Strong winds carried some snow across Clay County roads Friday afternoon and contributed to a single-car accident at 2:23 p.m. on county road B24, about halfway between Spencer and Dickens...

City completes EPA, billboard negotiations (01/20/09)
The city of Spencer cleared a major hurdle in negotiations to separate its storm water from the sewer system as part of Monday's Spencer City Council meeting. The vote to approve an Environmental Protection Agency administrative order to eliminate combined sewer overflows capped negotiations that began in late 2007...

Wednesday's temp may set recent low mark (01/15/09)
According to records kept by the National Weather Service office in Sioux Falls, S.D., Wednesday night's projected low in Spencer could tie the lowest mark in town since 1996. On Dec. 2, 1996, the temperature dropped to 27 degree below zero low to set the mark for the lowest recorded total in Spencer in the past 13 years; the same number which was forecast as Wednesday's low...

Blizzard conditions add to tough winter (01/13/09)
Monday morning was a trick. The temperatures were mild, the wind was calm and residents were moving about the city scooping snow. But, meteorologists and school superintendents knew better. The calm conditions that spilled over into the noon hour disappeared quickly and matched the predictions of Greg Harmon, the Meteorologist-in-Charge at the National Weather Service office in Sioux Falls, S.D...

Let it snow� and snow� and snow� (12/19/08)
As of 5 p.m. Thursday, according to the National Weather Service in Sioux Falls, S.D.: ---- Travel, especially to the north, will not be advised this weekend as northwest Iowa's on-again, off-again winter storm pattern continues...

Don't put the shovels away (12/17/08)
Those of you dreaming of a white Christmas: Feel free to wake up any time now. We're good. Tuesday started with little flakes, but the area got the full snow globe effect as classes dismissed early in the afternoon. Spencer was expected to get up to 5 inches as the system made its way north and east. It was enough for the National Weather Service in Sioux Falls, S.D., to issue a winter weather advisory for much of northwest Iowa...

Holiday Weekend Happenings (12/13/08)
Due to the weather and the cancellation of Grand Meander the ice sculptures were put on hold. The wonderful volunteers that were planning to carve the ice have all agreed to do the carving this Saturday. Today, the ice sculpture (left) will be done -- locations for the sculptures starting at 9 a.m. will be at Arts on Grand, Bogenrief's Studio, Toads Coffee and The Hen House...

Four inches expected Monday night (12/09/08)
The National Weather Service forecast had area residents bracing for a significant snowfall Monday night. Meteorologists expected about four inches of snow to greet Spencer commuters Tuesday morning. The area was under a winter weather advisory until noon Tuesday...

'Being obedient' brings new pastor to Spencer (11/20/08)
Rev. Kevin Grimes readily admits he doesn't care much for Iowa's cold weather or snow. But he's being obedient and attempting to "get used to it." The 43-year-old native of Hawaii and longtime California resident is the new pastor at DaySpring Assembly of God Church...

Remembering, honoring those who served (11/13/08)
This West Point graduate was later killed when his convoy was hit by an explosive device east of Bagdad, Iraq. Five days after writing this letter, Private Robinson caught his foot on a trip wire, setting off a mine that killed him instantly. "Captain Pete Cleary and Captain Lenny Lenore had just finished going over the final details for the day's combat mission over southern North Vietnam. ...

Many weather snow to honor veterans (11/12/08)
With inclement weather stretched across northern Iowa and southern Minnesota, many scheduled Veterans Day ceremonies were cancelled. But with snow falling all around him, Brigadier General Allen J. Smith, retired Commander of the Iowa Air National Guard reminded those gathered at the Clay County Veterans Memorial, just north of Spencer Municipal Utilities on Grand Avenue, that those that were being honored Tuesday had endured far worse...

Spencer set for first snowfall (11/07/08)
The National Weather Service in Sioux Falls has issued its first snow-related advisory for the 2008-09 winter season. Spencer was included in a portion of northwest Iowa placed under a winter weather advisory, for snow and blowing snow, from midnight to noon on Friday...

U of O Winter Games announced (11/06/08)
The dates for the 29th Annual University of Okoboji Winter Games are set for January 23-25, 2009. The Chairperson for this year's event is Molly Gildemeister and the Co-Chair is John Adams, Jr. The University of Okoboji Winter Games will be centered in the Smith's Bay area (weather permitting), with other events held throughout the Lakes Region. Local and regional teams will have the chance to participate on the ice in U of O Winter Games classics, such as Broomball, Softball and Hockey...

Local Red Cross chapter seeking support: Sale planned to help generate dollars toward $30,000 goal (11/06/08)
While the rest of the nation watched polls, listened to talk radio and tracked television coverage of Tuesday's general election, local Iowa Great Lakes Chapter of the American Red Cross Director could be found pushing a rack of clothing and other miscellaneous items down the corridor at the Gateway North Mall Tuesday afternoon...

Did you cover your plants? (10/02/08)
Sensitive plants likely took their first hit Thursday morning in Spencer. The National Weather Service in Sioux Falls, S.D., was concerned enough about conditions to issue a frost advisory for portions of northwest Iowa including Spencer, Spirit Lake and Storm Lake...

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