9/24/26 - A "Wretched" Summer and "San Diego, IA"

[00:00:34] Iowa weather history: Justin looks back at September 24, 1985, when snowflakes mixed with rain in Des Moines—among the earliest observations of snow in Iowa history.

[00:01:19] Weather trivia: Which Iowa sector is most vulnerable to climate variability impacts?

[00:01:44] Forecast headline: "endless wet": The team discusses a soggy seven-day outlook, including at least 1.5 inches of statewide precipitation and possible 2–4 inch totals south of a Des Moines-to-Sioux City line.

[00:02:50] Near-term forecast details: Showers continue through Sunday morning, followed by a brief early-week break before rain returns Tuesday. Temperatures remain in the 60s, with mild overnight lows.

[00:03:18] Hurricane Polo and the quiet Atlantic: Justin explains how Pacific Hurricane Polo's remnants may influence Upper Midwest weather, while the group discusses El Niño, wind shear, and the lack of an Atlantic hurricane so far this season.

[00:05:12] 8-to-14-day outlook: Madelynn reviews the early October outlook, which favors above-normal precipitation while keeping temperatures near normal around Iowa.

[00:07:16] Hazards outlook: No notable hazards are highlighted in the 8-to-14-day hazards outlook.

[00:07:32] Past-week weather recap: The group gives the week its "Flood and Furious" headline and talks about widespread wet conditions, and rain impacts across Iowa.

[00:08:46] Iowa weather extremes: Justin reports the wettest location, North Liberty, with 6.75 inches of rain; the driest location, Randolph, with 0.15 inches; and temperature extremes ranging from 97°F in Clarinda to 42°F at Mason City Municipal Airport.

[00:09:49] Summer Glory Index: Justin introduces the Summer Glory Index, a measure combining temperature, humidity, and precipitation to assess how pleasant meteorological summer was.

[00:11:27] Des Moines' wretched summer: Des Moines recorded 43 disqualifying summer days out of 91, including a particularly oppressive July 27, leading to a Summer Glory Index score of 853.

[00:12:07] Putting the summer in context: Dan compares Des Moines' score with Twin Cities history and recent Iowa summers, noting that 2026 skipped past "not glorious" into the "wretched" category.