Sheldon, Iowa — April 1st marks a passing of the torch, as a new official National Weather Service Sheldon Weather Observer takes over those duties.
For the past 35 years, former KIWA General Manager Frank Luepke has been recording the weather data for Sheldon and reporting it to the National Weather Service Office in Sioux Falls, On April 1st, Frank officially hung up his rain gauge and passed the torch to the new Observer, KIWA’s Larry Ahrens.
The reporting and recording of weather information began formally in Sheldon in 1899, according to Luepke’s research.
Frank began chronicling Sheldon’s precipitation, snowfall, wind and temperature information in 1986, when the previous Weather Observer, Ross Forward retired after recording 60 years of weather data. Forward began keeping Sheldon’s weather data in 1925 and served until 1986. In the latter years as Observer, when he was not physically able to record weather information, he relied upon his neighbor, Frank Luepke, to assist him. So began Luepke’s tenure as Official Observer.
Soon after Luepke became Sheldon’s Official Weather Observer, reporting from this area came under the jurisdiction of the National Weather Service Office in Sioux Falls. Prior to that time it had been under the auspices of the Iowa Department of Agriculture.
Wednesday, March 31st was Luepke’s final day as Weather Observer, as he and his wife Carol will be moving from Sheldon in the near future.
KIWA Sports Director and all-around good guy Larry Ahrens has now taken over as Official National Weather Service Observer for Sheldon.
Below are photos of the Sheldon Observers who have served since 1925.
Ross Forward standing by the weather station in his back yard
Outgoing Observer Frank Luepke
New National Weather Service Official Sheldon Weather Observer, Larry Ahrens
