Northwest Iowa — Again this weekend, the two main things the National Weather Service is keeping an eye on for our area are heat and storms.
Saturday will be warm in northwest Iowa with highs in the upper 80s. But Sunday is more of a concern, with highs near 95, and humidity may make it feel even hotter. Weather service officials are telling us they anticipate issuing heat advisories or excessive heat warnings for a large portion of their county warning area for Sunday and Monday, due to the expected dangerous heat conditions. They advise taking appropriate precautions if outdoors and staying hydrated.
Sunday night, there’s a marginal chance for severe weather, including large hail, damaging winds, and heavy rainfall. But at this time, they’re not sure when and where it might hit.
Back to the heat — recently we reminded people about checking the back seat if you have a child or infant in a car seat, especially if you are doing something out of your routine — just to make sure you don’t accidentally leave them in a hot car.
But it’s also important to make sure your pets aren’t left in a hot car either. Sybil Soukup, with the Humane Society of North Iowa, says while it does lower the temperature a few degrees, having your window cracked in your vehicle does absolutely nothing to help animals left inside. She says they’ve experimented with a thermometer in a car in the Humane Society’s parking lot.
Soukup says if you see a pet in a vehicle, don’t immediately take matters into your own hands. See if the vehicle is running, and if it’s not, don’t try to break the window out to rescue the pet, call law enforcement to help assess the situation.
Soukup says pets that are kept outside or left in parked cars are very susceptible to heat stroke, injury and even death in extreme conditions.
(With help from Bob Fisher, KLKK, Clear Lake)
