Readiness
Active Weather
A quiet day across Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, and Nebraska. No weather alerts are in effect in any of the four states this morning.
Infrastructure
No infrastructure disruptions or active disaster declarations are reported for the Heartland.
Public Health
No public health advisories found for the Heartland.
Food recalls posted by the Food and Drug Administration this week include Gelatelli coffee and vanilla gelato sold at Lidl for possible Listeria, Starfish Seafood cold smoked salmon for possible Listeria, and Family Farmstead raw mild cheddar cheese for possible E. coli. The full list, with lot codes, is at fda.gov/recalls.
Two sources we check could not be read this morning: the CDC Health Alert Network, for national health advisories, and AirNow, for air quality readings. Check emergency.cdc.gov/han and airnow.gov directly.
Watch Item
Far western Kansas is on the edge of the Weather Prediction Center's Day 2 slight risk of excessive rainfall on Saturday, tied to the storm system over New Mexico. The rest of the region looks dry. The Weather Prediction Center's outlook for next week shows a system moving from the central Rockies through the Upper Midwest with some rain, then warmer than average temperatures for the eastern half of the country.
Iowa State University Extension says October through early November is the time to plant garlic in Iowa, so a quiet week is a good one for it.
Living Ready
Iowa LIHEAP opens to all households November 1
Iowa has been taking heating assistance applications since October 1 from households with someone 60 or older or with a disability. On November 1 it opens to all other eligible households, through April 30, and applications are handled in the order they arrive. Contact your county community action agency, which you can find at iowacommunityaction.org, and apply early.
Iowa · Source: Iowa Department of Health and Human Services, program page, current season
Missouri's Cold Weather Rule starts November 1
From November 1 through March 31, the Missouri Public Service Commission's Cold Weather Rule gives qualifying customers of regulated gas and electric utilities more lenient payment terms to help avoid a winter disconnection. It does not cover municipal utilities, electric cooperatives, or propane delivery. If you are behind on a heating bill from an investor-owned utility, call them about Cold Weather Rule terms before a shutoff notice arrives.
Missouri · Source: Missouri Public Service Commission, rule page, current season
Explore Today
What early, heavy snow does to trees and power lines, and how to get ready.
Keeping a house warm when an early storm takes the power.
Fall is planting time for garlic and the season to put beds to rest.