You may not have known, but the National Weather Service gets much of their information from Iowa State University, and ISU Extension and Outreach has begun a partnership to prepare the public for severe weather.

Dallas County Extension Director Jeff Jackson says ISU has the largest mesonet team in the United States, which is a group of people who go out and track storms and weather patterns to help improve the science behind early warning systems. Extension has become involved with the process by joining up with the Weather Ready Nation Ambassadors. Jackson explains the goal of the program. “We go out and make sure that our schools, our hospitals in Dallas County, our communities are storm-ready communities and are prepared for severe weather. Because nobody is storm-proof, but everybody can be ready for severe weather. And here in Iowa, we see every type of weather in Iowa except for hurricanes and tsunamis. So we might as well be prepared for what Mother Nature can bring at us!”

Jackson adds, the National Weather Services has been a great partner for Extension across the state, helping them get into different communities and promote their Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) agenda. To learn more about Dallas County Extension, click the link below to listen to the Perry Fareway Let’s Talk Dallas County program with Jackson.

https://raccoonvalleyradio.com/2018/04/lets-talk-dallas-county-4182018-jeff-jackson/