SEVERE WEATHER
Severe thunderstorms rolled into parts of Plymouth and Sioux Counties late Monday, and moved rapidly through the area. The National Weather Service in Sioux Falls issued a Severe Thunderstorm Warning for the Hawarden and Ireton areas, and a Tornado Warning for the Chatsworth and Craig areas in Plymouth County. These occurred between 5 and 6 p.m. 1 inch hail was reported at Hawarden. The storms moved quickly into Cherokee and Buena Vista Counties, producing 1 inch hail in Aurelia and 1.75 inch hail northeast of the town. Today’s forecast includes a chance of showers and thunderstorms between 4 and 11 p.m. High temperatures will reach into the lower 90s.
LE MARS 4TH CELEBRATION
4th of July celebrations are planned throughout the day today in Le Mars. The Plymouth County Historical Museum is organizing a parade this morning down Central Avenue. The parade begins at 11 am, and concludes at the Museum. That will be followed by a luncheon at the museum, for a free-will donation. There’s a watermelon feed at 2 pm. Tonight, the Municipal Band has a concert at Foster Park, and at 10 p.m., fireworks at the Plymouth County Fairgrounds. KLEM will present music during the fireworks.
SIOUX COUNTY ARREST
A New Mexico man is jailed following a traffic stop Saturday near Sheldon. The Sioux County Sheriffs Office says 32 year old Rudy Rivera of Albuquerque, New Mexico, was stopped on Iowa Highway 60, a mile south of Sheldon. He was driving 89 miles per hour in a 65 mile per hour zone. He told deputies he recently smoked marijuana and had some in his vehicle. Deputies suspected Rivera was under the influence of marijuana at the time. There were also two children passengers in the vehicle. A Drug Recognition Expert from Rock Valley Police confirmed Rivera’s impairment. Rivera was charged with third offense operating a motor vehicle while intoxicated, a felony; possession of a controlled substance; and two counts of child endangerment. Rivera faces a mandatory minimum penalty of 30 days in jail, and could receive up to five years, for felony OWI. He is currently held in the Sioux County Jail.
THREE SUPERMOONS THIS SUMMER
The full moon that was visible over Iowa last night, was the first of what may end up being three “supermoons” in each of the next three months. University of Iowa astronomy professor Casey DeRoo says supermoon isn’t a scientific term, but it’ll be a sight to see.
The supermoon occurs when the moon is closer to the earth in its orbit, making our natural satellite look larger than normal.
Most of us will never be able to distinguish whether the moon is five-percent larger in appearance as we have no sense of scale, but still, optical illusions do come into play when gazing at the full moon.
DeRoo teaches the U-I’s general education course in astronomy for non-majors, and he says if you’d like to start moon gazing, you don’t need a fancy telescope.
According to the Old Farmer’s Almanac, the full moon is also known as a Buck Moon, because the antlers of male deer are in full-growth mode. Other names for the full July moon include: the Feather Moulting Moon, the Salmon Moon, the Berry Moon, the Ripe Corn Moon, and the Thunder Moon.
