Soon, La CrosseвЂ™s first official weather observation was taken in October, 1872, from the Mons Anderson Building at Second and Main Streets. When iced over, the River was even used as a roadway. Knowledge of the Mississippi RiverвЂ™s water stages was essential for safe navigation. While La Crosse was not among the first, the need for an office here was evident with the booming lumber industry. Weather Bureau Building, 432 Cass St., postcard undatedД«ack in 1870, the federal government established weather stations throughout the nation. One of only 122 weather offices throughout the nation, La CrosseвЂ™s NWS history has been as ever-changing and unpredictable as Mother Nature. Yet, here in the Coulee Region, we are fortunate to have 24-7 weather predictions made in our proximity, all due to the presence of the National Weather Service (NWS) on County Road FA north of Grandad Bluff. Unfortunately, only Mother Nature knows for certain. This time of year, вЂњIs it going to snow?вЂќ is a common question. Philip Joens covers breaking news for The Des Moines Register.(written by Carla Swerman, Archives staff, with assistance from meteorologists at La CrosseвЂ™s National Weather Service) A few storms could produce heavy rain, but the risk for severe weather is low. Showers and thunderstorms are expected to linger across southern Iowa, away from the areas that saw the worst of Wednesday's storms, according to the NWS. Iowa drought monitor: See a map of locations andВ drought intensity across the country Iowa weather forecast Thursday As of Thursday, 31.49% of Iowa was still considered to be in a severe drought, a decrease of about 6% from last week. This week's map also moved several northwest Iowa counties from severe drought to moderate drought status. Only extreme northwest Polk County is still considered to be experiencing severe drought. Parts of southern Polk County have improved to 'abnormally dry' or moderate drought status. Slowly, the drought is beginning to ease in some parts of Iowa, according to the latest USDA Drought Monitor map, which was released Thursday morning. 1 and 1.47 inches less rain than normal since June 1. The city has gotten 6.6 inches less precipitation than normal since Jan. This month's rains have narrowed Des Moines' precipitation deficit somewhat. But this month, Des Moines has gotten 2.87 inches of rain, 1.06 inches more than normal, according to the NWS. Iowa storm tracker: Rolling storm damage reports in Iowa Iowa rain helps ease drought in some areasДЄ severe drought has gripped much of Iowa for much of the summer. By Thursday morning, only 943 homes in Iowa still did not have power, according to, which tracks power outages across the country.ДЄbout 650 of those outages were in Calhoun County, according to the site. More than 5,000 homes lost power Wednesday night, including over 3,000 MidAmerican Energy customers in Fort Dodge and Waterloo. More: Where to find information on each of Iowa's tornadoes since 1950 MidAmericanВ power outages in Fort Dodge,В Waterloo 'We didn't have that much of an advanced warning,' Wood said. Bowie Manufacturing had a roof that sustained damaged, as well. Several trees were downed there, the city lost power and the roof of the South Central Calhoun School District's bus barn was torn off by the tornado. No people were injured in Lake City, city administrator Eric Wood said Wednesday evening. There appeared to be few injuries from the outbreak of tornados Wednesday, according to social media posts by the National Weather Service offices. Iowa State AgronomistВ DarylВ Herzmann said on Twitter that the 18В tornado warnings issued by the NWS Des Moines office wereВ the most issued by the office on any day since June 11, 2004, when 20 tornado warnings were issued. No injuries were reported.Д®F-1 tornadoes in Shell Rock, WaverlyВ and Dysart recorded wind speedsВ from 95 mph to about 100 mph. Its 10-mile path caused extensive tree and roof damage, and much of the city lost power. The largest tornado Wednesday, according to the NWS, was an EF-3 tornado that rocked Lake City with 136 to 145 mph winds from 3:54 p.m. A tornado was also spotted near Rockford, Iowa. by the NWS office in La Crosse, Wisconsin. Tornadoes in the Shell Rock and Waverly areas were confirmed around 5:30 p.m. There was also a radar-confirmed tornado late Wednesday near Monticello, according to the NWS office in Davenport. Twelve tornadoes were confirmed in the coverage area for the National Weather Service in Des Moines. More than a dozen tornadoes- including EF-3В and EF-1В tornadoes -В were confirmed in Iowa during a wild and dangerous Wednesday night. Watch Video: Iowa tornadoes: See a funnel cloud forming near Stanhope Wednesday

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