Iowa’s parched landscape got a little drink of relief in February after recording the driest three consecutive months on record from November through January. State Climatologist Harry Hillaker says the big rain/snowstorm on Valentine’s weekend accounted for much of the precipitation in the shortest month of the year. He says that storm brought about three-quarters of the precipitation for the entire month, but it still wasn’t enough to bring the statewide average above normal. Statewide, we averaged 86-hundredths of an inch of precipitation, slightly below the average of 98-hundreths. February started out warm, with highs in the 50s, but Hillaker says it ended up about four degrees below normal on average. The month falls about in the middle of the record book. February, 2003 was the 56th driest in 130 years of Iowa weather records and the 46th warmest. February’s lowest temperature was 16 below zero and 58 was the highest temp recorded. Hillaker says it looks like March will start out like a lion, a little colder than normal, but not all that wet.