Parts of Iowa were socked with heavy rain again today, guaranteeing we’ll finish the month with one of Iowa’s wettest Julys on record. State climatologist Harry Hillaker says the precipitation numbers for the month will continue to tally up until midnight Saturday.

The statewide average is around 7.6 inches  or 7.7 inches of rainfall for the month. Before this latest series of showers, he says this already ranked as Iowa’s 7th wettest July. It’s also the wettest July since 1993, which is when the record was set. June was also a record-breaker for rain.

Iowa saw a statewide rainfall average of nearly 10.5 inches, making last month the wettest June on record for Iowa and one of the wettest months in Iowa history. Hillaker says July could end up close to that mark. While the rainfall amounts vary widely from county to county, the northern third of the state generally got the most rain during July, while the southern part stayed drier, which is a reversal from earlier this year.

While July is ending up among the wettest months for Iowa, Hillaker says it’s also wrapping up warmer than normal. Temperatures averaged about 1.6 degrees above normal, giving us the warmest July since 2006 and the 5th consecutive month that’s seen warmer-than-normal readings.

It follows relatively cool years in both 2008 and 2009. As for the month of August ahead, Hillaker says it’s a good bet it will remain warmer-than-normal, in addition to likely having more rainfall than usual.

By Pat Powers, KQWC, Webster City