State Climatologist Harry Hillaker says we didn’t see as much rain as we normally do in the state during May. “Preliminarily, it looks like May for the most part was a little bit on the warmer side than usual, thanks to a very warm end to the month,” Hillaker says. “And also most of the state was a bit drier than usual, with precipitation averaging out to about an inch and a third or so less than usual.”
He says it has been awhile since we’ve seen a May like this. “Driest May in eight years, and also the driest spring in nine years,” Hillaker says. There was another weather issue of note in May. “Usually May is a pretty big month for severe weather, didn’t really have a large amount of severe weather, did have some. But overall, a little bit quieter than usual,” according to Hillaker.
Hillaker says the month of June will be off to a stormy start in Iowa with above normal rainfall and near normal temperatures.
(Reporting by Pat Powers, KQWC, Webster City)