Last month closed out as one of the 20 driest Aprils in Iowa history.
State climatologist Justin Glisan says parts of the state remain in moderate to severe drought.
“We did have about 1.6 inches of rainfall for the April average and that’s almost two inches below normal,” Glisan says. “There were parts of the state, northeastern, north-central, and central Iowa, that saw anywhere from two to three inches below average.”
Iowa experienced a rollercoaster of temperatures during the month, from hard frosts and snow to sunny days in the 80s and near 90. “The average temperature was right around 49 degrees and that is what we expect at this time of year,” Glisan says. “We did have periods of colder-than-average temperatures, then warmer-than-average. It just averaged out this month.”
Something that’s rather unusual, there were no reports of severe weather across Iowa during all of April, while April, May, and June are usually prime months for it.
“When we look at dry conditions as we move from wintertime into spring and summer, thunderstorms drive a majority of the precipitation that we get,” Glisan says. “We’ve seen very dry conditions across much of the state due to a lack of thunderstorms, and with a lack of thunderstorms, you get a lack of severe weather reports.”
Forecasts show May will likely stay close to the average for temperatures while there’s a slightly elevated chance for wetter-than-normal weather.
(By Pat Powers, KQWC, Webster City)