Iowa Weather Summary, June 9, 2015

The reporting week began with dry and unseasonably cool weather with overnight low temperatures mostly in the forties and lower fifties on Monday (1st) and Tuesday (2nd). Heat and humidity gradually increased over the remainder of the week. Showers and thunderstorms were scattered over the west two-thirds of the state on Wednesday (3rd) with heaviest rains over the far southwest with a few amounts over an inch. Thursday (4th), Friday (5th) and Saturday (6th) were dry in most areas although there were a few very isolated thunderstorms, particularly near Chariton on Friday night. Nearly all of the week’s rain fell Saturday night into Sunday (7th) morning with just a few south central and southwest locations missing the weekend rains.

One to two inches of rain fell with the heaviest thunderstorms across central and northern Iowa with these weekend rains, along with many high wind reports in west central into central Iowa. Thunderstorms also developed Sunday (7th) afternoon over parts of far southern Iowa with localized heavy rain and high winds. However, these last storms occurred too late to be reflected in this week’s statistics. Temperature extremes ranged from a Monday (1st) morning low of 36 degrees at Elkader to a Thursday afternoon high of 88 degrees at Vinton. Temperatures for the week as a whole averaged from one degree below normal in the extreme southeast to four degrees above normal in the far northwest with a statewide average of 1.6 degrees above normal. Weekly rain totals varied from only 0.08 inches at Fort Madison (however heavy rains fell just after the reporting period at Fort Madison) to 2.56 inches near Harcourt in Webster County. The statewide average precipitation was 0.72 inches while normal for the week is 1.17 inches.

Source:  Harry Hillaker, State Climatologist, Iowa Department of Agriculture & Land Stewardship