Iowa Weekly Weather Summary, August 14, 2017

It was a cool and mostly dry week across Iowa. Temperatures were below normal throughout the week excepting portions of southern Iowa on Thursday when Donnellson reached 93 degrees. Lowest temperatures were reported on Tuesday morning when readings fell as low as 45 degrees at Chariton and Grinnell. Temperatures for the week as a whole averaged 4.6 degrees below normal. There were no widespread rain events during the week.

Showers and thunderstorms brought light to moderate rain to far northwest/northern Iowa (roughly north of a Sioux City to Charles City line) on Wednesday with a maximum reported rain amount of 1.04 inches just northwest of Spencer. Thunderstorms were also scattered across the southeast one-half of Iowa on Thursday with a maximum reported rain amount of 1.30 inches just west of Seymour in Wayne County. There were just a few very isolated showers on Sunday night, Monday and Sunday morning. Tuesday, Friday and Saturday were dry statewide.

Much of the southeast two-thirds of the state recorded no rain during the week. The statewide average rainfall amount was only 0.19 inches while normal for the week is 0.97 inches. A large area of rain fell Monday morning across portions of north central and central Iowa but occurred too late to be reflected in this week’s crop condition and soil moisture statistics.

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