Iowa Weather Summary for first week of June

IOWA PRELIMINARY WEATHER SUMMARY
Provided by Justin Glisan, Ph.D., State Climatologist
Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship
Iowa finally received a much needed stretch of dryness and warmth as a large-scale circulation shift brought a much less active pattern across the region. Given the remarkable stretch of wetness during spring, the current dry period is a welcome break. Temperatures were unseasonably warm, generally three to six degrees above average. A majority of the state also experienced rainfall departures between 0.50 to 1.00 inch below average.
Sunday (2nd) afternoon and evening remained mostly sunny and slightly cooler than average with highs in the low to mid 70s. A fast moving wave of showers and thunderstorms entered western Iowa in the early morning hours of Monday (3rd). The system moved through southern Iowa for most of the day until it dissipated Monday evening. Rain totals were highest in southwestern and eastern Iowa with lighter totals in between. Randolph (Fremont County) reported 1.55 inches, while across the state in Dubuque (Dubuque County) 1.67 inches was reported, 1.36 inches above average. The swath of Iowa in between generally saw totals from 0.10 to 0.50 inch. Tuesday (4th) was active across northeastern Iowa as showers and thunderstorms moved through from late evening through early Wednesday (5th) morning. Highs were in the low to mid 80s, on average four to six degrees above normal, helping fuel the storms. Rain totals were highest in the northeast quadrant with four stations reporting above an inch; Cascade (Dubuque County) reported 1.77 inches. Remaining totals across this region ranged from 0.25 to 0.75 inch with the average total around 0.44 inch.
A line of storms re-fired in east central Iowa on Wednesday afternoon with moderate rainfall. Rain totals varied from 0.20 inch in Newton (Jasper County) to 0.87 inch in Garwin (Tama County). The line dissipated as it moved through southeastern Iowa with a strong thunderstorm popping up in Van Buren County; severe hail was reported in Keosauqua. The end of the week was less active with warmer than average conditions. Northwestern Iowa reported highs near 90 degrees on Thursday (6th). Statewide temperatures averaged 86 degrees, eight degrees above average. Overnight lows were above average as well.
Friday (7th) was sunny and unseasonably warm with low humidity. High temperatures reached the mid to upper 80s, four to six degrees above average. Overnight lows into Saturday (8th) remained warmer than average, dipping down into the mid 60s. Conditions through the day on Saturday remained pleasant with continued sunny and dry conditions in Iowa. Temperatures were near to above average with high 80s in the north and low to mid 80s across southern Iowa. A weak cold front brought isolated measurable rain to extreme northwest Iowa late Saturday into Sunday (9th) morning, with accumulations ranging from 0.02 inch in Sioux City (Woodbury County) to 0.39 inch in Akron (Plymouth County) at 7:00 am.
Weekly rainfall totals ranged from no measurable accumulations at a handful of stations to 2.17 inches in Fulton (Jackson County). The statewide weekly average rainfall was 0.52 inch, just under half of the expected 1.18 inches. Temperatures averaged 71.8 degrees, 4.3 degrees above normal. The week’s high temperature of 91 degrees was observed at Hawarden and Sioux Center (Sioux County), as well as Rock Rapids (Lyon County) on the 6th; this reading was on average 13 degrees above normal. Cresco (Howard County) reported the week’s low temperature of 44 degrees on the 3rd, seven degrees below average.