When we get heavy rains, they will be heavier because a warmer atmosphere can hold more water. “As climate change continues to alter our patterns, we will see more extremes. “Things don’t happen in isolation in weather and climate,” VanLoocke said. But actually, it’s smaller rain and a lot of it,” he said. “People will point to when it rains, it rains heavier. While individual rainfalls have become slightly larger due to climate change, VanLoocke said, Iowa has also experienced more consistent rainfall. The extreme (nature) of it is something big to talk about.” ►TORNADO DATABASE: Every Iowa tornado since 1950Įxtreme weather and increased precipitation are becoming more common and will continue, Todey said. “That snowmelt brought record runoff after the heavy rains fell on top of existing packed snow,” Glisan said. Glisan said Iowa is seeing more precipitation in the spring, but it’s coming earlier, while snow is still on the ground. Iowa’s average snowfall for February is around 6.5 inches.
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Iowa’s record February snowfall of 22.6 inches was a big contributor to Iowa’s wettest year, according to the state climatologist. Iowa's precipitation levels in April were slightly below average, but in May, the rainfall in southern and eastern Iowa was 150 to 200 percent above average, which resulted in devastating flooding in Davenport and Burlington, Glisan said. For Iowa, that means higher than normal temperatures and rainfall. “Right now, we’re trying to figure out what started the fire while the fire is still burning,” said Andrew VanLoocke, an assistant agronomy professor from Iowa State.Įl Niño conditions, characterized by above normal ocean temperatures in the eastern and central portions of the Pacific Ocean, can affect weather patterns across North America. While there is no one cause behind Iowa's record rainfall, state weather officials point to climate change and El Nino conditions over the Pacific Ocean as contributing factors. The water year starts on October 1 of the previous reference year and ends on September 30 of the reference year. The following is data from National Weather Service cooperative observers as of the end of last month. The USDA Midwest Climate Hub in Ames is predicting higher than average rainfall for most of the summer. Monthly Precipitation Summary Water Year 2022 (to Sep 30, 2022) Updated: Thu at 03:00:01 AM. Higher temperatures create more water vapor in the atmosphere that leads to more rain, he said. Iowa can expect more precipitation as temperatures increase, Glisan said. “With drought conditions in southern Iowa last year, that’s a pretty remarkable flip.” “If you look at the short term, the past 12 months have been the wettest (since official records began in) 1895,” said Justin Glisan, the state climatologist. That's about 16 inches more than the 34.42 inches the state averaged per year from 1981 to 2010. Iowa set a record for rain and snow over the past 12 months, according to data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.Ī changing climate and above-normal ocean temperatures thousands of miles away contributed to the state's 50.73 inches of precipitation from June 2018 through May 2019, state weather experts say.