Iowans are well aware that 2018 is starting out much colder than normal, with wind chills of 30-below and worse, but the final tallies on the last month of 2017 show a wide range of temperatures. State climatologist Harry Hillaker says December covered both extremes, starting out very mild.

 

That ended up being the lowest temperature anywhere in the state for the calendar year. December concluded just one-half of one-degree warmer than normal statewide. A dry spell started in late October, carried through all of November, and continued well into December, until the snow began to fall.

 

That’s less than the norm and it ended up being Iowa’s 12th driest December in 145 years of records. Snowfall statewide averaged 5.8 inches during the month, which was close to average.