Despite a few hot days and some heavy downpours in parts of Iowa, state climatologist Harry Hillaker says the state overall ended the month of May with both near-normal warmth and rainfall.
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The warmest day in Iowa for the month was May 6th when it reached 90 degrees in Cedar Rapids and Hawarden. The lowest temperature was set on May 15th with 27 degrees in Cresco, Decorah and Elkader. While most of eastern Iowa was drier than normal, much of Iowa’s western third got a drenching during May, wrapping up the month much wetter than normal.
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One of the driest places in the state was the Des Moines area, with just 2.6 inches of rain during May. The forecast for the month of June calls for slightly cooler-than-normal temperatures and near-normal rainfall.