(Des Moines, IA) -- There are signs that October could be wetter than normal, according to Iowa's State Climatologist Justin Glison. He says it would be welcome news, given that September was warmer and dryer than normal. Most of the state is either abnormally dry or in some form drought.
Glison says rainfall was two inches below normal in September, and the average temperature was a few degrees warmer. He says best case scenario would be that farmers are able to complete harvest before predicted, widespread rains arrive to replenish the thirsty soil. Some parts of Iowa have rainfall deficits of 12-to-18 inches.
He says drought conditions improved in early September, thanks to rain, but then got worse again as the month ended dry. He says September will likely be in the top 20 most dry Septembers on record.
Glison says May and June are the wettest months of the year, and precipitation begins to trail off in the fall. He says in October, the state typically receives just under 3 inches of rain, and the average temperature is 51-degrees.
Glison says, however, there are climatological signs of a wetter than normal October, and widespread showers.