(Radio Iowa) — Aside from an outburst of destructive tornadoes two weeks ago, the just completed month of July was fairly uneventful in terms of weather. State Climatologist Justin Glisan says it was a welcome change from the extremes Iowans experienced the previous three months. “April was the coldest April on record, May was the warmest May on record, and then June was the 10th warmest and 10th wettest on record,” Glisan said. “Then, we get to July and compared to those months, it’s kind of ‘ho-hum,’ we’re almost in the middle for average temperature and almost in the middle for precipitation.”

It appears July 2018 will wind-up being the 55th coolest July in state history (tied with 1928 and 1981). 1936 was the warmest July of record, at 82.7 degrees…about 9 degrees above normal. 2009 was the coldest July on record at 68 degrees, almost six degrees below normal. The highest temperature recorded in Iowa last month was 101-degrees, in Lamoni, on July 13. The towns of Stanley, Sheldon, and Waukon tied for the coldest temperature of 48 on July 27th and 28th.

The statewide preliminary average temperature last month — 73.3 degrees — is only three-tenths-of-a-degree below normal for a typical July. “The beginning of the month was really hot, but we made up for it towards the end of the month with below average temperatures across much of the state,” Glisan said. The statewide preliminary average rainfall total for July is three-point-five inches. That’s just an inch below normal for a typical July.

“It has seemed dry, especially in the southern part of the state – where they’re in drought conditions. They’re in a deficit of rainfall, over the past three years in some places, up to 20 inches,” Glisan said. “Then, you have the northern part of the state that has been getting too much rain.”

The National Weather Service is still investigating, but so far, 12 tornadoes have been confirmed in Iowa last month. They all happened on the same day, with the three strongest twisters touching down in Marshalltown, Pella, and Bondurant. “On the 19th, we had three large population centers taking direct hits, which does not happen at all,” Glisan said.

Only minor injuries were reported in that tornado outbreak. Through the first seven months of 2018, there have been 27 tornadoes confirmed in Iowa.

Today: Fog possible this morning; Partly cloudy. High 82. N @ 10.

Tonight: P/Cldy. Low 60.

Wednesday: P/Cldy w/isolated showers & thunderstorms possible late. High around 86. S @ 10-15.

Thursday: P/Cldy. High around 84.

Friday: P/Cldy. High near 90.

Yesterday’s High in Atlantic was 83. Our Low this morning was 53. Last year on this date our High was 84 and the Low was 56. The record High in Atlantic on this date was 104 in 1955. The Record Low was 39 in 1971.

(Radio Iowa) — Iowa and other Midwestern states are seeing more weather extremes this summer, with many areas experiencing heavy rains that cause flash flooding followed by long periods of heat with no rain. Meteorologist Dennis Todey, director of the U-S-D-A’s Midwest Climate Hub, based in Ames, says in some regions, those heavy rain showers may come more often. Todey says, “That is something that has been noted more frequently and is potentially projected via computer models, is having larger events happening.”

Todey says part of the pattern of climate change includes more weather extremes — like what we’ve experienced this spring and summer. “You have maybe larger periods of dryness and then you have big events after that instead of events distributed around,” he says.  Todey says it’s very difficult to forecast the arrival of some storms that will bring very heavy rain. “This is what presents this complication when you’re trying to understand precipitation,” Todey says. “Sizes of events and timing of events and trying to understand those two spatial variabilities, that more big events at different times of the year and more isolated events really confuses the situation.”

Todey says there’s growing concern those weather extremes could also apply to rapidly spreading drought conditions.

Today: Areas of fog this morning; Partly cloudy w/isolated afternoon showers & thunderstorms possible. High 80. N @ 10.

Tonight: Any rain will be ending this evening; P/Cldy. Low 58. Winds light & variable.

Tomorrow: P/Cldy. High 82. N @ 10.

Wednesday: P/Cldy w/isolated shwrs & tstrms possible late. High around 86.

Thursday: P/Cldy. High around 88.

Yesterday’s High in Atlantic was 79. Our Low this morning was 55. Last year on this date our High was 85 and the Low was 55. The record High in Atlantic on this date was 102 in 1931 & 1947. The Record Low was 39 in 1971.

Today: A slight chance of showers and thunderstorms before 7am, then a slight chance of showers and thunderstorms after 3pm. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 78. Winds becoming E/NE @ 5-10. Chance of precipitation is 20%.
Tonight: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms before midnight. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 57. NE wind 5 to 10 mph.
Monday: A 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly after 1pm. Partly sunny, with a high near 77. N/NE wind 5 to 10 mph. New rainfall amounts of less than a tenth of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.
Monday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 56. North wind 5 to 10 mph.
Tuesday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 80.
Wednesday: Sunny, with a high near 83.
Thursday: Sunny, with a high near 80.

Yesterday’s High in Atlantic was 72. We received .12” rain. Our Low this morning was 59. Last year on this date our High was 85 and the Low was 57. The record High in Atlantic on this date was 102 in 1917. The Record Low was 46 in 1952.

Today: Mostly cloudy w/a 60% chance of showers & thunderstorms. High 73. SE @ 5-10.

Tonight: Mo. Cldy w/a 40% chance of shwrs & tstrms. Low 58. NE @ 5-10.

Tomorrow: Mostly cloudy w/a 30% chance of showers & thunderstorms. High 75. NE @ 5-10.

Tom. Night: Mo. Cldy w/a20% chance of shwrs & tstrms. Low 57.

Monday: Mo. Cldy w/a 40% chance of showers. High around 76.

Tuesday: Mostly Sunny. High around 79.

Wednesday: Mo. Sunny. High around 81.

Yesterday’s High in Atlantic was 79. Our Low this morning was 52. Last year on this date our High was 86 and the Low was 61. The record High in Atlantic on this date was 105 in 1935. The Record Low was 43 in 2013.

Today: Mostly sunny. High around 80. N @ 10.

Tonight: Partly cloudy. Low 60. Winds light & variable.

Tomorrow: Mostly cloudy w/scattered showers & thunderstorms. High 75. SE @ 10-15.

Sunday: Mo. Cldy w/some showers. High around 75.

Monday: Mo. Cldy w/a chance of showers. High around 75.

Yesterday’s High in Atlantic was 82. Our Low this morning was 50. Last year on this date our High was 85 and the Low was 59. The record High in Atlantic on this date was 105 in 1930. The Record Low was 41 in 2013.

Today: Partly cloudy. High 80. NW @ 10-15 mph.

Tonight: Clear. Low 53. Winds light & variable.

Tomorrow: P/Cldy. High 80. N @ 5-10.

Saturday: Mostly cloudy w/scattered showers & thunderstorms. High 75.

Sunday: Any showers will be ending in the morning; Mo. Cldy. High 77.

Yesterday’s High in Atlantic was 84. Our Low this morning was 59. Last year on this date our High was 77 and the Low was 66. The record High in Atlantic on this date was 109 in 1936. The Record Low was 43 in 1962.

Today: Partly cloudy to cloudy w/scattered showers & thunderstorms this afternoon. High 84. SE @ 10-15 mph.

Tonight: Mostly cloudy w/scatt. Shwrs & tstrms. Low 64. SE-NW @ 5-10.

Tomorrow: P/Cldy. High 80. NW @ 10-15.

Friday: P/Cldy. High 82.

Saturday: Mo. Cldy w/scatt. Shwrs & tstrms. High 80.

Yesterday’s High in Atlantic was 86. Our Low this morning was 55. Last year on this date our High was 93 and the Low was 70. The record High in Atlantic on this date was 117 in 1901 (which was also the ALL-TIME record High in Atlantic). The Record Low on this date was 44 in 1894.

Today: Partly cloudy. High 83. N @ 5-10 mph.

Tonight: P/Cldy. Low 60.

Tomorrow: P/Cldy w/isolated showers/thunderstorms late. High 86. S @ 5-10.

Thursday: Any showers ending early; Becoming P/Cldy. High 83.

Friday: P/Cldy. High 83.

Yesterday’s High in Atlantic was 86. Our Low this morning was 55. Last year on this date our High was 86 and the Low was 56. The record High in Atlantic on this date was 110 in 1901. The Record Low was 42 in 1905.