Key Points
- Hot weather this weekend
- Chances for rain in the next 7 days
- Crops are looking mostly good to excellent across the state
Past Weather
Average temperatures across Iowa for the past 7 days have stayed around 0 to 4 degrees cooler than normal, with average temperatures from 68 to 72 degrees. The average daily high temperature has been 76 to 83 degrees, which is 0 to 4 degrees cooler than normal. The average daily minimum temperature has been 57 to 63 degrees, which is up to 4 degrees warmer than normal and down to 4 degrees cooler than normal. Average daily high temperature in August is generally 83 degrees and the average daily low temperature is about 61 degrees.
Most of the state received 0-2 inches of rain in the last week, but some areas, such as near Creston, received as much as 3 to 4 inches. We expect to have around 1 inch of rain per week this time of year. Precipitation in the last week or so brought some relief to dryness in southern Iowa. The U.S. Drought Monitor shows some small areas of evidence of dryness in southern and western Iowa, however, D0 is not considered drought.
Crop Update
This week’s NASS crop progress shows corn conditions are 77% good to excellent, which is up 17% compared to last year. Soybean conditions are also 77% good to excellent, which is up 18% compared to last year. There is variability across the state in terms of reproductive stages of crops due to variable planting dates and replating because of the rainy spring. 82% of corn acres are at dough and 83% of soybean acres are setting pods.
Climate Outlook
The Weather Prediction Center quantitative precipitation forecast shows little rain expected in the next 7 days, anywhere from 0.10-1.00 inches. Rainfall will be variable across the state.
Temperatures will be above average this weekend, but things will start to cool back down in the next several days. The 6-10 outlook (valid August 28-September 1) from the Climate Prediction Center shows a slight chance for above average temperatures across the east side of the state and near normal temperatures across the western half of the state. There is a 40-60% chance of above average rainfall. The 8–14-day outlook (valid August 30-September 5) shows chances for near normal to leaning slightly below normal temperatures and near normal chances of precipitation.
The 3–4-week outlook shows a warm and dry signal taking us into September. The one-month outlook for September, issued August 15, shows temperatures are expected to lean slightly above normal, and slightly drier than normal. The seasonal outlook shows a warm signal persisting and equal chances for above, below, or normal precipitation.
ENSO neutral conditions are expected to continue over the next several weeks, with a La Niña watch in place. The transition to La Niña is happening slower than originally expected. La Niña has a 66% chance of developing during September to November. Once La Niña has developed, it is expected to persist into winter (74% chance) which could increase chances for a colder winter in Iowa.
