Iowa Monthly Weather Summary – May 2026
General Summary
Temperatures averaged 60.8 degrees or 0.9 degrees above normal while precipitation totaled 2.88 inches or 1.96 inches below normal. May 2026 ties 2004 and 2006 as the 60th warmest and ranks as the 35th driest May in 154 years of statewide records. A warmer May occurred in 2024 while a drier one occurred in 2025.
Justin Glisan, Ph.D.
State Climatologist of Iowa
Iowa Dept. of Agriculture & Land Stewardship
Hoover State Office Bldg.
Des Moines, IA 50319
Telephone: (515) 281-8981
E-mail: [email protected]
Weather by Districts
| TEMPERATURE (F) | HEATING DEGREE DAYS | PRECIPITATION (inches) | |||||||||
| SNOWFALL | |||||||||||
| May 2026 | May 2026 | Since Jul., 1, 2025 | May 2026 | Since Jan.1, 2026 | May 2026 | ||||||
| DISTRICT | Average | Departure* | Average | Departure* | Average | Departure* | Average | Departure* | Average | Departure* | Average |
| Northwest | 59.3 | +0.5 | 226 | -18 | 6482 | -922 | 3.42 | -0.85 | 8.34 | -2.39 | 0.0 |
| North Central | 59.9 | +1.4 | 212 | -36 | 6720 | -743 | 2.61 | -2.27 | 10.72 | -1.79 | 0.0 |
| Northeast | 59.6 | +1.2 | 214 | -33 | 6738 | -592 | 2.20 | -2.52 | 13.46 | +0.44 | 0.0 |
| West Central | 60.7 | +0.7 | 193 | -20 | 5880 | -940 | 2.76 | -1.96 | 9.38 | -2.33 | 0.0 |
| Central | 61.2 | +1.1 | 184 | -27 | 6004 | -802 | 2.75 | -2.21 | 13.37 | +0.58 | 0.0 |
| East Central | 61.2 | +0.6 | 181 | -18 | 5998 | -630 | 1.62 | -3.00 | 11.52 | -1.76 | 0.0 |
| Southwest | 62.1 | +0.8 | 163 | -20 | 5337 | -925 | 3.99 | -1.29 | 11.58 | -1.13 | 0.0 |
| South Central | 62.4 | +1.3 | 157 | -30 | 5309 | -929 | 4.34 | -0.88 | 13.80 | +0.27 | 0.0 |
| Southeast | 62.4 | +0.7 | 158 | -17 | 5418 | -720 | 2.59 | -2.53 | 12.15 | -1.95 | 0.0 |
| STATE | 60.8 | +0.9 | 187 | -24 | 6032 | -756 | 2.88 | -1.96 | 11.52 | -1.13 | 0.0 |
* Departures are computed from 1991-2020 normals. Due to the federal government shutdown, observations are still preliminary.
The weather data in this report are based upon information collected by the U. S. Dept. of Commerce, NOAA National Weather Service.
