Iowa Monthly Weather Summary – March 2025
General Summary
Statewide temperatures averaged 42.7 degrees or 6.3 degrees above normal while precipitation totaled 2.57 inches, 0.58 inch above normal. March 2025 ties 1918 and 1968 as the 9th warmest in 153 years of records. It also ties 1884 and 1995 as the 39th wettest March on record. A warmer March last occurred in 2012, which is the warmest on record, while 2024 was wetter.
Temperatures
Warmer than average temperatures blanketed Iowa through March with the warmest conditions across eastern Iowa; stations there reported positive departures approaching eight degrees. March’s statewide average maximum temperature was 55.8 degrees, 9.5 degrees above normal, while the average minimum temperature was 29.6 degrees, 3.1 degrees above normal. Sioux City Airport (Woodbury County) reported the month’s high temperature of 89 degrees on the 28th, 35 degrees above average. Elkader (Clayton County) and Vinton (Benton County) reported the month’s low temperature of nine degrees on the 2nd, on average 10 degrees below normal.
Heating Degree Days
Home heating requirements, estimated by heating degree day totals, averaged 7% less than last March and 22% less than normal. Heating degree day totals are running 10% more than last year at this time and 8% less than normal.
Precipitation
Most of Iowa’s National Weather Service (NWS) stations across the northern two-thirds of the state reported at least 125% of normal precipitation with pockets of 200-300% of normal in north-central and western Iowa. Monthly precipitation totals ranged from 0.59 inches in Clarinda (Page County) to 5.00 inches at a Community Collaborative Rain, Hail and Snow (CoCoRaHS) network gauge near Webster City (Hamilton County). The statewide average snowfall was 4.0 inches, 0.7 inch below normal.
US Drought Monitor
The US Drought Monitor showed improvement across much of Iowa through March. Overall, Iowa experienced a 39% reduction in D1 (Moderate Drought) and D2 (Severe Drought) conditions with a 32% increase in D0 (Abnormal Dryness); D2 conditions were also removed from northwest Iowa. As of the first week of April, the area designated as D1 covers about 34% of the state, a reduction of 38%. Finally, 21% of Iowa is free from drought. According to the Iowa Drought Plan (IDP) trigger tables, Drought Region 3 is the only region classified as in a “Watch.” The remaining Drought Regions are classified as “Normal.”
Justin M. Glisan, Ph.D.
State Climatologist of Iowa
Iowa Dept. of Agriculture & Land Stewardship
Wallace State Office Bldg.
Des Moines, IA 50319
Telephone; (515) 281-8981
E-mail: Justin.Glisan@IowaAgriculture.gov
Weather by Districts
| TEMPERATURE (F) | HEATING DEGREE DAYS | PRECIPITATION (inches) | |||||||||
| SNOWFALL | |||||||||||
| March 2025 | March 2025 | Since Jul., 1, 2025 | March 2025 | Since Jan.1, 2025 | Mar 2025 | ||||||
| DISTRICT | Average | Departure* | Average | Departure* | Average | Departure* | Average | Departure* | Average | Departure* | Average |
| Northwest | 40.1 | +6.1 | 772 | -190 | 6030 | -580 | 2.37 | +0.71 | 2.68 | -0.54 | 6.0 |
| North Central | 39.8 | +6.5 | 781 | -201 | 6099 | -565 | 3.34 | +1.41 | 3.84 | -0.01 | 7.8 |
| Northeast | 40.7 | +6.7 | 753 | -209 | 5988 | -544 | 2.94 | +0.92 | 3.37 | -1.02 | 3.0 |
| West Central | 42.2 | +5.4 | 715 | -162 | 5622 | -495 | 2.47 | +0.66 | 3.17 | -0.38 | 8.3 |
| Central | 42.9 | +6.5 | 694 | -193 | 5585 | -524 | 2.98 | +2.98 | 3.60 | -0.45 | 3.9 |
| East Central | 44.1 | +7.0 | 656 | -209 | 5450 | -501 | 2.83 | +0.62 | 3.82 | -1.06 | 2.0 |
| Southwest | 44.9 | +5.5 | 634 | -164 | 5240 | -403 | 1.43 | -0.55 | 1.97 | -1.94 | 3.3 |
| South Central | 45.6 | +6.5 | 613 | -194 | 5170 | -450 | 2.07 | -0.03 | 3.43 | -1.00 | 1.3 |
| Southeast | 45.7 | +6.5 | 609 | -193 | 5141 | -397 | 2.26 | -0.07 | 3.56 | -1.71 | 1.9 |
| STATE | 42.7 | +6.3 | 689 | -195 | 5584 | -505 | 2.57 | +0.58 | 3.30 | -0.83 | 4.0 |
* Departures are computed from 1991-2020 normals.
The weather data in this report are based upon information collected by the U. S. Dept. of Commerce, NOAA National Weather Service.
